Migratory masterclass

A special overseas visitor is the Eastern bar-tailed godwit, or Kuaka. Godwits arrive here in late September from Alaska, very hungry after their long flight. They spend the summer here fattening themselves up again and leave in March. Unlike seabirds, they cannot rest on water or feed at sea, so this 11,000-kilometre journey is the longest non-stop flight undertaken by any bird. The return to Alaska is taken in stages so they arrive in good condition to breed in May. They feed mostly in tidal flats at low tide. Flocks commonly fly in long lines or chevrons. A small population of juvenile godwits winter over here.