Over the past few days we’ve been running a series of posts on the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus, a stint-sized shorebird confined to the East Asian/Australasian Flyway. The global population of the species has plummetted in recent years and there are now thought to be less than 300 pairs left, with numbers apparently falling year on year.

I am also very grateful to Peter Ericsson for giving me permission to use his series of Spoon-billed Sandpiper photos, all of which were actually taken in Thailand adding an important ‘Thai flavour’ to this post! The originals can be found at http://www.pbase.com/peterericsson/spoonbilled_sandpiper.

Philip D. Round is Assistant Professor of Biology at Bangkok’s Mahidol University. He speaks Thai fluently, and is considered to be the world’s foremost authority on Thailand’s birds and is author of more than 50 papers on their distribution, taxonomy and conservation. He is also the author of 1991’s Guide to the Birds of Thailand plus other books on Thai birds and wildlife, and has produced a revised checklist of Thai birds.

Phil is a founder member of the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST, the Thai BirdLife International Partner) and has conducted research on birds throughout Thailand as well as in Laos and Vietnam. He is also the Regional Representatve of The Wetland Trust.

Charlie: Phil, many thanks for talking to 10,000 Birds as part of our series on the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. You’ve been involved with conservation in Asia and with trying to protect shorebird habitat around the Thai coast for many years. The last time I spoke with you (which is about five years ago now I would guess) you were concerned about a number of development projects threatening the Inner Gulf of Thailand which could devastate important shorebird staging areas. If I could just start by catching up with those developments first…

• PR: Happily there have been no major mudflat reclamations, and the proposed road bridge project across the gulf (to which I referred in a Birding Asia article a few years ago) was cancelled in the end. However, there is still a problem relating to the lack of zoning in coastal areas, where more or less anybody can build anything anywhere if they have planning permission. Some of the minor roads in the coastal zone are being upgraded instead; this causes increase in land-price and could be a trigger for further land-use change.

Charlie: And it’s these coastal zones that are so important to Spoon-billed Sandpipers - at least at certain times of the tidal cycles?

• PR: As you probably know, almost all the Spoon-billed Sandpipers we have found in Thailand are associated with coastal salt-pans. They feed in the shallow water storage ponds where the brine has become moderately concentrated, but not in the ponds from which the salt is actually harvested. Birds seem to flight out to the mudflats when the tide drops - because of the peculiarities of the Inner Gulf tidal cycle, this is usually late afternoon and through the night; the tide stays high throughout the daylight hours for most of the months of November through to end of January.

22-OCT-2007, Khok Kham, Samut Sakorn, Thailand.
Photo copyright Peter Ericsson, used with permission

Charlie: And these salt pans are fairly well spread out along the coast?

• PR: There are roughly 300 sq km of salt pans in the Inner Gulf, so it is a sizeable area, though relatively easy to access. We have had Spoon-billed Sandpipers at seven different sites in the Inner Gulf, with only isolated sporadic occurrences in three of these; 1-2 each at most sites; 8-16 at the major site, Pak Thale.

Charlie: And just to be clear these birds are wintering rather than staging, so are in addition to birds found by Christoph Zöckler et al in Myanmar and Bangladesh?

PR: There is no doubt these are wintering birds, with birds consistently present, and feeding, on the same ponds when the tide is high from mid- to late October through to late March or early April. Of course, since these birds are not individually marked, we can’t be sure that there is not also some passage or turnover as well.

Charlie: Given that, as you say, they’re not marked so you can’t identify individuals with certainty how many Spoon-billed Sandpipers do you think regularly over-winter in Thailand?

• PR: There were probably at least 20 Spoon-billed Sandpipers present in winter 2003/2004 with a maximum count at Pak Thale of 16 and a max count at Khok Kham of 4. At that time we had not found the other regular sites - Khlong Tamru, Samut Maneerat and Wat Bang Khut- at which we have since found 1-2 birds from time to time.

