Patibunia

The mudflats extending across Patibunia and Susni Islands are vast and difficult to traverse on foot, making it nearly impossible to survey the entire area during a single outing. Their inaccessibility has also helped the mudflats remain relatively undisturbed by human activities common in the surrounding region, such as fish-drying camps (khoti) and tourism.

These characteristics appear to make the Patibunia–Susni mudflat complex an important feeding ground not only for the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper (2K), but also for other threatened shorebirds, including the Endangered Great Knot and Vulnerable Curlew Sandpiper and Broad-billed Sandpiper.

The proximity of Kargil Beach may further enhance the importance of this site. Its sandy shoreline provides a nearby resting and roosting habitat for waders after feeding on the Patibunia–Susni mudflats. Large flocks of waders have been observed using Kargil Beach as a high-tide roost when the mudflats are inundated.

However, ecological information from this region remains sparse, and further investigation is needed to understand the extent and patterns of shorebird use of the Patibunia–Susni–Kargil coastal complex.

Kargil Beach, which connects with Bakkhali Beach and extends towards Henry Island, is also a popular tourist destination in West Bengal. Increasing tourism, fish-drying activities, noise and light pollution, free-ranging dogs, and limited awareness of shorebird conservation may pose growing threats to the area's suitability as a feeding and roosting habitat.

Systematic bird monitoring, ringing, and tracking studies are therefore needed to determine how shorebirds use this landscape, identify important feeding and roosting sites, assess emerging threats, and highlight the conservation importance of the Patibunia–Susni–Kargil coastal complex.