"Lincs to Iceland" 1/7
Black-tailed Godwit thread to complement today's talk at local @_BTO @Lincsbirding @BTO_Lincs conference by @JenGill3.
@WeBS_UK counters tell us that UK numbers have been going up.
#waders #ornithology

2/7 Warmer springs enable Black-tailed Godwits to breed earlier and in more places, as you can read here:
https://wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/02/15/from-local-warming-to-range-expansion/

3/7 And we know that more chicks are produced in warmer years (unless a volcano blows its top).
https://wadertales.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/black-tailed-godwits-and-volcanic-eruptions/

4/7 But why are we seeing more Black-tailed Godwits in colder areas (such as Lincolnshire)?
It looks as if newly-recruiting birds are wintering further north than previous generations, as you can read here:
https://wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/07/29/generational-change/

5/7 And, once a bird has decided that Lincolnshire is an ok place to spend the winter, it will come back every year.
There may be a lot of places that are suitable for godwits but each individual sticks to the few places it knows.

6/7 For instance, a Black-tailed Godwit might moult on the Wash, spend the first part of the winter on the Humber and then move to the Ouse or Nene Washes in February, before flying to Iceland - then do the same thing for the next 20 years!

7/7 And we know all this because brilliant 'godwiteers' are kind enough to report sightings of colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwits.
Here's the tale of just one colour-ringed bird:
https://wadertales.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/just-one-black-tailed-godwit/
#waders #shorebirds #ornithology