Timing is everything with watching Nature and the morning after our local godwit event when for the first year the godwits disappointed by not appearing on a nearby shell bank at high tide they were back.
And again, this morning they were roosting (resting) on the shell bank with four Spoonbill.
Photos to follow
This year our small visiting flock of bar-tailed godwit decided not to show up on the high tide roost (resting) site for our planned event at Shoal estuary. The birds’ movements locally have certainly been less predictable with strong Westerly winds and some very high tides so far this spring season.
However, it was a great afternoon gathering at the edge of the estuary. Once again organized by the local environment group Restoring Takarunga Hauraki (RTH)
Our usual Druid friend Chris introduced my talk about our local godwit arrivals and behaviors, and Zane provided a Maori perspective and some important points regarding avoiding disturbing the bird's habitat.
The birds may not have played their part but during the event a lone Spoonbill did flyby which everyone got to see.
We also had two Auckland Councillors attend, Richard Hills and newly elected John Gillon and we trust they will both represent and support protection of our local environment.
Heading to Motuihe Island today. I haven't landed on the Island for a few years since my camping trip days staying in my two-man tent.They were happy days exploring the island and searching for interesting wildlife.
Today i am with the Auckland Botanical Society and Bella and Ben who have been working on the many Conservation projects to restore the island.
More to follow.........................
"Nature is shy and noncommittal in a crowd. To learn her secrets, visit her alone or with a single friend, at most. Everything evades you, everything hides, even your thoughts escape you, when you walk in a crowd."
Edwin Way Teale. Circle of seasons. The Journal of a Naturalist Year.
However today I have visited the Pukorokoro/Miranda Shorebird Centre to attend what was an excellent talk by Dan Ruthrauff who lives in Anchorage and is a researcher of shorebirds in Western Alaska. The Shorebird Centre was filled to the doorway with birders keen to hear Dans talk.
Today Dan along with an excellent presentation including some amazing photographs and video was sharing his experience and the challenges involved in studying Bar-tailed godwit in the tundra landscape of Alaska. This shorebird breeds in Alaska and at this time of the year (October) has returned to New Zealand its non-breeding habitat to share our summer in estuaries across the country. In Alaska some 80-90,000 godwit attempt to breed and following this they form huge flocks waiting for the opportunity to fly South.
After Dans talk we descended to the bird hides at the nearby Robert Findlay reserve to see the newly arrived bar-tailed godwit and other waders. At Pukorokoro/ Miranda today there were several thousand godwits along with other birds.
At my local estuary we have our share at present a smaller flock of a round 200 but the birds are site faithful, and one Chinese flagged godwit has returned for the sixth-year running. At Pukorokoro there will be many flagged research birds to monitor and record for scientific purposes. Come March 2026 our share of the godwit flocks will return to Alaska to breed via China as a stopping place to refuel. Once again, they hopefully will achieve their near 30,000-kilometer round trip.
