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BS031
Low Cay, High Cay and Sandy Hook
Location Bahamas, San Salvador
Central coordinates 74o 29.15' West  23o 57.03' North
IBA criteria B4i, B4ii
Area 1,224 ha
Altitude 0 - 4m
Year of IBA assessment 2007

Bahamas National Trust (Partner Designate)



Ornithological information Flocks of Roseate, Bridled and Sooty Terns, Brown Noddies, Audubon's Shearwaters have been seen feeding in this area during fall. Least Terns and Wilson's Plovers can be seen along the beach.

Site description This site is located at the southeast end of San Salvador Island. Sandy Hook is an urban subdivision of Columbus Landing Development. It is bounded on the north and west by Pigeon Creek and by Snow Bay Beach on the east with the Atlantic Ocean on its south shore. Low and High Cays are located offshore to the southeast of Sandy Hook.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Audubon's Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri breeding  2006  common breeding pairs  medium  B4ii  Least Concern 
Least Tern Sterna antillarum breeding  2006  common breeding pairs  medium  B4i  Least Concern 
Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus breeding  2005  common individuals  poor  B4i  Least Concern 

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Coastline   major
Rocky areas   major
Sea   major
Shrubland   -
Wetlands (inland)   -

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
urban/industrial/transport major
not utilised major

Management considerations Further development is highly possible which will cause habitat destruction and disturbance of birds. Cays visited by tourists from Club Med Resort on jetskis and local "guides" using the cays for commercial purposes.

Further web sources of information 

Site profile from Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean: key sites for conservation (BirdLife International 2008)

References White, A.W. 1998b. A Birder's Guide to the Bahama Islands (Including Turks and Caicos). American Birding Association. Colorado Springs, CO. 302pp.

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Low Cay, High Cay and Sandy Hook. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 26/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife