24-Feb-2012
She arrives with a beak full of moss.
Females seem to do most of the nest building.
23-FEB-2012
23 February, another visit to the nest.
At 1003 the male appeared from upstream and landed on the waterfall. He sang for 30 seconds or so and then continued down the river. 10 minutes or so later, the female followed, also calling in-flight which is the first time that I have been certain that females call on the wing like this. Now I knew that they were down-stream together, I expected both birds to eventually make their way back up towards me and in front of the nest. This is exactly what happened but it took more than an hour. Both birds suddenly appeared and with a flurry of musical chatter from the male, there they both were on the favourite boulder at the foot of the nest. The female immediately flew up in to the nest and the male seemed to slink away on foot down stream. It seemed to me that he deliberately tried to keep a low-profile and this is an obvious ploy so as not to attract interest in the nest site from predators. I never did see the female leave the nest nor the area, obviously she is even more covert than the male. About 30 minutes later they both retuned to the waterfall area right next to the hide and opposite the nest. This time they totally ignored the nest, they fed and the female bathed.
22-Feb-2012
22 February 2012 They start to use the nest.
I decided to go to the Dipper territory much earlier than normal to spend the morning while it was still dry. I was in the hide by 8.46, a couple of hours earlier than normal and I was expectant and then pleased to see, after only a few minutes, a Dipper feeding in what appears to be a favourite spot. I say that because I see them feeding there often. It came nearer and nearer but was still too far to bother with even a snapshot. It wasn't long before it flew to the favourite midstream boulder and I was just focusing the camera when it flew towards me. As I peered around the camera, protruding from the hide, I was thrilled to see it land right next to the hide and now just a few feet from the nest. It was on the boulder where I had seen it, numerous times last year when they were breeding. At first I just watched him as he began to sing and get excited, he looked up to the nest but didn't fly up, then off he went just a few feet away and around a little bend in the river, 15 feet down stream. At first I was a bit disappointed but never anticipated what would happen next. He returned, now very excitedly with the female, they both landed on the boulder and she immediately flew up and in to the nest. The female was almost covert, she shyly kept away from the nest before quickly coming to the nest site and slipping up in to the nest. When she left he nest, she very quietly slunk away. I was joyous, I think that is the only word to describe it. Suddenly all the thought and planning of the last 12 months had come together. My pessimism was unfounded. What was really interesting was the way that the male had come to the nest first to check if it was safe. Then he went towards the female to call her to the nest and they returned together. It seems that the carrying around of nesting material is either a distraction ploy or perhaps when birds are in high breeding condition they simply "carry' nesting material around by instinct.?
21-Feb-2012
21 February 2012 a frustrating day.
Things are not going too well at the Dipper territory at the moment. It is a bit frustrating, I am still not sure if they are using last years nest or if they have another nest somewhere else nearby. What I do know is that I can't find the new nest if there is one. This morning just didn't go right at all. I made my way to the hide and sat in there without seeing Dippers on the walk down. This usually means that they are around the hide area, but not today. After sitting and waiting for a few minutes I came to the conclusion that the pair must be further down stream and I planned to go and sit and watch and then see them carrying to the nest. I walked another 50 yards and could see a Dipper on a favourite rock which I suspected was the male, this was confirmed when I could hear him singing. I crept close and started to watch him. I am absolutely certain that he didn't see me but then he flew upstream and past me and then past the hide. I saw this behaviour last year when he flew up and down his territory noticeably patrolling. With the male now well away, I set about searching the bank for the nest, if the female was around I would have seen her but there was no sign of her and I didn't find the nest either. On today's evidence there is asolutely no indication that they are not going to use last years nest, so again fingers crossed.
To compound the mystery, when I eventually went home, there they were, both birds quite a way upstream. There was a certain amount of displaying between the two which was interesting to watch.
20-Feb-2012
February 20, 2012. Are they using different nest?
A big disappointment this morning at the nest site. I tried to arrive a little earlier than normal, aware that there is always a bit more activity around the nest area in the mornings. Within a few minutes of being inside the hide a Dipper could be seen downstream not too far away. I kept my fingers crossed hoping that it would fly back up to me and then I got quite excited to see that it was carrying nesting material. My heart sank when it fly over the river and then further away from me. It seems that the nest in use is not going to be the one only a few feet from the hide. That's really disappointing if that turns out to be the case. I sat waiting for it to reappear but it didn't and I am not too sure whether the bird seen "carrying" was a male or female? S As males are known to do the majority of the nest building then it's likely that it was the male, the female was nowhere to be seen. I am assuming she was in the new nest somewhere?
