One of Thompson Beach’s stars, Go-Go the bar-tailed godwit was recently sighted up the coast a bit as he prepares for his long migratory flight.

He was photographed by local bird photographer Paul Taylor in a flock at Bald Hill near Port Wakefield having a bit of a kip. Go-Go was tagged back in 2012 as part of a conservation program.

Godwits may fly up to 30,000 km on their annual round trip from Adelaide to Arctic Siberia and western Alaska, via China. Godwits have quite a long -life – it can be over 30 years, so they can rack up  more than 900,000 km’s worth of frequent-flyer points.

We wish Go-Go godspeed for his next journey and hope to see him back next year.

For more information on Go-Go and these fascinating birds, check out this article by the Department of Environment and Water.