Esquimalt Lagoon
Ecosystems
Coburg Peninsula hosts one of the few shorelines with coastal sand dunes around the Victoria area. Beach grasses help to stabilize the dunes, and provide habitat for insects, small mammals and birds. Much of the Native Dune Grass (Elymus mollis) habitat on Coburg Peninsula has been trampled by people and out-competed by invasive species such as Scotch Broom. However, fragments of this important and fragile habitat still remain on the spit.
At the entrance to the lagoon, the receding tide exposes sand and gravel flats. Many types of birds gather to feed here on small animals that burrow in the sand, such as worms, amphipods and shellfish. Smaller sand and mud flats are located along the western shore.
The entire lagoon is essentially an estuary, as it receives freshwater from streams, and salt water through the tidal channel. Salt marsh is located at the mouth of Colwood Creek, Bee Creek and in a fringe along the western shore of the lagoon. Estuaries and salt marshes are highly productive ecosystems, and provide rich feeding grounds for birds as well as a sheltered environment for fish.