Godwits: Long Haul Champions

Description

Godwits: Long-haul champions, an enchanting, wonderfully illustrated book by shorebird expert Keith Woodley, tells the miraculous story of the godwits and their migrations - why and how they do it. It follows the birds on their intrepid journeys, examining the places they visit, be it an estuary in northern New Zealand, a mudflat on the Chinese-North Korean border, or a tundra nesting site in Alaska. Woodley, respected godwit expert and manager of the Miranda Shorebird Centre, details the amazing changes these birds undergo before their departure - from moulting into new plumage, to doubling their weight and shrinking non-essential body organs - as well as outlines their array of innate skills in weather prediction and global navigation. Incorporating the author's own eye-witness accounts as well as meticulous research, this tale of navigation and stunning fortitude is written in a compelling yet accessible style that will appeal to both professional bird watchers and general readers curious to discover more about one of nature's quiet achievers.

Author description

Keith Woodley is the full-time manager of the Miranda Shorebird Centre, on the Firth of Thames. From a young age, a fledgling curiosity in birds very quickly led to a strong interest in ornithology. He has since hosted thousands of people at the Centre and given hundreds of talks on the subject of shorebird migration; he has fostered an intense knowledge of the shorebird migration flyway, become the go-to expert on the godwit, and visited key sites in Australia, Alaska, China and Korea. He is the author of Godwits- Long-haul Champions (2009) and Shorebirds of New Zealand- Sharing the Margins (2012).