Fall Migration of the Marbled Godwit
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa beringea, Mariner Lagoon, Homer, 19 October 2009.
The beringea subspecies of Marbled Godwit breeds near Ugashik Bay, on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. It is an uncommon spring migrant in Homer and other south coastal Alaska locations. In the fall, however, there are very few Alaskan records of the species after the birds leave their breeding grounds, suggesting that their southbound migration is a direct overseas flight from the Alaska Peninsula to their wintering grounds in the Pacific Northwest. This Marbled Godwit, present in Homer at the base of the spit since the 18th and seen again today (21 October), is the first fall record for Homer and one of very few for the Kenai Peninsula. It is probably the latest fall record for Alaska.
