Leizhou Peninsula is located in the East Asian-Australasian migratory bird migration passage, and is the most important wintering habitat for Spoon-billed Sandpiper in China.
In November, after a long flight, the Spoon-billed Sandpipers arrived at the warm and spring-like Leizhou Peninsula as scheduled, where they will spend the winter.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper is a bird of the genus Spoon-billed Sandpiper in the family Sandpiperidae. Its beak is spoon-shaped, and bird lovers affectionately call it "Little Spoon".
At present, there are only more than 700 individuals in the world, and it is listed as a critically endangered species (CR) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Seeing the cute appearance of Spoon-billed Sandpiper in the photos of friends, I was deeply attracted by it. I have always dreamed of being able to record it with my own camera.
After learning that the Spoon-billed Sandpiper had arrived in Leizhou Peninsula, I immediately drove more than 400 kilometers from Zhongshan to Leizhou to look for this precious "the panda among birds".
I had many conversations with filmmakers before, and when it came to shooting Spoon-billed Sandpiper, most of them told me that shooting Spoon-billed Sandpiper is very hard work, and most people dare not try it lightly. The performance of hard work is about the following aspects:
The camera + 600mm or 800mm lens, plus the tripod, water, food, batteries and other items together weigh more than 20 kilograms. It is a great test for physical strength to carry them on the tidal flat for a long time.
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper has a small body. It keeps looking for food and walking fast. When shooting, it often needs to pick up equipment and move around on its waist. After a while, it will be terribly tired.
To take a good picture of it, you need to shoot it lying on stomach. Lying on the ground, tracking the moving Spoon-billed Sandpiper, and moving camera equipment is even more difficult. In order not to disturb the birds, it is not allowed to stand up, even at half height. Put the camera and the tripod on the back, and crawl forward to move. This is really difficult and tiring. I can still hold on for 10 meters, and I will definitely not be able to move any further. As soon as I got up, the bird ran away in a fright.
At the end of the day, my waist was sore and my back hurt. When I finally went ashore, I couldn’t carry my photography equipment because of my physical exertion. Looking at the embankment in the distance, I could only move forward step by step with difficulty. Sometimes I wanted to throw my equipment on the beach. , just take the memory card ashore.
Although the description and advice from the video friends did not affect my desire and determination to see the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, they still made me worry.
As a woman, if I shoot in this traditional way, it will be physically difficult to bear, let alone take a good picture of the little spoon.
So, before I set off, I made a lot of preparations. Prepared a water jacket and water pants, gloves, a windproof hood, and also brought an artifact for lying down – an adjustable camera dolly.
（Adjustable Camera Dolly）
(Comparison between the traditional way and the shooting way of the liftable camera car)
Hard work pays off. With the help of the adjustable camera dolly, after a few days of unremitting efforts to go out early and return late, I was the first to shoot spoon-billed sandpipers. I met the star spoon-billed sandpiper-"Prince C2", and was lucky enough to photograph 6 spoon-billed sandpipers A rare picture of a snipe in the same frame.
I was able to meet "Prince C2" up close, thanks to the help of Mr. Li Dongming, who came to Zhanjiang from Jiangsu to observe and record Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Although the camera car helped me solve the difficulties of carrying weight and lying on the ground, it is still not an easy task to shoot the Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
When I came to the beach and saw the endless tidal flats and thousands of snipe like small black dots, I immediately understood the deep meaning of this sentence said by what the experienced bird watcher Mr. Cheng Li: "To take a good picture of it, you must find it first. " Finding the tiny Spoon-billed Sandpiper among so many similar-sized snipe is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
At that time, I was lying on the camera car, using binoculars to search for the figure of the little spoon among the snipe birds dozens of meters away. Not far away, teacher Li Dongming suddenly reminded me: there is a spoon-billed sandpiper next to you. . I turned my head and saw a Spoon-billed Sandpiper leisurely looking for food about eight or nine meters away from me. Suppressing my excitement, I immediately turned the camera to record its handsome figure.