After half an hour when the Dipper hadn't reappeared, I could picture the bird sitting keeping watch over the nest and the female so I left the hide and went for a look. Sure enough, there he was in an area where I thought he would be. He had nesting material in his beak but didn't fly to the new nest site. My plan will be to use some camouflage and sit in that area tucked away out of site and see if I can discover the new sight. In the meantime the bird flew back up stream and I went back to my hide. It didn't take long before the male Dipper was on the rocks right in front of me and I took some nice photos.
16-Feb-2012
Cinclus cinclus
Thursday 16th was, in the end a good day for Dipper photography but I needed to spend hours and hours waiting for the chance. I did see the breeding pair together so all is still going well, but I have no idea or indication that they are going to use the nest used last year.
16-Feb-2012
Cinclus cinclus
This bird was with me for a long period, feeding in the fast water of the waterfall, both above and below. At the time it was alone and I never heard this particular bird singing so I am not sure of the sex.
09-Feb-2012
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
I returned to my well known Dipper territory in early February. My plan was to build a well hidden hide over-looking last years nest site, under the river bank which has been washed out and eroded by flood water over years and years. Dipper are known to use the same site annually and the monogamous pair stay together for life. It will be interesting to get a close look at the female bird of "my" pair because last year the bird appeared to have a damaged eye which made it easy to identify her. In that way I will be able to recognise her again. I made a good job of the hide which I completely covered with leaf litter to make it totally invisible, I returned the next day and tucked myself inside the hide. I was thrilled to see two birds together behaving exactly the same as they were last year. The male bird, always the more extrovert in behaviour called as he flew by followed by his female, silently in tow. After a short wait the male flew to a nearby midstream rock and I managed to get some photos of him. I haven't noted any nest building behaviour yet nor have the birds been on to the rocks directly in front of he nest but I interpret this as positive behaviour because last year I noted that the birds kept well away from the vicinity of the nest unless they were visiting with nesting material. Only time will tell if they use last years nest but if I was a betting man I would be willing stake a tidy sum on that.
01-JUL-2011
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
Twelve days on and the young Dipper, last photographed on the 18th June presented it's self really well today. It's noticeable that the bird, and I believe it is just a solitary youngster, has developed a healthy respect for human beings and will move off to safety. However, I did manage to get close enough for a photograph, and I also watched it catch a tiny fish but wasn't close enough to record it. Also in the territory was an adult Dipper.
18-JUN-2011
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
I returned to the river in the early afternoon with the weather a little clearer and a better shot a real possibility. I camouflaged myself in my Gillie Suit and hid the camera with scrim netting and began to wait it out. It was almost immediately successful and a Grey Wagtail landed right in front of me then a Kingfisher flew by. It wasn't long before the Dipper landed on the nearest boulder and posed perfectly.
17-JUN-2011
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
I left the country at the end of April and the Dippers were left to themselves. I returned to the territory yesterday to see how things had developed. The river was beautiful and the bankside vegetation had really grown, and it was even more attractive than it had been in spring. I was surprised to see a young Dipper almost immediately. Just one, and no sign of adults. The baby bird, estimated to be around six weeks old, was more approachable than an adult, it was a comparatively weak flyer and I can understand why mortality in young Dippers is said to be high. In the late evening, even though the weather was still wet and dull, I returned to the area to try get a decent photograph. I sat quietly camouflaged in my Gillie suit and covered in scrim netting, positioned in front of the boulders that I had seen it in the morning. I sat still and quiet for around 30 minutes and then, there he was just in front of me and to my left. Very rewarding to know that my subterfuge had worked and I managed to get close enough for a half decent photograph in the really poor lighting conditions. Having checked the dates and counted the days it is around 50 days since the 2nd round clutch was predated so this chick could quite easily be the result of the parents third attempt.
19 April
Very sorry to report the failure of the nest again. A visit today, instead of discovering the expected 3 eggs, the nest was empty apart from some eggshell fragments and remains of yolk. I really hope that now they choose somewhere else to try.