Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve
Encyclopedia
Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve is a Natural Area Preserve
located in Northampton County, Virginia
. Jointly owned by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
and The Nature Conservancy
, its 206 acre (0.83365316 km²) encompass woodland
s, wetland
s, and salt marsh
es, providing foraging
areas for various species of waterfowl
, shorebirds, and wading birds. Diamondback
terrapins and clapper rail
s are frequent visitors, as are many varieties of songbird
.
Virginia Natural Area Preserve System
The Virginia Natural Area Preserve System is a system of protected areas in the state of Virginia. It was established in the late 1980s to protect sites that were designated as among the most significant natural areas in the state...
located in Northampton County, Virginia
Northampton County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,389 people, 5,321 households, and 3,543 families residing in the county. The population density was 63 people per square mile . There were 6,547 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
. Jointly owned by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is a department of the government of Virginia; it oversees all Virginia state parks and Natural Area Preserves.-External links:*...
and The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
, its 206 acre (0.83365316 km²) encompass woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s, and salt marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, providing foraging
Foraging
- Definitions and significance of foraging behavior :Foraging is the act of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce...
areas for various species of waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
, shorebirds, and wading birds. Diamondback
Diamondback
Diamondback may refer to:* Diamondback Bicycles, a division of Raleigh Bicycle Company* Crotalus atrox, the western diamondback rattlesnake* Crotalus adamanteus, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake...
terrapins and clapper rail
Clapper Rail
The Clapper Rail is a member of the rail family, Rallidae. Some researchers believe that this bird and the similar King Rail are a single species; the two birds are known to interbreed.-Distribution and habitat:...
s are frequent visitors, as are many varieties of songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
.