All of the land between the original oxbow and the river are part of the sanctuary with the western end within the oxbow exhibiting a natural old growth hardwood forest that is rare in the Victoria area. The eastern end near the river is a much more disturbed setting with many old sandbars and sloughs from changing river courses. One unique aspect of the habitat is that the oxbow has been colonized by dense swamp privet which is used by many migrants and brings the birds much closer to the birder
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