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Enjoy the beauty of the Taunton Bay watershed.

Estuaries like Taunton Bay are some of the most biodiverse areas on Earth. They serve as refuges for species of fish, wildlife, and plants that can live only in this unique environment where streams and rivers meet the sea. Taunton Bay is designated as a protected shorebird nesting and feeding area. It is home to nesting pairs of American bald eagles, osprey, blue heron, and loons; thousands of migrating geese and shore birds; and a notable population of ducks, such as black duck and long-tail, in the cold months. In the spring, smelts, alewives, and blueback herring migrate through the bay and work their way up the streams to their spawning grounds. Horseshoe crabs at the northern limit of their range come ashore in Taunton Bay to spawn, and harbor seals bask on the rocks. Elvers (baby eels) work their way from the Sargasso Sea, through the bay, and up the bay’s streams to small lakes and ponds.

Photos are courtesy of Gerry Monteux. For more photos see www.monteuxgallery.com