Bar-tailed godwits are long-billed, long-legged migratory wading birds that have won the hearts of many New Zealanders, especially those living in Christchurch in the South Island. Each year they arrive in September, thus announcing the arrival of spring. The people of Christchurch and its surrounding districts have developed huge admiration for these long distance travellers. The birds have become such popular visitors to the city, the Christchurch Cathedral bells peal for thirty minutes to announce their arrival. The latest group have been here since 15 September 2009, when the first forty birds arrived.

The flock of godwits come all the way from Alaska in the United States to summer over in New Zealand. The flight from Alaska is a long one. In 2007 when the flight from Alaska was monitored, one bird made a non-stop flight to New Zealand of at least 11,680 km in just over eight days.

At 5:30pm this evening, Wednesday 3 March 2010, hundreds of people gathered at the Avon-Heathcote Estuary in Christchurch, New Zealand to farewell over 2000 godwits about to depart on their long flight back to a northern summer. The farewell was organised by rangers from the Christchurch City Council and members of the Ornithological Society and local Avon-Heathcote Trust.

The Avon-Heathcote Estuary covers over 880 hectares, providing a safe environment for the birds. It is internationally recognised as an important wetland. The birds, about 40 cm in height, have been feeding on shellfish, crabs and aquatic insects in the area at low tide. This year has apparently been a good breeding season, with numbers peaking at around 2,200. This is the third year in a row that the number of birds has been estimated at over 2,000 and the 2010 departure is thought to be the largest in a long time. About a decade ago the numbers were down to around 1300.

While the flight here just over five months ago may have seemed a long one, the return flight is longer, covering just over 17,000 kms. On their return trip the birds will initially fly about 9,000 kms to China. There they will rest and feed before continuing on their journey back to their breeding grounds in Alaska.

There is a growing concern for the survival of godwits in the future and a decline in numbers is anticipated. There is a fear that coastal wetland reclamation projects and habitat destruction in Asia will adversely affect the bird’s survicval on their long homeward journey.

Once the godwits have left New Zealand it will be a long wait until the Christchurch bells welcome them back next spring for their summer stop over.

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