At the end of September, a common godwit made headlines (we wrote about it here) because it broke off its autumn migration from Alaska to New Zealand in the middle of the Pacific and returned to Alaska.
Strong headwinds made the flight difficult.
After a rest period of a few days, the male equipped with a transmitter with the identification “4BRWB” started again, and New Zealand researchers were watching his migration route with excitement.
"The story just keeps getting more interesting," says zoologist Phil Battley of Massey University in Palmerston North.
“The bird got caught in southeast winds, and at first it looked like it was going to turn off for Australia.” Instead, the common woodcock flew to New Caledonia, the place where the migratory bird had stayed for a month last year
Common woodcock usually fly non-stop between Alaska and New Zealand.
They are on the road for eight to ten days.
However, “4BRWB” already took a break on this group of islands east of Australia last year to wait for more favorable air currents there.
"The bird knows exactly where in the world it is and where it has been in the last year," comments Battley enthusiastically: It is a unique observation.
Last year the common woodcock stayed in New Caledonia for several weeks, and ornithologists are excited to see when it will arrive in New Zealand this time.