Kurnell Salt Marsh

I recently visited Kurnell Salt Marsh which is a part of the 2020 Project.
For some time the salt marsh area was held as mining leases by a number of sand mining companies, however all have now been bought out mainly by National Parks and Wildlife.

Salt Marsh
A salt marsh (also known as saltings) is a type of marsh that is a transitional intertidal between land and salty or brackish water (e.g.: sloughs, bays, estuaries). Historically, salt marshes have sometimes been treated as "wastelands", along with other wetlands. Salt marshes are one of the most biologically productive habitats on the planet, rivaling tropical rainforests. The daily tidal surges bring in nutrients, which tend to settle in roots of the plants within the salt marsh. The natural chemical activity of salty (or brackish) water and the tendency of algae to bloom in the shallow unshaded water also allow for great biodiversity.

Flora Glasswort
Sarcocornia quinqueflora
Fleshy perennial with stems spreading horizontally then turning upwards, rooting at thenodes, to 30 cm high. Fleshy stems that vary in colour from green to purple. High tolerance to saline soils and waterlogged conditions and has value in providing groundcover to prevent erosion in salt-scalded areas.

Bitou Bush
Bitou bush first found its way to Australia in 1908, dumped as ballast from ships on the banks of the Hunter River in New South Wales (NSW).By 1982, bitou bush was found along 60 per cent of the NSW coast (approximately 660 km) and was the dominant species along 220 km of that coast.
As a part of the Kurnell 2020 project and Sutherland Shire Council the removal of the Bitou Bush this is imperative to the restoration of the natural ecosystem. While most of the Bitou Bush been removed however there is a number that remain. A there is currently no major ongoing project for the biological control of bitou bush. The remaining Bitou Bush is been studied in small areas to further understand it impact on the environment. There is also now new activity focusing on rust that affects boneseed (and the closely related bitou bush).

Fauna
Nearly all the migratory birds that visit the reserve are wading birds or shorebirds. Some of the birds that feed on the intertidal flats around Towra Point migrate over 12,000km, coming from as far away as Siberia, China and Japan. At least 34 species of wading bird have been recorded here, including the endangered golden plover.(pictured)
Little terns have nested in the reserve since 1992. The population has been brought back from the verge of extinction.
Wading birds seek feeding areas that are a combination of sand and mud and which support small invertebrates such as worms, crabs and shellfish. Some birds probe deeply into the sediment; others take food from the surface.