21-FEB-2013
The first hint of nesting activity this year.
There was quite a lot of Dipper activity today. When I arrived on the river I saw a pair quite close to the start of my walk and they moved on down the river as I walked, keeping a safe distance ahead of me. I half expected them to double back as they would do if they were out of their territory but I was pleased when they carried on past the hide. This meant of course that this pair were the residents of the "hide stretch" of river. In it's self quite a discovery. I was pleased as I sat in the hide because I knew, based on my previous observations over 3 years, that they would have to fly back up to me before too long. There is another Dipper territory down river and they wouldn't stay there for long, and so it proved. It was about 15 minutes or so before they appeared to my right feeding with a lot of enthusiasm. Eventually one of the pair, I think the female came to the rocks exactly where she had been yesterday and I snapped away happily. It's good when you haven't had to wait too long. There was the slightest hint of a wing fluttering courtship display which would indicate that things are progressing along the right lines. They both retreated to the midstream boulder where I had seen them lots of times in previous years. Then suddenly, and this is very interesting, two Dippers flew past me very quickly and I thought they had gone for today. But I was wrong. I looked back to the rock and one bird still remained. I think what had happened was another Dipper had entered the territory and immediately been chased upstream by the dominant male. After everything had quietened I checked the old nest from two years ago. Amazingly and I am very pleased to report that there was brand new fresh moss in the bowl of the nest meaning of course that they have started to use this nest. This doesn't necessarily mean that they will continue to use this nest but it is great news and a massive step in the right direction.
20-FEB-2013
The first close encounter of the year.
I had my first proper close-up Dipper encounter of the year today. If you read my Blog regularly you will know that I am a very patient, some would say obsessive photographer and I have already done around 10 hours in the little river side hide so far this February. I had been in the hide for 2 hours this morning and decided to come home at around 1 o'clock. At that point I had literally seen just one bird all day, a Grey Wagtail and that had just quickly flown by. I was bored and cold by now. I withdrew the protruding camera from the hide and was just about to climb out and leave, but remembering the other day when I had disturbed a Dipper as I exited, I quickly checked. Can you believe it, there was a Dipper just in front of me on the waterfall. I had been waiting for 2 hours plus and seen nothing and then just as I was leaving, now one was there. Unbelievable.
I poked the camera back through the hole, hastily but carefully but now with the camera off the tripod it was going to be hard to get sharp images, but that's the way it is and you make the best of it. The bird, a female I am sure, stood for a second or two and then started to fish which, although I have seen it many times before, was very interesting. It struck me that it was very successful because in just a minute or two it caught two different prey items. I have no idea what the first item was but it looked like a shrimp of some sort...... how could that be?
Dippers are as comfortable in the water as they are out of it. Can you imagine how they keep warm in the cold water? They have special adaptations in the blood and also, very dense plumage. The feathers are more robust than birds of a similar size and you can see these feathers on the back. Look very closely at the white edgings to the wing feathers of this bird. This is probably an indication that this bird is one hatched last spring as young birds are known to have these white markings to the edge of their wings. Next year these white edged feathers will be replaced by all dark feathers.
This bird continued to feed around the waterfall and hide for about 10 minutes and was silent for the entire time. Suddenly it was joined by a very noisy singing bird, obviously the male and then they both left upstream together reinforcing my belief that this was the female.
19-FEB-2013 male sings.
Nesting hasn't begun yet.
I well remember that this time last year, and for that matter, the year before, I saw Grey Wagtail regularly when I was waiting in my river side hide. This of course, is no surprise because both species have almost identical habitat requirements and anywhere that Dippers are found, Grey Wagtails will be close behind. They are even known to nest next to each other, that is, close to, or above water, under a bridge or behind a log and so on. However, it is fair to say that Grey Wagtails are a little less demanding and they can be found along the banks of muddy rivers and streams which is a habitat that no self respecting Dipper would ever frequent. So the rule is probably this, find a Dipper and Wagtails will be near, but finding a Wagtail will not necessarily find you a Dipper. At this time of the year the males, who have a breeding plumage and an eclipse plumage are just starting to attain the solid black bib that they only have in the height of the breeding season. They are quite noisy at this time of year and one bird has just displayed in front of me, singing a song and then parachute gliding with fluttering wings from rock to rock. It was literally on the rocks on the waterfall just in front of me and I managed one or two photos, one particularly good one when he was in the middle of his noisy song.
