Spoon-billed Sandpiper with Dunlin and Lesser Sand Plovers
The Spoonbill Sandpiper hardly needs introduction--it is one of the rarest and most charismatic birds on earth, gravely affected by loss of intertidal wetlands along the East Asian flyway, especially since it is probably dependent on a very particular type of sand-mud substrate for feeding with its unique spatulate bill. These photos were taken as part of survey work targeting this species in particular on estuary islands in the south part of the country.
Note that the Spoonbill Sandpiper above appears relaxed, as does the stretching Dunlin. The plovers, especially, act as "lookouts" for companion birds: if they are not alarmed, everyone else stays calm. I kept my distance, the plovers relaxed, and the Spoonbill was sleeping when I left.
The picture below is of a different bird on the same island.
