05 Jul 2015

Spoonie Watching

The day spent at Meinypil’gyno yesterday provided one of the major highlights of this voyage so far, particularly for birders.  We met up with the Spoon-billed Sandpiper task force which actively monitors and manages one of the last known breeding sites of this endangered species which is arguably the world’s rarest wader. There are probably less than 100 nesting pairs of Spoon-billed Sandpiper which breeds only in Chukotka and northern Kamchatka. Our party was divided into two groups and task force team members guided us to two known nest sites where we could see a bird. Even those who would not class themselves as keen birdwatchers could not help but be moved by the sight of this iconic bird with a crazy spoon shaped bill sitting on a nest in the middle of the vast Siberian tundra.  Now we are off to look for walrus…