I walked back up river after a couple of hours and was pleased to see a Dipper not that far from the hide. It was singing away loudly from a boulder that I must have seen a Dipper perched on at least 100 times in the last 3 years. He saw me even though I was 25 metres away and then flew up to another favourite Dipper boulder. He disappeared from view and then as expected, doubled back to fly down towards the hide. It wasn't many seconds before I saw another, this one was much more silent, obviously a female and just like the male she doubled back to fly down stream to join her mate. How many times have I seen that? In short, there was no obvious nesting behaviour observed today.
Taken with iPad
Day 2 of the Devon Dipper Diary 2013
It's still early in February, too early for any real breeding to have begun so I don,t know what I really hoped to achieve when I made my way to the Dipper hide this morning. I had restored it back to ship shape yesterday and I was keen to try it out I suppose. Frankly, I had been just a little bit deflated yesterday when I didn't see Dippers in last years territory. So, when I picked my way down the river towards the hide today, I asked myself that very question.The answer was simple, I just wanted to check on things and keep abreast of any behaviour and be there when activity started. I was feeling confident though. Nothing has changed, Dippers have been breeding here on this stretch of the river for who knows how long, it could be thousands of years? Why should 2013 be any different. So when I saw a Dipper feeding just ahead of me as I walked down the river, I was pleased but not surprised in the least. It did the usual thing once it had seen me. It flew onwards to a safe distance, then as I get nearer I saw and heard "him" singing, yes it was a male and the singing confirmed it. My presennce "moved" him on further down stream in front of me, hopping accross from boulder to boulder. Then suddenly he turned back and flew past me and up river again, singing and calling loudly. This turning back usually indicates that a bird has reached the edge of it's territory but who knows at this stage of the season. I tucked myself under cover in the hide, it was cramped and still needs lots work to make it ideal but I was concealed at least. It wasn't very long before I heard a familiar noise and not one, but two Dippers flew down stream and past the hide towards the area that they had bred last year. A broad smile lit my face, perhaps this year is going to be a good one after all.
I waited for ages for them to return to the weir and the hide to feed. It was cold and my originally warm legs got colder and colder, I should have worn more clothing. The cramped hide wasn't giving me good views and eventually I exited, mainly to get warm again. But I had stupidly broke rule number 1. That is, always double check to see if there is anything close by before you emerge because there, perched on the weir and just to my left, 10 feet away was a Dipper! Murphy and his law in action yet again! Still not to worry, I now knew that indeed, nothing was different whtsoever about 2013. Having further re-arranged the hide so that when I go back in the next few days I will not be so cramped, I walked back up river towards the car. I saw even more Dipper, one more bird, again flying down river singly..... that made three, and then a very interesting piece of behaviour. Two Dippers flew towards me from up-stream calling very noisily. When they were just past my position, one turned and flew back from the direction it had come giving me the distinct impression that this was a territorial dispute and one bird had been "escorting" the other off it's patch. So now that made 5 different birds seen today. Obviously territories are not yet settled. It had finished up a good session and well worth the effort (and cold).
