Tens of thousands of people fly in and out of Karratha, 1,500 kilometres north of Perth, to work in the region's thriving mining industry each week.

But humans are not the only FIFO visitors to the Pilbara region.

Each spring, several species of shorebirds migrate up to 10,000 kilometres from some of the coldest places in the northern hemisphere to the Pilbara and Kimberley.

They roost and feed during Australia's summer months before returning north to breed, much to the delight of locals.

Keen bird watchers soak in the information from a bird-watching event in Karratha. (ABC Pilbara: Kelsey Reid)

Record-breaking flights

Each year, 37 species of migratory shorebirds visit Australia along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway — a major air path that circles the globe to places like Siberia, Alaska and Mongolia to Australia.

Edith Cowan University scientist Sora Marin-Estrella described the shorebirds as "super athletes of the air".

Grey-tailed tattlers in the Exmouth Gulf, one of the hotspots for shorebirds along the Pilbara coast. (Supplied: Jason Dickie)

"They are amazing in that respect, what they can do," Dr Marin-Estrella said.

The bar-tailed godwit, one of the Pilbara's annual visitors, holds the record for the longest recorded non-stop flight at 13,500 kilometres, when it migrated from Alaska to Tasmania in 2022.

The species can shrink its digestive organs to put energy into its lungs, heart and flying muscles to complete a non-stop trip.

Hearson Cove is one of the stops for migratory shorebirds. (ABC Pilbara: Kelsey Reid)

Other species, such as the red-necked stint, less than 17 centimetres in length, are likely to travel the equivalent of flying to the moon and halfway back by the time they are 30.

The Exmouth Gulf, Roebuck Bay and Eighty Mile Beach are some of the other major habitats for the visitors in the north-west.

The bar-tailed godwit can shrink its organs to conserve energy during migration. (Supplied: Geoff Taylor)

Near Karratha, Hearson Cove's intertidal mudflats and mangroves are a paradise for birds and their admirers.

The local ecosystem is an abundant feeding ground where birds can increase their body weight by up to 70 per cent.

Karratha locals attended a session about shorebirds visiting the region. (ABC Pilbara: Kelsey Reid)

In October, about 70 people attended an education session there about migratory shorebirds.

Among them was new bird-watching enthusiast Jaye Jowett.

Jaye Jowett put binoculars on her Christmas wishlist after attending a bird-watching session at Hearson Cove. (ABC Pilbara: Kelsey Reid)

"I was so surprised, I couldn't believe that such a small animal could fly that distance," she said.

"It's phenomenal and I just think as a member of the community, you don't realise that all these incredible birds are so close to us."

A petroglyph resembling a shorebird at Murujuga National Park on the Burrup Peninsula, close to Hearson Cove. (ABC Pilbara: Kelsey Reid)

Senior Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation ranger Richard Variakojis, nicknamed 'Bird Man', said the area's ancient rock art depicted some of the shorebird species, including whimbrels and eastern curlews.

Richard Variakojis says shorebirds are depicted on ancient rock art at Murujuga National Park. (ABC Pilbara: Kelsey Reid)

"They would have been recorded to let future generations know that essentially these animals are out here," he said.

"It's pretty cool, especially for the eastern curlew, because they're considered an endangered species now."

The mangroves at Hearson Cove are a popular place for shorebirds to feed and rest while in Australia. (ABC Pilbara: Kelsey Reid)

Protecting the birds

Dr Marin-Estrella said human disturbance was a major issue for the birds.

"If during that critical period, where they need to recover or put on weight to gain their reserves to migrate, there is a lot of disturbance, that can affect them," she said.

Shorebirds must amass enough fuel to sustain the return trip home. (ABC Pilbara: Kelsey Reid)

"Anything that makes the birds fly away when they are feeding or roosting — dogs on leash, driving on beaches — it's a major issue," she said.

Dr Marin-Estrella said more education was required to make sure animal populations were sustained into the future.

"If you see a sign that indicates that on a beach there may be breeding, beach nesting, breeding birds, please be super careful when you walk there," she said.

There are plenty of species to see in the Kimberley and Pilbara. (ABC Pilbara: Kelsey Reid)