Spring heralds expected mid-month
The incredible journey of the bar-tailed godwit is expected to conclude with the first flocks of the little migratory birds arriving in the middle of the month.
Each year godwits fly from Alaska to the Christchurch Estuary and this year some of these trans-global commuters could be carrying tiny radio beacons. The hope is to be able to track them from start to touch-down as they make their non-stop week-long journey.
As a harbinger of spring, Christchurch will again celebrate the arrival, with the bells of Christ Church Cathedral pealing for 30 minutes.
City Council Ranger Andrew Crossland says an international research team is studying the New Zealand-bound birds in Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and has plans to fix transmitters weighing just 2g to some birds.
In New Zealand, the receiving and monitoring effort will be lead by Dr Phil Battley from the University of Otago. The aim is to better understand the migration and the potential effects on it of climate change.
Godwits are believed to fly 10,000-11,000km in around six days, direct. Dr Battley says knowing when birds leave Alaska and when they arrive in New Zealand will give insights into the weather systems the birds encounter. This will be valuable information for scientists, and, on the lighter side, will also give the Cathedral bell-ringers decent notice of the likely arrival time.
Most godwits return to Alaska to breed. However, Mr Crossland says some, mainly youngsters, winter over on the estuary. This year about 250 remained. |
