Godwits, knots and turnstones are being colour-banded in New Zealand as part of an Ornithological Society project to study movements of these species within the country. Birds have been banded around the Auckland region in the North Island and in Golden and Tasman Bays, Canterbury and Southland in the South Island. This project is also linked with the work into survival rates and movements of Phil Battley.

Figure 1. Sites where waders have been colour-banded to
June 2005. Click here for larger image

At the end of the first year of study (June 2005) around 400 godwits, 200 knots and a small number of turnstones had been individually colour-banded. Preliminary results suggest that godwits are considerably more site-faithful than knots, and that young birds of both species are more prone to wander widely than are adults.

Bar-tailed Godwit

Of 304 godwits resighted after banding, most (226) were recorded only at the banding site. Of the 78 birds that had moved, most had moved only short distances. The following maps show the longer-distance movements recorded.

Figure 2. Between-site movements by godwits banded in the Kaipara Harbour.
Note that only 14 birds were banded there. Click here for larger image

Figure 3. Left - Movements within the North Island of godwits banded in the Firth of Thames.
Right - Movements to the South Island. Click here for larger images

As more birds have been banded at the Firth of Thames than elsewhere, it is not surprising that more movements have been detected. Return trips have been detected in birds going to the Bay of Plenty, Kawhia Harbour, and Invercargill, Southland.

Figure 4. Between-site movements by godwits banded in Golden Bay. Click here for larger image

Figure 5. Between-site movements by godwits banded at the Avon-Heathcote Estuary.
Notes give the history of a first-year bird that moved with a flock of juveniles to Lake Ellesmere
before relocating to the Auckland isthmus. Click here for larger image

Red Knot

While fewer knots were banded, and fewer reports of banded birds were received, knots are clearly more mobile than godwits. While only 127 of the 187 knots banded were resighted, 87 of these had changed site, many several times. Some quite detailed histories have already accumulated.

Most birds were banded at the Firth of Thames, and these have spread widely around the northern half of New Zealand. There are numerous records from the Manukau Harbour, including virtually all 40 birds banded in an overwintering flock in June 2004. Some of the more interesting results are given further down the page.

Figure 6. Between-site movements by knots banded at the Firth of Thames. Click here for larger image

Figure 7. 2WWYY was banded in June 2004, moved to the Kaipara Harbour by 7 July,
then returned overnight to the Firth of Thames, 110 km away. Click here for larger image>

Figure 8. It then moved to the Manukau Harbour where it was seen in July and August,
before disappearing from observation. In January 2005 it was located in the Far North. Click here for larger image

Figure 9. 2YBWY was apparently a fairly settled individual that, after sampling the
Manukau Harbour in July and August, was seen numerous times in the Firth of Thames. In
March 2005 it was unexpectedly seen near Nelson in the South Island. Click here for larger image

For both godwits and knots, young age-classes made more long-distance movements than adults. Overall, all age-classes of knots were much more mobile than equivalent godwits.

Table 1. Movement rates of godwits and knots

		Godwit			Knot
age	moved site	banded	% that moved	moved site	banded	% that moved
adult	10	281	3.6	41	125	32.8
immature	5	59	8.5	29	50	58.0
juvenile	10	53	18.9	10	12	83.3

What's happening now?

Immature and juvenile birds are still in New Zealand, and as these seem more likely to move around New Zealand, it is important that checks are made through winter to see who is where. And it's easier than in summer, as there are fewer birds to search through. Through the southern summer, there will be ongoing banding in both the North and South Islands. If you would like to be involved in this banding, please contact Phil Battley or Adrian Riegen in the North Island and Rob Schuckard or David Melville in the South Island.

We will also be out and about checking shorebird legs throughout the summer, and encourage birders to look at the information on the web (colour-banding page, sexing and scoring breeding plumage, OSNZ website) and try ring-reading. We are especially keen on visits to out-of-the-way locations with few birders, and are also wanting to hear about 'nil' reports, when you have checked birds but seen no bands.

For more information on this project, please contact Phil Battley, Rob Schuckard or David Melville. Also check out the OSNZ website.