Good to see a number of godwits (22) on the Whanganui River Estuary this week, (and four red knots), with 21 of the godwits being juvenile birds. Some have orange staining around the base of their bills, indicating iron staining from the the Alaskan sediments (as explained by Phil Battley from Massey University). They must bury their face in the mud as they feed. It is a visual connection to the Arctic where just a few days ago they were feeding. Amazing to think that the juvenile birds, at probably less than four months of age, have travelled from Alaska to Wanganui, some 12,000 km. The sole knot in the picture still has some remnants of breeding plumage on its breast.
