Where did they come up with the name Godwit? And why do these big sandpipers instill such attention from me? Hudsonian Godwits much more than Marbled Godwits, for good reason probably. Marbled Godwits are common during migrations and during the nesting season in my home range, and they are relatively common at locations I visit during winter – ocean coasts and coastal marshes in southern states. But sightings of Hudsonian Godwits are remarkably rare because they can only be intercepted in the midst of a migration stopover, on their way from wintering areas in southern South America to the Arctic tundra where they nest – plus their stopover locations really aren’t predictable.

The chance to spend time observing and photographing a female Hudsonian Godwit added a level of unexpected excitement throughout the weekend (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/1250 shutter speed, 400 ISO).

So Saturday I had to ask myself a couple times why I get so excited about these Hudsonian Godwits and how they instill an intent interest in staying with them when I find 1 or 16, or however many I may find before me. Six days earlier it was a flock of 16, and Saturday it was a lone female. And although I was looking for Hudson’s godwits that morning, when I saw the lone Hudsonian Godwit at Charo Marsh I initially thought it was a Marbled Godwit, feeding among a mix of sandpipers. After all, I saw the first 4 Marbled Godwits of the season the afternoon before at Charo Marsh; plus I had never seen a single Hudsonian Godwit on its own before.

But in a quick moment it quickly became apparent that this big sandpiper was actually a female Hudsonian Godwit – and that’s when my adrenaline level spiked and I became a bit more excited about the photo opportunities the big sandpiper was providing as it dwarfed the Pectoral Sandpipers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Wilson’s Snipe, Killdeer, and the dominative first of season Semipalmated Plover – how fun! I spent the next hour in the company of this distinguished group of shorebirds, but realized the sun light’s direction was a bit too overhead already. I’d be glad with the photos I took, but if the godwit continued feeding at its furious pace, perhaps I could get better lighting when the sun was lower later in the afternoon.

Throughout 3 observation periods, the Hudsonian Godwit was intently feeding, often spending extended periods probing and swallowing tiny foods at a single location before moving on a few steps. Although the background of these first 3 photos is not as pleasing as one would hope for, it illustrates the shoreline that was apparently filled with abundant food resources for the godwit to return to and spend considerable time feeding among smaller sandpipers (600mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/2000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

Fat chance that bird will still be in the same location though – seriously – but it was! It continued feeding in the same few little pools of watery mud and the windrow of vegetation that was blowing up along the southeast shoreline. The angle of the sunlight was better (lower), which all but eliminated shadows I was seeing under the birds before. It continued to be a thrill to spend time among the Hudsonian and the mix of other sandpipers that collectively were so trusting as I photographed and observed their activities.

After a half-hour or so, I thought I should check the opposite side of Charo Marsh for birds – especially shorebirds, especially godwits. Almost a hundred ducks flew up as I topped the little hill that overlooks the northwest arm of the marsh – mostly Northern Pintails and Northern Shovelers with Gadwalls, Green-winged Teal. Lesser Scaup, Canvasbacks, Blue-winged Teal, and more. I watched for shorebirds in flight, but didn’t see any, and only a 3 Lesser Yellowlegs were present, with 3 Pectoral Sandpipers flying in a couple minutes later. Then, as I began driving away, I spied 2 godwits at the far side of the wetland “arm.”

Throughout 3 observation periods, the Hudsonian Godwit was intently feeding, often spending extended periods probing and swallowing tiny foods at a single location before moving on a few steps. Although the background of these first 3 photos is not as pleasing as one would hope for, it illustrates the shoreline that was apparently filled with abundant food resources for the godwit to return to and spend considerable time feeding among smaller sandpipers (600mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/2000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

From a distance, they looked like the female Hudsonian Godwit I had been photographing, but when I stopped and glassed them with binoculars it was clear they were a pair of Marbled Godwits. As I watched through my camera lens, they preened using their extra-long bills and although they were a bit farther away than I would usually try to photograph, I waited because I expected they would raise their wings and flap after they finished preening. So much for my predictions; instead of flapping their wings, they took flight, flying toward me, calling, then veering off to land on the low prairie hill adjacent to the marsh – close to the deserted dirt road.

I eased my way to their new position, and found one godwit foraging among the tall golden grasses, which set off the beautiful big sandpiper in a picturesque fashion. As I photographed the Marbled Godwit with its apparent mate foraging in the background, it was obvious how much larger the Marbleds were compared to the Hudsonian. The Marbled Godwits were taller with larger bodies and longer legs, bill, and neck; and their plumage had a yellower, tanner cast, which was accentuated by the yellowing sunlight and the yellow grasses that surrounded them.

Sudden alarm calls from other sandpipers alerted the Hudsonian and all the shorebirds took a momentary flight, which thankfully yielded a stunning flight photo over the water that shows its tail colors along with its entire dorsal plumage (600mm zoom lens, f-10 aperture, 1/1600 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

As the big godwit ducked behind the tall grass, I considered how lucky I was to find Marbled and Hudsonian Godwits along the shore of the same wetland – my ole reliable photo destination, Charo Marsh. I went back for one more photo episode with the female Hudsonian, then decided to call it a day, so far as birding went – I still had lots of Birding Wire work to do, which would be especially enjoyable as I reviewed and edited godwit photos and wrote much of this article.

