Codrington Lagoon
| Codrington Lagoon | |
|---|---|
 Codrington Lagoon on the west of Barbuda[1] | |
  Codrington Lagoon | |
| Location | Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda |
| Coordinates | 17°39′N 61°50′W / 17.650°N 61.833°W |
| Type | lagoon |
| Official name | Codrington Lagoon |
| Designated | 2 June 2005 |
| Reference no. | 1488[2] |
Codrington Lagoon is a long lagoon which takes up much of the west of the Caribbean island of Barbuda. Its access to the sea was once only via Cuffy Creek, at the northern tip of the lagoon, but in 2019[citation needed] the western edge of the lagoon was destroyed by storms and the lagoon is now completely open to the sea. The water is shallow, and much of the shore of the northern half of the lagoon is marshland. The town of Codrington, the main settlement on the island, is located on the eastern shore of the lagoon.
Frigatebird colony
[edit]To the north of the lagoon is a magnificent frigatebird colony, on the tiny Man of War Island. The colony, known as the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, is one of the main ecotourism attractions in Barbuda. The colony is the largest in the Caribbean region, and is a Ramsar site.[3]
During the mating season, from September to April, this rare bird displays a huge scarlet throat pouch to attract a female mate; the pair will lay one egg on a nest built precariously on the mangrove. These birds cannot walk or swim; they soar high in the clouds and live solely on fish, which they often steal from other birds, giving them their local name, Man of war. They have few predators here, making this nesting site one of the most important in the world for the endangered birds.
It had an estimated 2,500 nesting pairs prior to Hurricane Irma landfall in September 2017.[4] The lagoon was hit by Hurricane Irma's storm surge and its impact on the colony is still[when?] unknown.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "NGA GEOnet Names Server". National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2008-07-07. Archived from the original on 2003-10-08. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "Codrington Lagoon". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Antigua and Barbuda | the Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Wetlands".
- ^ a b Lewis, Emma; Sutton, Ann. "After the Storm". BirdsCaribbean. 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
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