Data Zone
Country/territory: Canada
IBA criteria met: -
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 15 ha
Site description (2001 baseline)
Quarry Bay is a small bay on the south shore of Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Although open to the rest of Lake Huron, the bay is somewhat sheltered by Steevens and Greene islands which lie a few kilometres offshore. The shoreline of Manitoulin Island at Quarry Bay is lowlying.
Key biodiversity
In the fall and early winter, significant numbers of moulting Red-necked Grebes are found in Quarry Bay. Up to 300 were seen here in the fall of 1994. This represents between 1 and 2% of the eastern population of the species.
Numerous shorebirds and waterfowl fly along the south shore of Manitoulin Island on their way northwards in the spring, but most of these birds do not stop at Quarry Bay or the adjacent bays and shoreline. Common Loons, scoters, and Oldsquaw are some of the species seen in spring migration.
The moulting locations that Red-necked Grebes use in the vicinity of Manitoulin Island share several characteristics. They are generally between 100 to 2,000 m away from the shoreline, the water depth varies from 3 to 55 m, they are partially sheltered (that is in the lee of islands or in large bays), and have varied lake bottom topography containing shelves or holes.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Huron, Quarry Bay. Downloaded from
http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-huron-quarry-bay-iba-canada on 23/09/2023.
