I have seen dippers before, on rocks just beneath the viaduct, but after waiting hopefully for a while, none appeared so I decided to follow the path downstream. A movement along the edge of the bank caught my eye; but it was just a wren foraging for food amongst the tree roots. Continuing along the rather muddy path I spied another bird, but the grey and yellow told me that it was a grey wagtail. It was making its way downstream, on the opposite side of the stream and I followed it along, darting here and there with its tail bobbing up and down as it went . I reached the end of the path which follows the edge of the water without any dipper sightings, then turned round to retrace my steps. At least, if there were no dippers, I could still add grey wagtail to my list for 2019!
Then there was a whirr of wings and a brown bird flew past, upstream and landed on a stone. A dipper! I watched it bob up and down, then dive into the stream. I could just make its shape out swimming beneath the water. It re appeared and promptly flew over to the bank on my side but unfortunately hidden behind a tree. I then lost sight of it, not knowing which way it had gone.
I walked back to my starting point, no dipper appeared but I had further views of a second grey wagtail and a wren. Not keen to give up just yet, and with some time to spare, I decided to go back downstream again. It was not long before I came across the dipper once more. I managed a few photos, then it suddenly started to flutter its wings, and I was suddenly aware of a second bird perched on the same 'island' in the stream. I watched them for a while, made a short video then all of a sudden they were both off downstream.
Dipper above and below
looking downstream
grey wagtail
looking upstream
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