Many bird species are visiting and feeding in the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar wetland.
Thousands of migratory shorebirds are arriving after their long-haul flight from the northern hemisphere.
More than 20 species of migratory birds including snipe, sandpipers and godwits visit the Gippsland Lakes during their non-breeding season.
“Most migratory birds travel to the Lakes from breeding grounds in northeast Asia and Alaska as part of the East Asian Australasian Flyway,” BirdLife East Gippsland’s Deb Sullivan said.
“It’s a 20,000-kilometre round trip for some of these birds.
That’s about 5,000-kilometre further than driving around Australia.
“In Autumn the shorebirds prepare to leave the region. At that time of year you may see them busy preening their feathers into top condition and foraging for food, this is so important for them to build up body fat to make the return journey.”
Birds visiting the region include the Bar-tailed Godwit – one of the larger migratory birds that visits the Gippsland Lakes.
Godwits have been recorded making the 13,000-kilometre journey from Alaska to New Zealand non-stop in nine days.
