Extensive studies of marked birds and remote tracking has revealed the extraordinary journeys godwits undertake – including the longest non-stop migration of any bird species.

Along the way they face many challenges from habitat loss and degradation which threaten their long-term survival. Following massive reclamation around the Yellow Sea, which has destroyed more than 50% of the tidal flats, there are now encouraging efforts being made to conserve what remains.

David Melville is an ecologist who has been studying shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway since 1974 when he moved to Hong Kong from the UK. He spent 21 years in Hong Kong, where inter alia he established the Mai Po Marshes Education Centre and Nature Reserve. He also worked on shorebirds in India and Thailand. Since settling in New Zealand in late 1999 he has studied Bar-tailed Godwits both here and extensively in China, North Korea and Alaska. He is a board member of the Global Flyway Network and a member of the Technical Sub-Committee of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership.