Connecticut Hosts an Unusual Shorebird

September 16, 2014 · Filed under animals, Birds, travels · Tagged Marbled Godwit, shorebird migration

Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)

The annual shorebird migration is in full swing and vigilant eyes can pick out some rarities, like the Marbled Godwit that appeared in Connecticut last week.  While not a Connecticut record, this bird’s presence spiked a lot of interest in local birding enthusiasts.  The Marbled Godwit is a large sandpiper, 18″ tall, that breeds in Montana, the Dakotas and southern Canada (orange blob on map) and migrates (yellow) to more southern shores for the winter (blue portions on map).   I saw it among a group of gulls in a flooded parking lot in Stratford, Connecticut.  It breeds in marshy, prairie wetlands which is where I first saw one on a visit to North Dakota.  According to Cornell University’s All About Birds , their nests are hard to find as they don’t flush off the nest readily when disturbed, and can even be picked up off the nest.  It made for an exciting Sunday morning.