I rarely visit Two Rivers Park in Little Rock. When I do, it’s usually to the side that is closest to Pinnacle Mountain. But, I made an exception yesterday after an eBird rare bird alert reported 9 Marbled Godwits at Two Rivers Park in a section closest to Two Rivers Park Bridge near I-430.

It wasn’t long before I spotted them. Marbled Godwits are large, speckled brown shorebirds with and long, slightly upturned bills that are yellow closest to the face and then turn black. The nine godwits were feeding in the water.

Marbled Godwits are typically found along the coast and breed in the northern Great Plains. There are smaller populations that breed along the southwest coast of James Bay in Canada and on the Alaska Peninsula. While rare to Arkansas, there are still 256 observations of them within the state over the years.