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Can you tell me more about the Godwits?
Godwits migrate to New Zealand from Alaska and usually start to arrive here in the third week of September. They fly across the Pacific Ocean on a non-stop, 11,000+ km flight, which the fastest birds complete in six days.
They migrate away from New Zealand during March, following a route through Australia, SE Asia, China, and back across the Bering Sea to Alaska.
A small number of young birds do not migrate. This is because they are immature and not yet ready to breed. They stay in New Zealand through the Southern Hemisphere winter. Typically 150-300 stay on the Avon-Heathcote Estuary, and 10-20 stay on each of Brooklands Lagoon, Ashley Estuary and Upper Lyttelton Harbour. People often see these young birds and mistakingly think the new migrants have arrived. The newly arrived birds can be identified by residual reddish breeding plumage (this means a variable amount of red feathers on their bodies amongst the greyish-brown winter plumage feathers). The young birds wintering over will not have these - they are simply greyish-brown.
Where to see the Godwits?
Locally, Godwits can be found at the Avon-Heathcote Estuary (1500 - 2300 birds - numbers vary from year to year). They are also found at the Head of Lyttelton Harbour (up to 500), at Brooklands Lagoon (100-200), at the Ashley Estuary (100-200) and at Lake Ellesmere (50-100).
Good spots are the end of Southshore Spit at high tide, or at mid tide from the McCormacks Bay causeway, Windsurf area at the end of Linwood Ave and the Pleasant Point jetty. At Brooklands Lagoon, the best place is mid tide at the end of Harbour Road.
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