Winter. In the shallows of the low tide, many seafloor creatures can be found
As the sun rises, the temperature does as well, bringing the mudflats to life
attracting great numbers of visitors from far away to spend the winter
Thousand of migratory birds wheel across the sky
A freshly landed Broad-billed Sandpiper keeps an eye on the predators in the sky
The tiny creatures in the shallows are fairly easy to catch
She is a rare visitor from Siberia
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Of all the creatures on the mudflat the Spoon-billed Sandpiper attracts the most attention
Her Spoon-shaped beak makes identification easy
The two Lesser Sand Plover did not seem to be in a hurry to forage for food
and a Kentish Plover did the same
She dips her head
Walking along while rapidly sweeping her beak back and forth in the water
She was excited and seemed to have found something delicious
One small shrimp
One more
At noon, the Plovers and Sandpipers who had been busy all morning began to rest collectively
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper has a voracious appetite
and never stops hunting along the mudflat
The Soldier crab
was also food for the Shorebirds
When danger comes, they burrow into the mudflats
She prefer to eat small fish and shrimp than the Soldier crab
A Great knot is busy
She is doing pretty well for herself
A Pacific Golden-Plover basking in the sunset
Late afternoon, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper continues to focus her hunt
She has to build up enough energy reserves
to fly back to Siberia in the spring
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is classified as a Critically Endangered species
with only around 500 in the entire world
It is rare to find her on the mudflat and shoot her for a day
Hope she is well in the future