Specialist small-ship expedition cruise company, Heritage Expeditions supports the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper.

Its Siberia's Forgotten Coast tour, which explores Kamchatka's remote coastline, has supported the release of healthy chicks into the wild.

With eggs collected from the Arctic breeding grounds, 22 spoon-billed sandpiper chicks were successfully reared before being released into their natural habitat of Meinypil'gyno, Russia.

BirdsRussia tagged the birdsbefore release so they can be tracked along the migration routes, which began in August.

The 'Head-starting' project, to preserve and increase the population of these birds is run by the International Spoon-Billed Sandpiper Task Force.

These wading birds only breed in Chukotka and northern Kamchatka in the Far East of Russia, a remote and largely inaccessible region, which makes it difficult for researchers to identify potential new breeding sites.

Heritage Expeditions, whose purpose-built expedition ships allow them to reach otherwise isolated and inaccessible locations, have supported conservation efforts by providing transport for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force and BirdsRussia.

This enables researchers to visit the 4,500-kilometre coastline in search of breeding pairs.

Passengers who join the 14-day Siberia's Forgotten Coast expedition can view spoon-billed sandpipers in Meinypil'gyno, the main breeding area in Chukotka, and play an active role in locating new breeding areas in locations not been surveyed.

Highlights of this cruise also include the Commander Islands, where sea otters, a variety of whale species and a range of sea birds may be seen, and the Govena Peninsula and the largely unknown Chukotka Coast, both of which are home to brown bears.

Useful links

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www.eaaflyway.net/spoon-billed-sandpiper-task-force

www.trips.heritage-expeditions.com/spoon-billed-sandpiper-conservation

www.heritage-expeditions.com/destinations/russian-far-east-travel/siberia-kamchatka-cruise