IBA	Baynes Sound Courtenay, British Columbia
Site Summary
BC057	Latitude Longitude	49.535° N 124.812° W	Elevation Size	0 m 100.87 km²

Habitats: salt marshes/brackish marshes, tidal rivers/estuaries, mud or sand flats (saline), open sea	Land Use: Fisheries/aquaculture, Tourism/recreation	Potential or ongoing Threats: Fisheries, Industrial pollution, Other increased mortality
IBA Criteria: Globally Significant: Congregatory Species, Continentally Significant: Congregatory Species, Nationally Significant: Congregatory Species, Shorebird Concentrations
Conservation status: IBA Conservation Plan written/being written

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Site Description Comox Valley IBA, Baynes Sound IBA and Lambert Channel/Hornby Island Waters IBA share common populations of waterbirds but were established as separate IBAs because they were nominated independently. In 2013, these sites were amalgamated into the K'omoks IBA; follow this link for current information for this area. Baynes Sound is situated between the east coast of Vancouver Island and Denman Island in the Strait of Georgia in southwestern British Columbia. This site extends from Comox Harbour to Deep Bay and Mapleguard Point, approximately 30 km to the southeast. Chrome Island is situated off the southern point of Denman Island, and is included in the IBA. Baynes Sound is a shallow coastal channel fringed by protected bays, open foreshore, tidal estuaries, inshore marshes and adjacent forests. Comox Harbour, which bounds Baynes Sound on the northwest, is a large low gradient deltaic deposit. Together these protected waters and their many freshwater streams function as a single estuary. The shoreline, much of which is in a relatively natural condition, ranges from wide expanses of mud and sand flats to rocky shorelines overlooking deep water. The key habitats are a series of low gradient deltas, sand and gravel beaches, tidal flats, estuaries and foreshore. The Sound has several small bays that comprise the most important area in the province for oyster mariculture and support a shellfish industry. The surrounding land is a mixture of undeveloped second growth forest, areas of commercial pasture and cropland, small farms, urban and suburban development and light industry.

Birds The Baynes Sound area is important for winter populations of waterbirds and shorebirds, and for summer-moulting seaducks. The presence of spawning herring during early spring is an important food source for many bird species occurring in the area. Continentally important numbers of Black Brant occur during spring migration. Western Grebe occurred at globally significant levels most years from 1975 to 1988, but has decreased in numbers since then. The area is also an important feeding area for Surf Scoter, Glaucous-winged Gull, Mew Gull, and Thayer's Gull.

Criteria Version: Current Original (circa 2000) Date Range: All Pre-2000 Post-2000 Last 10 Years Display: Summary Details IBA Criteria Species↓ T | A | I Links Date Season Number G C N Black Oystercatcher 1995 - 2015 WI 78 - 192 ✔ ✔ Black Turnstone 2004 FA 1,000 ✔ ✔ Black Turnstone 1981 WI 3,093 ✔ ✔ Brant 1981 - 2012 SP 5,291 - 15,501 ✔ ✔ Glaucous-winged Gull 2001 - 2017 SP 7,000 - 15,000 ✔ ✔ Glaucous-winged Gull 1981 WI 6,250 ✔ ✔ Great Blue Heron 1998 - 1999 SP 35 Great Blue Heron 1981 SU 136 ✔ Great Blue Heron 1994 - 2007 WI 35 Greater Scaup 2010 SP 5,000 Heermann's Gull 2006 - 2009 SP 35 - 335 ✔ Heermann's Gull 2008 WI 61 ✔ Iceland Gull (Thayer's) 2011 - 2016 FA 100 - 200 ✔ ✔ Iceland Gull (Thayer's) 2000 OT 1,104 ✔ ✔ Iceland Gull (Thayer's) 2000 - 2015 SP 97 - 1,000 ✔ ✔ Iceland Gull (Thayer's) 1981 - 2017 WI 77 - 1,367 ✔ ✔ Marbled Murrelet 1981 OT 50 ✔ Marbled Murrelet 2008 SP 48 ✔ Red-necked Grebe 2007 - 2016 FA 358 - 601 ✔ Short-billed Gull 2001 OT 11,844 ✔ Short-billed Gull 2001 - 2017 SP 6,025 - 9,000 ✔ Surf Scoter 2003 - 2010 SP 15,000 - 25,000 ✔ ✔ Trumpeter Swan 2014 WI 279 Waterbirds 2010 WI 41,336 ✔ Western Grebe 1981 - 1983 WI 10,356 - 15,174 ✔ ✔ Note: species shown in bold indicate that the maximum number exceeds at least one of the IBA thresholds (sub-regional, regional or global). The site may still not qualify for that level of IBA if the maximum number reflects an exceptional or historical occurrence.

Conservation Issues Baynes Sound has long been recognized as an important area for waterbirds, salmon, herring and shellfish. The east coast of Vancouver Island has experienced rapid housing development in the past few years. The greatest threat to birds in Baynes Sound is the destruction or degradation of habitat (in particular coastal wetlands) by urban development. Runoff from sewage and suburban storm sewers threaten the water quality and disturbance from increased recreational activities also poses a threat to bird populations using the area. A Conservation Plan was written.

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The IBA Program is an international conservation initiative coordinated by BirdLife International. The Canadian co-partners for the IBA Program are Birds Canada and Nature Canada.