A Marbled Godwit feeding on the shore of the GulfA Marbled Godwit feeding on the shore of the Gulf – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/800, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

Marbled Godwits are migrating through Utah on their way to their breeding grounds right now so I thought I’d feature this one on my post today. There are four species of Godwits that can be found in North America and the Marbled Godwit is the only species I have photographed so far.

Marbled Godwits are large shorebirds although they are not as large as Long-billed Curlews and although they are shorebirds they breed in grassy marshes of the Great Plains and a few locations in Alaska. I was fortunate that these godwits wintered on the Gulf Coast when I lived in Florida which gave me ample opportunities to photograph them often from low perspectives. They are much more difficult to approach here in Utah.

This Marbled Godwit either has a tiny Coquina (a mollusk) or a tiny Sand Crab in its bill, I can’t tell for certain what the prey is. They consume insects, crustaceans, mollusks and small fish. Marbled Godwits are long-lived shorebirds with the oldest bird having been recorded at 29 years old.

They are lovely, elegant shorebirds!

Life is good.

Mia

Image created June of 2008