In the calm beauty of a wetland, I watched a pair of black-winged stilts performing their mating ritual. The female stretched her neck and began preening, while the male faced her, copying her movements. Both birds dipped their bills into the water to preen their chests, and soon their actions became faster and more excited, with splashes of water all around just before mating. Immediately after mating, they crossed their bills, and the male gently wrapped one wing around the female, almost like a tender hug. Interestingly, the male’s bill always crossed on top of the female’s. They stayed in this position for a brief moment, and I felt very lucky to capture it in a photograph.