A pair of white-throated dippers

(I have cropped this quite heavily, but it does look much sharper, as always, when you hit the Show_LARGE  button)

 I drove Helena to an early morning meeting again this morning and once again the weather was beautiful with sun shine and blue sky.  I came back into the town area and found a spot to park for free close to Waitrose and made my mind up to explore the river Frome where it flows under Capel's Mill railway viaduct.

As regular visitors to this journal know I always hope to spot kingfishers at this stretch of the river, but for the last year now they just haven't been apparent.  As I walked towards the river passing the newly built section of the restored canal I thought that I might actually see a white-throated dipper again as I have often spotted them in this area.  As it was so early in the morning the angle of the sun highlighted unusual angles and shapes related to the distinctive structures of the viaduct, the new canal cut and the related bridges.  I took some pictures of the shadows and reflections on the canal but I didn't feel moved by any of it.

I changed my lens to a zoom when I reached the small footbridge over the river Frome and just stood looking at the delightful light shining down through the leafless trees onto the fast flowing river.  The usual woodland birds, pigeons, robins, blackbirds were in evidence in small numbers in the canopy flying back and forth across the river.  

I decided to walk downstream along the footpath leading through the wildlife protected zone called Fromebanks, which is now managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.  After about forty yards the flow of the river lessens as it flows away from the rapids of the outcropping limestone.  I walked slowly and then my heart leapt as a dipper flew in their inimitable way past me also going downstream.

I saw it land on a rock in the river and it bobbed about before jumping straight into the water and disappearing.  Dippers are renowned for their ability to swim and even walk underwater in search of food on the river bed.  It surfaced and then flew to the bank which at that point was very low and sloping gently into the water.

I was so pleased and gradually tried to move towards where it was, using the trees on the bank to hide my approach with a long lens.  The birds must be used to walkers there, as it is a favourite path for dog walkers and it is only a few hundred yards from the centre of Stroud.  but when you are there it seems to be wholly remote with the sound of rushing water dominating everything.

As I got nearer, taking pictures where I could, it flew off a few yards further each time. Then when it was on a perch on the edge of the water I saw another dipper appear beside it and they stood there briefly shaking their feathers.  Then the second bird took off and luckily for me headed into the direction of the sun's rays so that it was illuminated in that rather dark wood and my focus was equal to the task.  I love getting pictures of birds in flight most of all so I'm pleased to present this pair of white-throated dippers as my blip today.  I will be back to see them in the spring as I know where they nest and last year regularly watched them feeding their young.


From various online sources:
Dippers forage for small animal prey in and along the margins of fast-flowing freshwater streams and rivers. They perch on rocks and feed at the edge of the water, but they often also grip the rocks firmly and walk down them beneath the water until partly or wholly submerged. They then search underwater for prey between and beneath stones and debris; they can also swim with their wings. 

Linear breeding territories are established by pairs of dippers along suitable rivers, and maintained against incursion by other dippers. Within their territory the pair must have a good nest site and roost sites, but the main factor affecting the length of the territory is the availability of sufficient food to feed themselves and their broods. Consequently the length of a territory may vary from about 300 m to over 2500 m.

Dippers’ calls are loud and high-pitched, being similar to calls made by other birds on fast rivers; the call frequencies lying within a narrow range of 4.0–6.5 kHz, well above the torrent noise frequency of <2 kHz. Dippers also communicate visually by their characteristic dipping or bobbing movements, as well as by blinking rapidly to expose their pale upper eyelids as a series of white flashes in courtship and threat displays.
Dippers are completely dependent on fast-flowing rivers with clear water, accessible food and secure nest-sites. They may be threatened by anything that affects these needs such as water pollution, acidification and turbidity caused by erosion.