BS022
Grog Pond


Country/territory: Bahamas

IBA criteria met: A1, A4i, B4i (2007)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 245 hectares (2.45 km2)

Bahamas National Trust

Site description (2006 baseline)
Grog Pond is located approximately 10 miles northwest of George Town, Great Exuma, bounded on the north by the Queen's Highway, on the east, south and west by Bahama Sound Development. Including immediate surrounding land the pond spans an area of approximately 1-1/2 miles by 1/2 mile. Grog Pond is an inland wetland. It has the potential to become a great asset to the community as an eco-tourism site, recreation area and a centre for students and adults to learn about the environment.

Key biodiversity
A wide variety of waterfowl, herons, egrets and shorebirds have been recorded at this site. Also various species of coppice dwelling birds such as doves, White-crowned Pigeons, Bahama and Northern mockingbirds, Mangrove Cuckoos, Greater Antillean Bullfinch, Thick-billed Vireos and many species of migrating warblers have been observed in the coppice surrounding the pond.

Non-bird biodiversity: Bordering the pond and the beautiful marsh areas is firm land with salt-water grass flats, buttonwood, madeira, logwood, wild tamarind, pigeon plum, palmetto, pond top, gumelemi, sawgrass, airplants, ball moss and the ever present 'poison wood'. Small clams, fiddler crabs, mosquito fish, insects, and a type of 'widgeon grass' provide a rich food source for the variety of waterbirds that utilize the pond.


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Grog Pond (Bahamas). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/grog-pond-iba-bahamas on 23/12/2024.