On what was the perfect day for bird watching, Dame Cindy joined the Pūkorokoro Miranda Naturalists’ Trust today to celebrate 50 years of study, advocacy and protection of shorebirds on the Firth of Thames. New Zealand is part of the East Asian Australasian Flyway, which is one of the world’s largest migratory flight paths. Pūkorokoro is a significant landing spot on this flyway, with around 6-8,000 birds making their way there each year. Over the past 50 years, the Pūkorokoro Miranda Naturalists’ Trust have been part of an international group of researchers and citizen scientists dedicated to studying these remarkable animals, and to protecting the shorebirds’ natural habitats along the flightpath. Their studies have found shorebirds hold the distinction of making the longest non-stop migration by any animal, with the bar-tailed godwit capable of flying over 13500 kilometres.
To celebrate this significant anniversary, the Trust was joined by some of their supporters, Ngāti Pāoa, the Department of Conservation, and members of the diplomatic corps from other countries in the East Asian Australasian Flyway.
For more pictures, click here: Pūkorokoro Miranda Naturalists’ Trust Media Gallery.
