This morning at around 10 am we located AJD and others still on the estuary. A large group of people came to see him, but soon after 10 am, with the tide being higher than expected, the godwits flew south, as there was little open sand left for them to rest on. This often happens, so quite likely they will be back this afternoon, unless they have decided to go to Foxton (there is someone at Foxton looking out for them). There is a NW wind forecast for the next few days, which is certainly not good for godwits migrating in that direction. The birds are known to delay their departure a day or two if they sense the winds are too much against them. I will update this report again later in the day.
2.30 pm update:
The godwits/kuaka are back, so we plan to be at the sailing club at 4 pm to farewell them.
6 pm update:
The godwits/kuaka did not migrate at 5 pm, as usual, due, I think, to the strong northwest wind blowing. The birds may not migrate until the wind settles and goes to the south.
We witnessed the birds feeding feverishly, and observed a couple of food fights, with AJD being involved, something I rarely see - see picture below.
A large group of people, including the Alaskans and local Iwi, gathered in the Sailing Club rooms that overlook the estuary. We all watched AJD feed out on the mudflats, as we enjoyed afternoon tea. We had a ceremony talking about AJD, and several sang Māori waiata/songs about AJD and wishing him well for his journey.