After zooming in on the photo, I realized that this is the famous "Prince C2". It’s so amazing!
（The little prince proudly shows me its white C2 mark）
Prince C2 is a small nobleman with a dazzling background.
In 2021, Russian artificial hatching was born. It will spend the winter in Danzhou Bay, Hainan in 2021. It is the first spoon-billed sandpiper recorded locally to wear a flag. In the autumn of 2022, we will stop at Tiaozini.
The grandfather of C2 little Prince is the famous male Spoon-billed Sandpiper Light Green 01. Light Green 01 is the first Spoon-billed Sandpiper to wear a color-coded flag in the world. It was banded in 2013.
According to the statistics of scientists, light green 01 has given birth to at least 17 children, and there are still grandchildren born continuously. It has made a huge contribution to the population development of spoon-billed sandpiper. Therefore, Russian scientists affectionately call the white C2 "Prince C2".
In addition to C2, this trip also photographed 2L, 53, EH, 4U, M4 and other marked Spoon-billed Sandpipers.
The clean 2L is grooming
53
EH
4U
M4
What's even more fun is that I also saw an extremely rare picture of multiple Spoon-billed Sandpipers in the same frame, with a maximum of 6. Mr. Li Dongming praised me for my good eyesight, saying that this kind of situation is usually a phenomenon before gathering and migrating.
（Four Spoon-billed Sandpipers in the same frame）
(Five Spoon-billed Sandpipers in the same frame）
(Six Spoon-billed Sandpipers in the same frame）
Small spoons feeding on the edge of the tide in the morning light.
How many small spoons are there in the picture?
The little spoons who concentrate on foraging
When I was preparing to return, I ran into Mrs Yang Jufen and Mr. Zhou who drove more than 1,800 kilometers from Jiangsu to Leizhou to shoot spoon-billed sandpipers. They also brought an adjustable camera dolly, which they used all the time when shooting in Tiaozini, Yancheng.
Mrs. Yang said: “This dolly is so practical and easy to use on the beach. I can’t do without it now. This time in Leizhou, I will use it too. “
How to take photos of Spoon-billed Sandpiper easily with an adjustable camera dolly?
After getting out of the car, install the camera dolly next to the car. The camera and gimbal are directly installed on the dolly platform with 3/8 screws. Put the tripod, telescope, water, food, batteries, etc. in the dustproof and rainproof luggage and the food bags on both sides, so you don’t need to carry backpacks and shoulder equipment all day long. Solved the problem of our "last mile" load and all-day load.
Easy to adjust between high and low positions, free choice.
The maximum passing height is 18cm, and you don't have to worry about seawater soaking the equipment when walking in shallow water.
Ultra-low camera shooting, highlighting the image of animals, the minimum shooting height can reach 6.5cm.
Easily move camera equipment while tracking moving birds.
Four characteristics of adjustable camera dolly
Sea water erosion resistant, sand jamming resistant,
10 inches tyre, the car won’t be truck when people get stuck,
Easy turn
On the beach of Leizhou Peninsula, photographers using a camera dolly to shoot Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Finally, I would like to share with you some of the valuable experience that the experienced teachers taught me during this shooting, and their own long-term actual combat. After field practice, it is very practical.
1. How to quickly find the Spoon-billed Sandpiper among many sandpipers?
Spoon-billed Sandpiper is different from other sandpipers in its foraging habits. It often buries its beak underwater or in mud and sweeps back and forth to look for food. When you first see a bird’s beak sweeping back and forth in the mud to find the food with your naked eyes, then use a telephoto lens to observe it, you can easily find it (this experience was told to me by Jiangsu Mr. Li Dongming).
2. How to take a close-up shot of the petite Spoon-billed Sandpiper?
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is very vigilant, and will fly away immediately when it senses that humans are approaching. After spotting the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, don’t rush up. You need to push the camera dolly and approach slowly. After reaching a safe distance of about 40 meters, lie down and wait quietly for them to approach the camera by themselves. (This experience was shared by Mr. Dachun, Foshan).
