It’s sad to say it has come down to this, but I’m afraid we might just have to admit it.

The number of waders visiting the once bird-rich mudflats has reached an all time low. What was once a popular feeding site for plovers, godwits, redshanks and curlews has now become so polluted and disturbed that now we are left with hardly a handful of birds.

The easiest time to spot waders is during the high tide when the birds are forced into large groups on the banks of the shoreline. The birds at Sapan Hin on this blustery day were very accommodating and allowed me to get within three meters of them, allowing for the photo displayed above, taken with my Canon 105 mm lens.

The photo shows the presence of only three species: Lesser Sand Plover, Red necked Stint and Curlew Sandpiper.

In the distance were a few Eurasian Curlews and the usual Little and Great Egrets.

Missing from the site were the once common Ruddy Turnstone, Common Greenshank, Bar tailed Godwit, Black winged Silts, Common Redshank and Terek Sandpiper.