The first observations of 2013
I had been waiting for the water levels to retreat just a little before I started this year's observations. When I arrived at the site I was pleased to see that last year's hide was still standing and even though it was now, just a collection of camo material and sticks I managed to reform it back in to an acceptable hide. This is positioned over-looking a nest which remains from previous years, although not the one that they had used last year. This is my third year of studying Dippers on this stretch of river and in previous years I have discovered so much about their breeding behaviour. Comparing my notes, it was around this date last year when signs of breeding activity had commenced when I had seen two birds together. Activity had gradually increased in intensity as the month progressed. Today I was slightly disappointed not to see a bird in front of, or near the hide but this could have been due to a couple of reasons. Firstly, the water level is much higher than it was last year and looking at the bankside vegetation it seems that the water has been consistently higher than in previous recent winters. Also, in previous years the birds had been absent from the nest area during the late morning and afternoon and as my visit was in the late morning today this would follow the same pattern so I am not too concerned. On a large mid-stream rock that I know as a favourite perch I could see droppings which looked fresh, so it appears that Dippers had been in the area very recently. When I walked further down the river to the adjoining territory I had a close encounter with a Dipper and it was nice to see one for the first time this year.
19-APR-2012
Dead chicks!
Regular readers of my blog will know that I hae been monitoring, photographing and recording the events at a White Throated Dipper - (cinclus cinclus) nest site since the end of February. My almost daily visits and a total of well over 100 hours have recorded many interesting facts and I have gained a real understanding of the behaviour of this most iconic and interesting species. I am attempting to put together a book, a "Devon Dipper Diary" which will be published either in the traditional way or/and online as an iPad app or online book. Things were going so well until yesterday when 20.8mm of rain fell near to the river's source miles up stream which led to an almost, flash flood. The water level rose at an unbelievable rate, flooded in to the nest and prevented the parents from gaining access. The water level quickly receeded but by then the damage was done and the chicks were cold and lifeless in the nest. However, at that point they were not dead. I warmed them with my own body heat until they became active and then, having made a new access hole to the nest, above the water line, replaced them. The parents quickly returned, and now able to get in to her chicks, the female tried to brood them and the male continued to bring food. Sadly all to no avail as this morning, with the river level down 2 feet again, the chicks at 7 days old were dead in the nest. Their eyes were just about to open and pin feathers were about to emerge from their wings.
18th April 2012
The nest gets flooded out!
Getting straight to the point...... the Dipper chicks are with 99% certainty, dead!
It had rained a little bit off and on all day but by 4 pm it had brightened up. I had always planned to visit late afternoon and early evening. As I walked across the field and reached the river, immediately my heart sank, the water was so high it was lapping at the bottom of the nest. I saw a Dipper nearby so I didn't immediately think that it was a full blown disaster. I quickly concealed myself and then looked properly, there was no entrance hole visible, this was under the water. The majority of the nest was not submerged though. I sat and waited to see if the parents came and it wasn't long before the male arrived with a beak full of food. As you can see, he perched on the nest and tried to find a way in to feed his youngsters. It was a pathetic spectacle as he searched around the nest, all he time with a beak full of food, trying to get in to the nest. I quickly made a decision, I decided to cross the river and planned to open up the top of the nest so that the birds could get in to their chicks. It was either give them that chance or let the chicks perish for certain, if they were not dead already that is. I ran back across the field and down the road to cross by some stepping stones but when I got there the stones were totally submerged as well, I had no way of getting across the river! There was another way, via a bridge quite a way upstream which is what I did. I made my way down the side of the swollen river being careful not to fall in and eventually some 30 minutes later I was at the nest which was just below me. I lowered myself down head first towards the nest, holding on with my left hand and praying not to fall in to the torrent. I poked through the top of the nest and sadly I could feel the stone cold chicks, lifeless and seemingly dead. I removed them one