This week’s Bird of the Week, compliments of the Weminuche Audubon Society and Audubon Rockies, is the marbled godwit.
Peak spring bird migration in the West occurs during the last weeks of April and the first week of May. Millions of birds are tracked by radar flying across the night skies during this period. One of them is this large shorebird which migrates through the western half of the United States from winter homes on coastal shorelines and estuaries to northern breeding grounds.
In breeding plumage, these long-legged sandpipers are barred above and below in brown, white and cinnamon colors. Their very long bills are slightly upturned, orange at the base and black at the end. They will probe in water up to 5 inches deep, often with heads submerged.
Marbled godwits nest at only three known locations, two of which are located in far northern tundra areas. Most of the population heads toward wetlands in the shortgrass prairies of south central Canada and the north central United States. Both sexes often return to the same area and breed with the same mate each year.
Migrating birds use different strategies to reach their final destinations. Some are said to “jump,” making nonstop flights of thousands of miles before taking a break. Some “skip” in medium-distance flight segments of around a thousand miles at a time. Others, like the marbled godwit, “hop,” flying several shorter segments of a few hundred miles at a time.
For all of these long-distance migrants, finding reliable safe places to rest and feed before moving on is critical to their survival. Especially in the drought-stricken west, these wetland places have become harder for shorebirds to find.
In order to determine how shorebirds are faring in the west and how water resources can be better managed for them, Point Blue Conservation Science and National Audubon have partnered to conduct the Intermountain West Shorebird Survey. These surveys targeting shorebird species are being conducted during spring and fall migrations over a span of five years ending in 2026. Through their participation, members of our local Audubon chapter who join refuge staff in counting shorebirds on the Monte Vista and Alamosa National Wildlife Refuges play a part in the conservation of these magnificent birds.
For information on events, visit www.weminucheaudubon.org and www.facebook.com/weminucheaudubon/.