  The maximum number found during Bird Conservation Society of Thailand’s [BCST, the Thai BirdlIfe International Partner] intensive monitoring in 2007/2008 was 15; last winter we found only ten - though monitoring was admittedly less intensive.

Charlie: If the surveying last winter was, as you say, less intensive would you think it advisable to draw any conclusions - which are important in terms of conservation action of course - on global declines based on those counts?

• PR: I think there are fewer birds at the main site, Pak Thale, now than there were only five years ago, so it seems likely that the continuing global decline is reflected in the numbers in the Thai Inner Gulf.

22-OCT-2007, Khok Kham, Samut Sakorn, Thailand.
Photo copyright Peter Ericsson, used with permission

22-OCT-2007, Khok Kham, Samut Sakorn, Thailand.
Photo copyright Peter Ericsson, used with permission

Charlie: Do you think there could there be more Spoon-billed Sandpipers in sites you’ve not looked at yet?

• PR: Undoubtedly. Considering that we lose track of the Inner Gulf birds as soon as the tide drops, and still do not know precisely where they feed, there could easily be Spoon-billed Sandpipers at several other sites along Thailand’s long and indented coastline, most of which is very sparsely watched, which we have yet to find. We have confirmed records of Spoon-billed Sandpipers at two other sites, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, c. 12 deg N latitude, and another 100 km or so south of the southernmost Inner Gulf site (1-2 birds, on several occasions, most recently in 2002); and in Pattani Bay, c. 6 deg N latitude, close to the Malaysian border (one sighting of 13 birds in October 1984). Coverage of both sites has been sporadic in recent years. There may not have ever been a consistent presence in Pattani, but we don’t really know whether the Khao Sam Roi Yot birds are regular or not. Both sites have undergone some habitat changes (erosion, aquaculture development, some encroachment by Mimosa scrub along the landward edge of the beaches) but are still substantially intact. Both these site are on the east coast of the peninsula, where there are another 2 or 3 other shorebird sites that are of international significance. Then on the west (Andaman) coast there are four or five more internationally important shorebird sites. Two of these have received fairly frequent coverage without finding any Spoon-billed Sandpiper or stints, but the other 2-3 sites are scarcely visited.

Charlie: With the total global population so low now - according to Christoph’s data probably less than 300 pairs - the Spoon-billed Sandpipers you do know about are highly important…

• PR: A consistent winter presence of at least 10 birds (reliably present all winter) in the Inner Gulf is globally highly significant, as it is well above the Ramsar 1% flyway criterion. The global Spoon-billed Sandpiper population is so low now that a site with even just one bird regularly present should be regarded as significant in my view.

Charlie: I’m assuming that just because there has been no large-scale reclamations yet of the sort that has destroyed staging sites in South Korea and China, it doesn’t mean that the Thai sites are safe?

• PR: None of the areas which hold Spoon-billed Sandpipers in Thailand are fully protected in law. Besides loss to building land, other threats are conversion of salt pans and shallow traditional prawn-capture ponds to deep, permanently flooded aquaculture ponds for raising crabs and molluscs; the digging out of sediments which are themselves sold for landfills; and coastal erosion and the piecemeal establishment of intensive modern prawn-farms by large agro-industrial companies.

  Most Thais have a good appreciation of the importance of their coastal resources, thanks to the large numbers of small-scale traditional inshore fishermen, salt-farmers etc., who depend on them. Community groups and indeed some government agencies, such as the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, have done much to promote wider awareness, right up to the highest levels of government. I think it is unlikely, therefore, that Thailand will embark on the kind of ignorant and inexcusable large scale coastal reclamations that have damaged so much of the East Asian seaboard. But ad hoc response to coastal erosion, and the impending threat of rising sea levels may lead government agencies into the trap of building massive coastal barrages, concrete sea walls, etc.

  As I have argued in my 2008 book Birds of the Bangkok Area, the worst case scenario would be the complete loss of the mudflat/coastal flat ecotone/transition - just sea extending to concrete seawalls throughout the tidal cycle.

