Limosa fedoa

Best viewed in large....

The Marbled Godwit. This is the only species of godwit readily observed on the west coast of North America. There are three other species of godwit: the Bar-Tailed of New Zealand, Australia, Asia, and the Arctic (which I've just spent many months observing during my trip down under); the Hudsonian of South America, eastern North America, and the Arctic; and the Black-Tailed of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Each species completes staggering migrations from one hemisphere to the other in order to feed and breed in the most favorable conditions. The Marbled Godwit flies from South America to the Arctic tundra, making stops along the way in the western United States. This one was preening in the shallow estuarine waters of Moss Landing State Beach, north of Monterey. I love how the angle of the sun highlights its fresh breeding plumage.

Next week I'm heading up to northern California for Godwit Days, a week-long bird festival celebrating the migratory and resident birds of the northwest coast. Tens of thousands of godwits gather in the area's wetlands this time of year, gearing up for the last leg of their northward migration.