Godwits at Miranda
The incredible godwit migration
Date: 13 June 2014
By: Bruce McKinlay | Technical Advisor, Ecosystems and Species
A male godwit showing how fat they are before migrating to China
Godwits spend the Austral summer in New Zealand and Australia. Every September about 80,000 of them will fly back to New Zealand.
A recent report revealed that a number of bar-tailed godwits have been recaptured more than 18 years since they were banded - this is quite an incredible feat!
The implication of travelling each year from the Southern Hemisphere to the Yellow Sea, then to Alaska for breeding and then back (over 20 times!) is mind boggling stuff.
Especially for a bird that weights a maximum of 400g for males, and up to 600g for females.
Even more impressive is the report of a red knot, which was last seen in 2012, more than 22 years after it was banded.
That's a 100 g bird travelling from New Zealand to Siberia each year for 22 years. That is a serious amount of Airpoints dollars (or in this case polycheate worms).
I went down to Miranda foreshore a couple of weeks ago to shoot the godwits before they took off on their annual migration to Alaska amazing site. I am still playing around with the shots I took.
By: Bruce McKinlay | Technical Advisor, Ecosystems and Species
A male godwit showing how fat they are before migrating to China
A recent report revealed that a number of bar-tailed godwits have been recaptured more than 18 years since they were banded - this is quite an incredible feat!
The implication of travelling each year from the Southern Hemisphere to the Yellow Sea, then to Alaska for breeding and then back (over 20 times!) is mind boggling stuff.
Especially for a bird that weights a maximum of 400g for males, and up to 600g for females.
Even more impressive is the report of a red knot, which was last seen in 2012, more than 22 years after it was banded.
That's a 100 g bird travelling from New Zealand to Siberia each year for 22 years. That is a serious amount of Airpoints dollars (or in this case polycheate worms).
I went down to Miranda foreshore a couple of weeks ago to shoot the godwits before they took off on their annual migration to Alaska amazing site. I am still playing around with the shots I took.
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