Meinypil’gyno, Russia, where a small number of spoon-billed sandpipers (Calidris pygmaea) return annually during summer. This was once was the only known breeding ground for the critically endangered species, and the entire global population was estimated to have fallen to less than 200 pairs due to the steady reclamation of coastal habitat along their flyway and the impact of bird trapping. A ‘headstarting’ programme was set up to take eggs into captivity, hatching and rearing them in safety. More than 100 spoon-billed sandpipers have been raised and released this way.

Photograph: Mark Simpson/IUCN