Lighting & Action

Although I was very happy with the photos the 2 species of godwits provided Saturday, I believed there was potential to improve on the female Hudsonian Godwit’s stopover photos during the best of morning sunlight. At the beginning of peak lighting I arrived on the southeast shore of Charo Marsh, with all the principal shorebirds assembled, except the Hudsonian Godwit and Semipalmated Pover. After glassing the area with binoculars, less than 100 yards away I found what I thought must be the Hudsonian Godwit, until it became clear it was the first of season Willet! It was both an exciting find, and a bit of a disappointment that the Hudson wasn’t around, but it was largely expected that the godwit might move on overnight.

Seeing a pair of Marbled Godwits at the opposite side of Charo Marsh, the differences between the 2 godwit species were very apparent, as were their calls (600mm zoom lens, f-7 aperture, 1/4000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

Other birds provided a wealth of photo ops as I covered a variety of favorite morning birding stops. Nearer the late peak of morning sunlight I decided it was worthwhile to cruise back to Charo – just in case. Again, no godwit in sight, but while I was photographing the battling action of 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, I realized a bird in the background was the Hudsonian Godwit – wooo! In fact, she was feeding in areas where the background was a bit more appealing, and the morning lighting was an improvement too. As for action, she remained focused on feeding intently, but in a bit, she began occasionally dropping a wing to stretch a bit in a way that showed something of the wing and tail colors.

At one point the accumulation of shorebirds called in alarm and took flight, and the godwit followed suit, but only for a very short distance, with me trying frantically to keep her in focus in the photo frame of my lens. In the blink of an eye she actually landed very close to my position – gracias! At that point she rested her long bill on her back and began a short rest period, which was only interrupted by the surprise arrival of a pair of Marbled Godwits. The Marbled female was notably amorous, soliciting the male to mate whenever he walked close. She displaced the smaller shorebirds as she walked along the water’s edge, foraging half-heartedly as she went.

Even the demeanor of the Marbled Godwits was different, quite dominating and on the verge of aggressive, while the Hudsonian Godwits seemed reserved without calling attention to their position or displacing other birds. Nonetheless, the Marbled Godwits are large, striking birds that add much to the local prairie and wetland landscapes (600mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/3200 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

Seeing the 2 godwit species within the same view, it was interesting to compare just how different the Marbled Godwits were from the lady Hudsonian. While it was obvious even when seeing the species separately the previous day, the Marbled Godwits were much larger and taller, and their bill was much longer, as were the Marbled’s legs and neck. The Hudsonian was obviously intimidated by the Marbled pair, and she moved away from her usual feeding area where she again, rested her bill on her back and checked out. It was a nice parting view as I decided to leave about that time.

It was an especially rare opportunity to spend time close to the female Hudsonian Godwit during her Dakota migration stopover at Charo Marsh, but it’s always extra-exciting to have the opportunity to photograph such a hard to find bird – another “ambassador for her species.” And it looks like I will have a chance to photograph the Marbled Godwit pair from this point forward during the rest of spring and summer – maybe even getting a chance to photograph young godwits if their apparent forthcoming nesting attempt is successful. Like the Hudsonian, the Marbled pair has demonstrated they will be very trusting throughout the period. The “godwit days” have been most exciting, but the godwits are a small portion of the many birds on hand and arriving anew daily – in my area and yours. Hope you have excellent “bird photography days’ in the coming weeks as new species arrive and excite us all – Good Luck!

As the sun was low in the west, a flock of 25 Hudsonian Godwits enticed Paul to try for a last minute photo, which required a bit of a hike and the trust of the godwits during his approach. But it paid off with a few memorable photos taken in the dimming light, including this portrait of a colorful male (600mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/1250 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

Addendum: After wrapping this article up Sunday afternoon, as the sun was already low I checked back to Charo Marsh, but there were no godwits on hand. Willets yes, godwits no. So as a last check of the day on the way back to my office, I detoured by Swan Marsh, where I found the flock of 16 Hudsonian Godwits exactly a week earlier. As I glassed the shoreline, 6 avocets were the most obvious shorebirds, followed by a pair of Marbled Godwits that few in; and then – there they were! I counted 25 Hudsonian Godwits feeding along the northwest shore, very near to where I observed the flock a week earlier.

The sunlight had dimmed and it seemed too late to try for photos; but hey, the sun was still above the horizon so there was a chance to quickly hike around to the west side of the wetland to get into position for a chance to photograph. Why did I hesitate, even for that moment? I hiked a wide circular route through Herb’s prairie pasture to get into position where the sun was behind me and the godwits were in front of me. Then it was a matter of inching closer with the hope the larger flock would still permit me to take a few photos without taking wing.

This flock was a bit jumpier than the first flock, repositioning a few feet down the shoreline twice, but I had a pretty good chance to photograph the birds, and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome, especially the good color quality of the birds and water. It was especially pleasing to get a nice portrait of a colorful male, which provided a fitting addendum to this article that describes much of my glorious godwit weekend. Enjoy your spring birding activities with your camera in hand!

Article and photographs by Paul Konrad

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