by one, cupped them in my hand and blew on them with my warm breath. Miraculously, after 5 minutes or so there was some tiny movement and they started to come back to life again. I was really heartened by this, with them in my hand I put them in to my arm pit and held them next to my skin, the warmest part of my body. I had them there for 20 minutes trying to bring up their body temperature. However, I needed to get them back in to the nest as soon as I could so I took the decision to put them back in and hope for the best. I tidied up the new entrance hole and retreated back the way I had come. Back at the hide opposite I watched and waited, and prayed. Suddenly the female arrived at the nest, after some investigation she entered through the new entrance and to my utter amazement and joy she seemed to start to brood the chicks. At one point she did some tidying up of the new entrance and later even emerged to catch some food which she took in to the nest. Whether she fed that to the chicks I will never know, were they alive or had they continued to lose body heat again. After quite a while the male returned to the scene with a beak full of food, he tried on several occasions to feed his youngsters, perching on the edge of the nest calling to them loudly but sadly he didn't feed them. I am guessing because they didn't gape for food which was a really bad sign. I am praying that the female was able to brood them enough to get them active again but I will not know the answer to that until the morning. I appreciate that it is almost certainly against the law to take chicks from a nest but my conscience is clear on this. I have been with this family of Dippers for 7 weeks, almost daily and watched them build a nest, watched them incubate and watched them feeding their chicks for the last 7 days. It would have been impossible to sit and watch them perish without trying to help. Perhaps I should have let nature take its course? But I didn't, I did what I think is right. However, the chicks have almost certainly died in the nest. The parents were unable to brood the chicks or feed them for several hours. There is a very small chance that my intervention may have saved them but I am not hopeful. If they have survived it will be an absolute miracle.
17th April
A worrying rise in River level.
I was horrified when I went to the nest site late this afternoon. Last night it rained, not hard, but enough to leave puddles in the road. I guessed that the river would have risen but I wasn't prepared for 2 feet higher though. Every boulder was completely submerged and the river was a torrent. The Dipper nest was now 1 foot above the waterline but still reasonably safe. The parent birds were a litle subdued, they flew in with food, aiming for their favourite boulder perches and then at the last minute they would suddenly realise that it wasn't there anymore and veer away to land opposite. Yesterday they carried food to the nest every few minutes but today they were feeding much less. At one point the male was away from the nest for quite an extended period, at least 40 minutes. The female brooded the chicks for longer periods than yesterday but did emerge from time to time and carried food to them as well. I left the site reasonably content that everything was fine and with the knowledge that the oldest 3 chicks are 7 days old tomorrow. However, the weather forcast is not good, more heavy rain is on the way, yesterday's rain had added two foot to the river level, if that happens tonight then I fear that the nest will be flooded out and that will be the end of it. I am keeping everything crossed that they remain safe. Nature is extreme and always takes it's course.
Monday 16th April
But more about yesterdays watching which was incredibly interesting. The chicks are doing really well, I peered in to the nest which wasn't too hard because the opening has become larger due to constant use and the male's habit of hanging on as he feeds his chicks. I could see them really well and also noted that, at 5 days old they have trebled in size already. Feeding by the parents is none stop and at times both birds were back and forth in less than a minute, constantly feeding the obviously voracious youngsters. The female left-off from brooding and hunted for prey right in front of the nest, taking just seconds to find prey which she delivered, flopped back caught more and then delivered that morsel about three times in a minute. The male however seems to spend comparatively longer catching food and when he comes back to the nest he is usually carrying larger insects such as mayfly. Yesterday I saw him catch a small fish which he dealt with, Kingfisher-like, beating it to death, he didn't bring that to the nest but flew opposite to eat it himself, incredible that he could make the judgement that it was too large and not suitable for the nestlings. There seemed to be an uneasy relationship between the parent birds, at one point they displayed to each other and then tumbled in to the water rolling around as though fighting but is more likely to be a precursor to mating?
