It was just a typical day for Bob Natural and a Bird census team at the mudflats of Balanga and Pilar in Bataan. In the early morning in March 2024, everyone was already ankle deep in mud with their spotting scopes and cameras aimed at hundreds of wetland Birds. These birds were also ankle (and beak) deep in the mud, busy digging up yummy Clams, Worms, and other Invertebrates.
What was a supposedly routine Bird count suddenly became a groundbreaking historical event.
FIRST SIGHTING IN PH
According to his account on the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines eBon blog, Bob spotted a small brown Bird with a clean white belly and brown streaks along the head and back. The black legs were splashed with mud, and the Bird was eating much faster than the dozens of Red-Necked Stints (Calidris ruficollis) feeding all around.
Plus, the Bird had a distinct spoon-shaped bill!
Trembling with excitement, Bob called his fellow birders to confirm if this was indeed the world-renowned Spoon-Billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea). And it was! It will then be known as the first-ever Philippine record of a Spoon-Billed Sandpiper.
IT’S ALL IN THE GISS
Birdwatchers don’t just look at color and shape when trying to identify Birds.
Especially with wetland Birds, they would use the General Impressions of Size and Shape (GISS) to help identify tricky species that look very similar. This means carefully observing movement, body proportions, and relative size to intuitively identify a Bird.
The Spoon-Billed Sandpiper is a migratory Bird who nests only in northeastern Russia during warmer months, and spends the winter on the mudflats of South China, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and now the Philippines.
This is no easy feat for a Bird around 14 to 16 centimeters long. That’s only a little larger than the common Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)!
These Sandpipers fly along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, a migratory highway that millions of Birds pass through to and from their breeding grounds.
2 BIRDS WITH SPOON BILLS
According to the East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), there are two key species in this flyway with spoon-shaped bills.
First is the larger Black-Faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor), whom birders endearingly nicknamed “Tablespoon”. Then, there’s the Spoon-Billed Sandpiper, who has earned the adorable nickname “Teaspoon.”
TEASPOONS IN HOT WATER
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, there are less than 500 individuals of this species left out in the wild.
A perfect storm has been driving their population decline. They’re losing habitat in their wintering wetland areas. The mudflats that these Birds feed on during winter and on their way to and from the breeding grounds are quickly being destroyed.
For example, land reclamation projects at the Saemangeum and Geum estuary in South Korea have reduced Sandpiper numbers from recorded hundreds to just a single individual.
An invasive type of grass called Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), which is used to strengthen soil in reclamation projects, is also a problem as it spreads and grows too dense to be Sandpiper habitat.
On top of habitat loss, Spoon-Billed Sandpipers are also unintentionally caught in hunting nets set up on wetlands in China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
This is a lot for such a small Bird. They were declared a critically endangered species by the IUCN in 2008. Because they have been having such difficulty surviving on their winter journey, there is a growing fear that the current population is also aging rapidly, making it more challenging for the population to rebound.
TASK FORCE TO THE RESCUE
Thankfully, there are a number of organizations working hard to protect the Spoon-Billed Sandpiper.
The EAAFP collaborates with local communities and research groups to ensure the Teaspoon’s survival. They have a dedicated Spoon-Billed Sandpiper Task Force that aims to coordinate various international efforts, including GPS tracking individual Birds, outreach programs, representation at conferences, and even creating children’s books.
According to the latest IUCN report, the extensive conservation efforts pouring into this single species is likely slowing down their population decline, but there is still much that needs to be done to prevent their extinction.
CONSERVATION ALERT
In the weeks that followed, birdwatchers from all walks of life flocked to the mudflats in Bataan to meet the newest species recorded in the Philippines.
This landmark sighting at the Bataan wetland is an excellent reason to continue pushing for the protection of coastal wetlands around the Philippines. The many challenges of conserving migratory species must be overcome for their survival and for future generations to enjoy experiencing the adorable Spoon-Billed Sandpiper.