  Another danger is the ill-advised planting of mangroves on mudflats so as to counter coastal erosion - many people erroneously assume that planting mangroves is environmentally beneficial, and that all birds will benefit from this! In truth, planting mangroves on mudflats is unwarranted habitat modification which could lead to the further loss of shorebird feeding areas.

Charlie: Do you have any doubt at all that the loss of the sites where they’ve been found would have a very serious impact on the species, Phil?

• PR: The global population of Spoon-billed Sandpiper is already so disastrously low that every loss of habitat is, of course, potentially another nail in its coffin. We should do everything we can to safeguard coastal habitats and to ensure that land-use patterns remain compatible with supporting shorebirds.

22-OCT-2007, Khok Kham, Samut Sakorn, Thailand.
Photo copyright Peter Ericsson, used with permission

Charlie: Are the Thai Authorities aware of that, and in terms of Thailand’s conservation priorities where does the Spoon-billed Sandpiper rank would you say?

• PR: Bodies like BCST - the Thai BirdLife partner - have done a lot to raise awareness among government agencies. In national perception Spoon-billed Sandpiper ranks very highly - in the top five - certainly up there with tigers and Gurney’s Pitta.

Charlie: That’s really encouraging, Phil, and good to hear.

I would guess that most overseas birders until relatively recently would have thought of birding in Thailand in terms of forests and species like the Endangered Gurney’s Pitta, but the Spoon-billed Sandpipers at Khok Kham/Samut Sakhon particularly - given its accessibility from Bangkok - must be amongst the easiest to see anywhere in Asia. Have you noticed an upsurge in birders coming looking for shorebirds and Spoon-billed Sandpipers in particular?

• PR: Undoubtedly the relative ease of seeing Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Thailand has made it one of the most sought-after species for visiting birders. This small shorebird has done much to promote the country’s attractiveness as a birding destination. Obscure little coastal villages are now on the global map because of this species and for no other reason.

Charlie: So the potential for increasing eco-tourism might be one way that the species could be protected locally?

• PR: Definitely, and BCST is working with local communities in the Inner Gulf on the assumption that appropriate tourism could be a powerful incentive to conserve Spoon-billed Sandpiper wintering areas. We’re in the process of establishing a bird centre at one of these, Pak Thale.

Charlie: If overseas birders do come to Thailand to look for Spoon-billed Sandpipers is there anything they can do specifically to help protect the species or the sites they use?

• PR: Interact politely and considerately with local people as much as possible; stop in a village shop close by an Spoon-billed Sandpiper site to buy a bowl of noodles, an ice cream, water or a soft drink. Also, write to the Thai embassy in their country of residence (or to the Minister of the Environment, 92 Phaholyothin Road, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400) to stress the importance of conserving coastal habitats in the Inner Gulf through maintaining traditional use and restricting urban and industrial sprawl.

Charlie: This is probably a difficult question to answer, Phil, but how big a blow to the survival of the species was the reclamation of the Saemangeum estuarine system in South Korea do you think?

• PR: Such a large accumulated proportion of the Yellow Sea mudflat area has now been lost that I fear the damage to this hugely important shorebird staging area will prove to have been devastating for a range of shorebirds - not just Spoon-billed Sandpiper. It may take a few years before we understand the full extent of the damage, and how shorebird populations will respond.

Charlie: Phil, I’m asking everyone this same question: does it matter if the Spoon-billed Sandpiper goes extinct?

• PR: Of course it matters. If the peoples of many nations along the East Asian flyway cannot unite to save the uniquely charismatic Spoon-billed Sandpiper, in the full knowledge of what is causing its decline, then what hope is there that humanity will ultimately be able to save itself from impending global cataclysm?

13-JAN-2008, Lampakbia, Petburi, Thailand.
Photo copyright Peter Ericsson, used with permission

Charlie: Finally, Phil, on a different note, you re-discovered the Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus in March 2006 near Bangkok. It was described at the time as one of the world’s least-known birds, and you yourself said it was like “holding a living dodo”. Few have been found since, and I was wondering how you view that discovery nearly four years later, and whether you think - given that so little is known about the species’ whereabouts and requirements – that it’s possible to ensure its survival?

