The coastal estuaries of Myanmar (Burma) are emerging as the last stand for the ultra rare Spoon-billed Sandpiper, a bird whose world-wide population is now placed at fewer than 500. In late January, I was lucky enough to join the tale end of an international expedition organized under the auspices of BirdLife International. Over two days we surveyed a small offshore island in the northern end of the Gulf of Martaban just off the communities of Bilin and Kyaikto spotting at least 71 Spoon-billed Sandpipers among more than 35,000 shorebirds. (photo by Rob Robinson/BTO)

The site is extraordinary. Each morning we would arrive when the salt marsh and mud flat island was still under the high tides, and as the tide dropped large numbers of shorebirds would fly in, including Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers, Pacific Golden and Kentish Plovers, Curlew Sandpipers, Marsh Sandpipers, Greenshanks, Redshanks, Rufous-necked Stints along with many other species. These surveys were part of a coordinated effort to survey Myanmar for the third winter. Over the course of several weeks other sites in Myanmar were also surveyed, and 89 Spoon-billed Sandpipers were observed.

The global population of this Arctic-nesting sandpiper is now estimated to have dwindled to an estimated 120 to 250 pairs. The bird’s extraordinary population drop set off warning bells following a 2005 survey that estimated the total population as less than 1,000 dramatically down from an estimated 6,000 in the 1970s.

BirdLife International has been sponsoring a series of surveys on the breeding and wintering grounds, including three years of surveys in Myanmar which has emerged as holding the most wintering birds. Dr. Christoph Zoeckler with ArcCona Ecological Consulting, and organizer of the surveys, estimates that the Gulf of Martaban alone may hold 150-200 birds or 50 percent of the world’s population. Small numbers of Spoon-billed Sandpipers winter in Bangladesh (30 were observed in early March 2010), Thailand (a minimum of six were observed in early 2010), Vietnam and China.

Confirming the wintering locations will allow conservationists an opportunity to take action to seek to protect the aggregation sites and work to reduce identified threats, particularly bird trapping.

The surveys were also able to confirm that bird trapping is a significant threat in the Gulf of Martaban. The team encountered a hunter who had just caught a Spoon-billed Sandpiper and was holding it in a small cage. Fortunately the hunter agreed to allow the survey team and local children to release the bird.

The recent success on Nan Thar island in the Arakhan region in Myanmar where conservationists were able to acquire the hunting rights for one season for under $400 is an example of the types of agreements that will need to reached with local communities. A social economic survey team covered the same area and will provide important information to help craft strategies to provide alternative sources of income that will reduce trapping of shorebirds in key Spoon-billed Sandpiper wintering sites.

The Gulf of Martaban survey in Myanmar also spotted two colored banded Spoon-billed Sandpipers that had been banded on the breeding grounds in the South Chukotka region of Russia, the adult bird was at least nine years old.

The international survey team that conducted this survey was part of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Recovery Team with members of ArcCona Consulting, Cambridge and the British Trust for Ornithology, UK, from Birds Russia, and participants from Germany, Canada and U.S., teamed with and well looked after in Myanmar by local BirdLife partner BANCA.

How you can help the Spoon-billed Sandpiper? Please email me, Graham Chisholm, Executive Director, Audubon California at gchisholm@audubon.org to learn more.