It’s low tide, and a flock of redshanks is trying its luck along the causeway road. When the water off Rømø pulls back, a brown sandbank is revealed along the roadside. For long-legged birds with needle-sharp beaks, it’s a glorious patch of muck, teeming with tiny creatures that make up the meal of the day.

On the causeway, you’re not just driving down a road: You’re out in the middle of the Wadden Sea. The sea retreats, and suddenly the landscape lies exposed as a living surface of mud and life. The birds barely notice you, but don’t just barrel past the scene.