| Channel Point Coastal Reserve Northern Territory | |
|---|---|
  Channel Point Coastal Reserve | |
| Nearest town or city | Darwin |
| Coordinates | 13°09′51″S130°07′00″E / 13.16417°S 130.11667°E Coordinates: 13°09′51″S130°07′00″E / 13.16417°S 130.11667°E |
| Established | 2005 [2] |
| Area | 2.50 km2 (1.0 sq mi) [3] |
| Managing authorities | Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory |
| Website | Channel Point Coastal Reserve |
| See also | Protected areas of the Northern Territory |
Channel Point Coastal Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved.
It is situated approximately 240 kilometres (149 mi) south west of Darwin opposite the Peron Islands and between the mouth of the Daly River and Channel Point. The reserve overlaps with the Anson Bay, Daly and Reynolds River Floodplains, an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory of Australia, situated on the Timor Sea. It is the largest city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, with a population of 148,564. It is the smallest, wettest and most northerly of the Australian capital cities, and acts as the Top End's regional centre.
The Peron Islands are two low-lying islands off the west coast of the Northern Territory of Australia. They are about 5 km off Channel Point. Channel Point forms the northern end of Anson Bay which includes the mouth of the Daly River.
The Anson Bay, Daly and Reynolds River Floodplains comprise some 2,656 square kilometres (1,025 sq mi) of seasonally inundated floodplains around Anson Bay, and the lower reaches of the Daly, Reynolds and Docherty Rivers entering the bay, on the west coast of the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia. Anson's Bay lies about 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-west of Darwin, on the eastern side of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, opening on to the Timor Sea. The site is important for large numbers, and a wide variety, of waterbirds.
Facilities in the area include a boat ramp, camping area and a small internal road to the boat ramp. The infrastructure development was commenced in 2006 and completed shortly afterward. [4]
The area contains habitat for many species of birds including royal spoonbills, magpie geese, plumed whistling-duck, grey teal and glossy ibis. [5]
In ecology, a habitat is the type of natural environment in which a particular species of organism lives. It is characterized by both physical and biological features. A species' habitat is those places where it can find food, shelter, protection and mates for reproduction.
The royal spoonbill also known as the black-billed spoonbill, occurs in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It has also been recorded as a vagrant in New Caledonia. The royal spoonbill lives in wetlands and feeds on crustaceans, fish and small insects by sweeping its bill from side to side. It always flies with its head extended. Widespread throughout its large range, the royal spoonbill is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The grey teal is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in Australia and New Zealand.