• PR: The scant genetic and distributional evidence on Large-billed Reed Warblers suggests that it has a small, fragmented and declining population. Since our 2006 discovery we (The Wetland Trust, together with collaborators from the Wildlife Research Division, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation) have handled and ringed two further passage or wintering Large-billed Reed Warblers in Thailand.

  Other workers have since found another 12 specimens (the most recent of which is > 70 years old) spanning an arc from Kazakhstan and Afghanistan to Burma. None of these can be unequivocally linked to breeding, but the present hypothesis is that the Large-billed Reed Warbler breeds in Central Asia, and winters in SE Asia. We still have little indication of its preferred habitat at either stage of the annual cycle, but once we know, we can plan appropriate conservation measures. It is conceivable, though, that it might be not much more at risk now than it was when first described in 1867. Perhaps it always had a small population, which is why it has remained overlooked for so long.

Charlie: As well as being difficult to identify with any certainty in the field?

• PR: Field ornithologists travelling to little visited parts of Central Asia can make a real contribution to our knowledge of the species, especially if they are travelling with sound recording or photographic gear so as to document what they find. Because of the great difficulty of separating Large-billed Reed Warbler from more widespread and commoner species, such as the Blyth’s Reed Warbler, ringers are in a special position to contribute, by supplying detailed biometric information, collected from the living bird in the hand, so as to establish identification beyond doubt.

Charlie: Interesting times ahead on many fronts then! Phil, thanks so much for talking with us, and the very best of luck with your important work in Thailand.

10,000 Birds is supporting an Appeal raising money to help finance a trip to Myanmar by Christoph Zockler and the Spoon-billed Recovery Team. We have donated 150USD to get the appeal off to a good start (and many thanks to Brenton Head for being the first 10,000 Birds reader to put his hand in his pocket also!).

If you’d like to know more about Christoph and his work please read yesterday’s interview with him, but to summarise what his visit is intended to achieve here’s his answer to that very question:

“From recent surveys in the wintering areas we’ve learned…that bird trapping is happening at a large scale in Myanmar, Vietnam and Bangladesh. The Bay of Martaban is also highly targeted by local people. We need to find out how many people trap regularly and how many birds are taken. We also need to find out more about the people’s social and economic needs in order to address the trapping and find economic alternatives. Climate Change and coastal development are much harder to address but among the many issues facing the Spoon-billed Sandpiper this is the most urgent and the most rewarding as we can address it immediately.”

• Tomorrow as part of our series highlighting the Spoon-billed Sandpiper we will be posting another interview, this time with Pieter Wessels, co-founder of Wildsounds, the Species Champion for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper in which we discuss - among many topics - the issue of taking personal responsibility for saving the unique and beautiful Spoon-billed Sandpiper from extinction.

The series of posts on the Spoon-billed Sandpiper has been written with Birds Korea to promote wetland conservation and as part of our commitment to Birdlife International’s ‘Preventing Extinctions Programme‘, which we signed up to as Species Champions in January 2009.

Species Champions are ”a growing community of Companies, Institutions and Individuals who share our concerns and demonstrate their commitment to protecting the planet’s natural heritage by funding the work undertaken by our Species Guardians”.

There are different ‘levels’ of Species Champion (requiring different levels of financial commitment). Whilst we joined the PEP at a ‘lower level’ 10,000 Birds is now officially a Species Champion along with such conservation giants as Sir David Attenborough and the British Birdwatching Fair, conservation minded businesses like Swarovski Optik (who also sponsor 10,000 Birds of course), In Focus, and WildSounds (the Species Champions for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper), and a small number of unsung individuals like Dr. Urs-Peter Stäuble, Ed Keeble, and Peter Smith.

• For a full list of Species Champions please go to BirdLife Species Champions ‘Roll of Honour’.