This past weekend, I was absolutely thrilled to come across a pair of Hudsonian Godwits, considered a rare sighting on Bonaire.

This pair of godwits were in a freshwater pond created by recent rains, along with other migrating shorebirds, most of which were Stilt Sandpipers.

Hudsonian Godwits can migrate long distances.

After breeding during the summer months in the sub-arctic of North America, the Hudsonian Godwits begin their fall migration to the southern parts of South America.  On this long trip, they apparently make non-stop flights of several thousand miles.

Bonaire is the perfect half-way point for them to stop and rest and recover before continuing on to the southern hemisphere.

Historically recorded sightings of the Hudsonian Godwit.

According to eBird, the first recorded observation of this bird on Bonaire was in 1983, and until today, only eight additional sightings have been recorded, the most recent of which was in 2017.

It appears that the Hudsonian Godwit, if sighted at all, can be most easily observed during the fall migration, but they do not appear to be observed during the spring migration back to the north.