Expert on godwits joins Christchurch's annual farewell of the marathon fliers

Do you want to find out more about godwits, those amazing birds that undertake the lengthy journey from Christchurch to Alaska and back each year?

To celebrate this year’s departure of the birds, godwits expert Keith Woodley will address bird lovers at the annual Farewell to the Godwits (Kuaka) event at the Southshore Spit on Sunday.

Mr Woodley is the author of the meticulously researched and illustrated Godwits: Long Haul Champions which tells the story of the godwits and their migrations - why and how they do it.

The author, who manages the Miranda Shorebird Centre at the Firth of Thames, details the amazing changes these birds undergo before their departure - from moulting to doubling their weight - as well as outlining their array of innate skills in weather prediction and global navigation.

Farewell to the Godwits (Kuaka) is an annual event held by the Christchurch City Council Rangers, the Ihutai Trust, the Seaweek team and the Ornithological Society to farewell the Godwits before they depart on their end-of-summer flight to Alaska.

The return path takes several weeks with stopovers around China’s Yellow Sea, the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and the home-run crossing of the Bering Sea to Alaska.

Farewell to the Godwits (Kuaka)

• Southshore Spit (at the end of Rocking Horse Road - catch Route 5 bus) Some off-street parking available.
• 6.30pm, Sunday 20 February, 2011.