Very exciting this afternoon to find that AJD is back home in Whanganui, his summer home for the last 14 years. With binoculars I spotted a flagged bird, and the excitement mounted. The bird was constantly on the move, as were the other godwits in the small group. I tried and tried to get near, and eventually, at around 4 pm, I managed to worm myself across the mud for some good close shots. The tide was still well out. One thing I can confirm, that, despite his old age, he has no joint problems as he can run as fast as when he was young. He has been at Foxton, as I photographed him there on 7 October 2022. He usually has not arrived in Whanganui until early December, but, last year he arrived on October 30, after a likely difficult migration, and did not go to Foxton at all. He may have been here a couple of days as I have not done a complete scan of the birds since Monday. We expect him to remain here, until his next migration north to Alaska on 25 March 2023.
