1,000th Post: Spoon-billed Sandpiper

[Craig Brelsford]

On the occasion of my 1,000th post for BPN, I'm offering this never-before-processed image of a spoon-billed sandpiper. I was in a fish pond at Yangkou, Jiangsu, China, crawling through the shallow water on my mattress. Picking out this little guy from among the 1,500 or so shorebirds roosting there was trouble enough; I then had to contain my excitement and capitalize on my piece of good luck. Light was far from perfect (I took this shot at 12.56 p.m.), and I dared not spook the endangered bird; but I think I handled the situation well.

As for this spooner, it cannot know how alone it is; it cannot understand that there were probably more Kentish plovers in that single roost than there are spoon-billed sandpipers in the world (some estimates place the number of spooners at just 200). And there's more trouble on the horizon. The mudflats in Rudong County, where Yangkou is located, are slated for reclamation; yet another important rest stop may soon be denied the spoon-billed sandpiper. You and I live in a world in which this most endearing of shorebirds is being squeezed out of existence. Why do we need to live in such a world? A species of vertebrate is a pretty special thing; the spoon-billed sandpiper has existed for millions of years. What things are more valuable than a species? Economic development? Really? More important than a species of bird?

Device: Nikon D3S
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal Length: 600 mm
Aperture: F/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/8000
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: -0.33
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 1250
Metering Mode: Center-Weight
Subject Distance: 11.9 m
Vibration Reduction: Not Used
Photoshoppery: Cleaned up some bright spots on mud; reduced size of bright spots on bill.

[Grace Scalzo]

Craig, Congrats on this fine capture of this rarity. it is a fine image and truly one to cherish. Your words make me sad....sometimes (rarely) in the US when there are records of an endangered species using an area that is scheduled for development, projects can be stalled on account. Any chance?

[Robert Holguin]

Terrific shot. Great comp, nice shooting angle, and I really like the water drip.
Well done.

[Craig Brelsford]

Craig, Congrats on this fine capture of this rarity. it is a fine image and truly one to cherish. Your words make me sad....sometimes (rarely) in the US when there are records of an endangered species using an area that is scheduled for development, projects can be stalled on account. Any chance?

Grace, the spoon-billed sandpiper is a clear, distinct species; I think that point needs to be made. It superficially resembles a red-necked stint, but close observation shows how different the species really are. In fact, there's nothing like a spoon-billed sandpiper in the entire world; it's even placed in its own genus, Eurynorhynchus. That spatulate bill is highly unusual and distinctive. Now, to answer your question . . . yes, there's finally some awareness in Jiangsu that the spoon-billed sandpiper is using the mudflats at Yangkou, and there's been some talk of establishing a wildlife preserve. But even establishing a wildlife preserve won't necessarily be enough. Some knucklehead planted non-native grass at Yangkou a few years ago, and it's spreading quickly, all over the mudflats. The government can establish a preserve, but it has to do more, such as get rid of the rapidly spreading grass that's choking the mudflats at Yangkou. There's also the problem of its wintering grounds in Southeast Asia. Locals in Myanmar especially trap shorebirds for meat, inadvertently catching and killing spoon-billeds in the process. So as you can see, the pressure on the bird is coming from many directions; its passage grounds in China aren't even its biggest problem.

[Satish Ranadive]

Craig:
Marvelous image of this rare spoon-billed sandpiper,beautiful composition and background.
I like the discussion on conservation of it.

Regards,
Satish.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Craig, thanks so much for posting this image and for raising awareness of this beautiful and unique little bird. The link below outlines the program here in the UK that was initiated by British and Russian conservationists in order to try and save this species from extinction. I am fortunate to live half an hour away from the Slimbridge Wetlands, and although the public are not allowed in the chicks' rearing facility we are able to see them via the live 'feed'. My goodness, how cute they are!!
Thank heavens for conservationists and for cooperation.

http://www.wwt.org.uk/news/all-news/2011/12/news/news-slimbridge/visitors-view-spoon-billed-sandpiper-at-slimbridge-for-first-time/

Warm regards,
Nicki

Do be sure to click on the link to the blog if you have a moment - there is a short film about the project - fascinating!
http://www.saving-spoon-billed-sandpiper.com/

Nicki Gwynn-Jones FRPS
www.abirdseyeview.co.uk

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Craig, huge congrats on your milestone, and may you go on to many more. Another well introduced image, and I like the space you have given the sandpiper. The little guy is nice and sharp, good to see the falling droplets, and due to the overcrowding as stated by you, Im fine with the other OOF birds. I would give this a slight CCW rotation - based on the ripple nearly halfway up on the RHS. I realise the sand on the left is sloping.

[Randy Stout]

Craig:

Congrats on your 1000 post, and for capturing this rarity. Thanks for sharing his story as well. Do we really need another cheap import from China? Lets give the birds a chance.

I do agree with Stu about the rotation.

Cheers

Randy

[Daniel Cadieux]

Congrats on 1k Craig! That sandpiper sure is a special bird, I'm glad you are sharing your photos of it with us. Well exposed, nice colours, good pose and falling water drips. I could see a more pano crop with more cropped off bottom, and I agree with a bit of rotation. If you are OK with it you could also add a small catchlight.

I've always enjoyed your story-telling to go with your images...here's to another 1000!!

[Craig Brelsford]

Craig, thanks so much for posting this image and for raising awareness of this beautiful and unique little bird. The link below outlines the program here in the UK that was initiated by British and Russian conservationists in order to try and save this species from extinction. I am fortunate to live half an hour away from the Slimbridge Wetlands, and although the public are not allowed in the chicks' rearing facility we are able to see them via the live 'feed'. My goodness, how cute they are!!
Thank heavens for conservationists and for cooperation.

http://www.wwt.org.uk/news/all-news/2011/12/news/news-slimbridge/visitors-view-spoon-billed-sandpiper-at-slimbridge-for-first-time/

Warm regards,
Nicki

Do be sure to click on the link to the blog if you have a moment - there is a short film about the project - fascinating!
http://www.saving-spoon-billed-sandpiper.com/

Nicki Gwynn-Jones FRPS
www.abirdseyeview.co.uk

Nicki, thanks for this useful information.

[Gary Kinard]

Very nice shot. I have taken him many times here in Thailand on the salt pans. But I love the low point of view here.
Beautiful shot.
I hadn't heard about Burma trapping. I do know Laos I very bad about trapping using nets. The locals here say they are more of a threat than Burma. I really do not know just conversations with the locals here.

[Nico Steenberg]

Great use off space and pano crop. Great DOF and soft colours. Well done Graig !