THE wings are aflutter and in human terms the travel bags are packed and the "frequent flyers" are all up and ready to leave the shores of Botany Bay
They include the interestingly named bar-tailed godwits, the golden plover and ruddy turnstone.
The bar-tailed godwits are getting ready to fly without stopping, feeding or sleeping for more than eight days straight to get to their summer breeding grounds in Siberia and Alaska, a senior natural heritage officer Deborah Andrew of the metro branch of the Office of Environment and Heritage said.
They breed in the north, and their young feed themselves straight away before the parents take off on their own to fly back to the southern hemisphere.
These migratory birds travel more than 11,000 kilometres non-stop on only 300 grams of fat. The bar-tailed godwits are known to cover more than 29,000 kilometres in their annual round trips.
These birds weigh only around 600 grams once they've fattened up for their long-haul flight.
"Tidal areas rich in food sources like Sandringham beach and Towra Point are important local Sydney sites for both migratory and local shore birds to feed and rest, and locals need to be aware of sharing the space with them to give them room to conserve their energy for their long-haul flights," Ms Andrew said.
It was believed that the eastern curlew flies to China non-stop, with the ruddy turnstone doing the same to China, she said.
See more at: birdlife.org.au
Have you spotted any of the birds in your travels around the area?