15 April, Dipper chicks day for
I had my first opportunity to photograph the baby Dippers today and I am very glad to say that everything is progressing splendidly. I watched from under cover nearby and with a clear view of the nest then as soon as the female left the nest and flew up river to feed I took the opportunity to check the nest. It is not necessary for me to do this daily but I am keen to know if the chicks are thriving. By using a small LED light I can see the chicks in the nest quickly without too much disturbance. The chicks, all 4, are now covered in very long charcoal-grey down, they are darker than they were on the day of hatching. I have been able to record some interesting behaviour today. The female left the nest several times in the 2 hours that I was watching this afternoon, not only to feed herself but also returned with food to carry back to the nest. This is a contradiction to other descriptions of breeding Dippers that I have read that suggest that the female does not help to feed the chicks until they are at least 10 days old. In this pair the female is already deffinitely helping to feed the chicks in the nest today and the chicks are 3 and 4 days old now. The male in particular is very industrious and constantly, either food or delivering it to the nest. There is going to be a video clip posted in the next half an hour so please check back.
13-APR-2011
Four Dipper chicks doing well.
At the nest this evening it was good to see the male working like a demon collecting food for his 4 chicks. What struck me was not only how efficient and skilled he was at finding food, but how much available insect life there must be. I kept a really accurate record of the time between visits to the nest. In 41 minutes from 18.11 to18.51, the male visted a total of 10 times. I have to confess that this level of feeding far exceeded what I expected. The prey being fed is larger than I expected and seems to be mainly Mayfly as I expected it would be.
11-APR-2011
Thursday 12 April, the 4th egg hatches.
Yesterday I had discovered three chicks and one unhatched egg in the nest. When I checked again today there were 4 chicks. This confirmed a few important facts. Incubation had been 17 days. Finding just 3 chicks in the nest yesterday and a 4th today could mean only one thing. Incubation had begun after 3 eggs were laid and before the clutch was complete. One of the things that I wanted to acheive by watching and studyng this pair of Dippers in the intense way that I have , was to establish my own facts rather than rely on other peoples research and information which is often recycled, 3rd hand information rather than anything based on private study. All previous information that I have read, told me that incubation would not start until the clutch was complete, in other words, after the 4th egg. This is to ensure that all the chicks hatch on the same day and have an equal chance of survival, However, this clearly is not the case and 3 chicks will have a head start on their younger sibling. In times of food shortage, the younger chick in the nest would certainly perish but in a season when food is plentiful this is not an issue. The male bird is already proving to be a brilliant father. I watched him for an hour tonight, he was working almost tirelessly catching prey undrwater and then delivering it to the chicks. At one point I counted to 30 before he emerged again, but mostly he would spend just a second or two delivering his morsel. he seems quite happy to catch food from around the nest so this will give me some great opportunities to watch him feeding as well.
11-APR-2011
Chicks hatch on cue.
When I checked the nest yesterday there was still no chicks in the nest which wasn't a surprise as they were not really expected until 11th or 12th of April. So I was quite hopeful when I visited to check this evening.
Thankfully the water level hadn't risen any further, infact it had brobably gone down an inch or two. I waited for the female to leave the nest before moving down to check the nest. I am really glad to be able to report that 3 of the eggs have hatched and three healthy chicks are in the nest. One egg is either infertile, or "dead-in-shell" or more likely incubation started with the 3rd egg and not the 4th. If this is the case this will contradict everything that I have read previously which seemed to suggest that incubation always commenced when the clutch was complete. If the 4th egg should hatch tomorrow, then this will confirm that incubation started on Sunday, when there was only 3 eggs in the nest. I am looking forward to finding the answer tomorrow. The chicks were pink skinned which was a surprise, I expected them to be dark.
I watched the male already working hard finding food and delivering it to the nest, even if I had not checked for myself, I would have known that there were chicks in the nest just by the male's change in behaviour.
9th April 2012
Before you start reading this entry please be aware that I am a registered member of the BTO's nest recording scheme.
It's now 17 days since the first Dipper egg was laid in the nest at the territory that I have been keeping a close watch on since the beginning of February. This week is a crucial one. It is said that incubation will not begin until the last egg of the clutch is laid and there are 4 eggs in this clutch. It is likely that incubation commenced on the 25th March which coincided with the 4th egg, however as part of my records and individual observations of this pair, I need to confirm that this is the case. There are several possibly variables. Apart from the above there is the possibility that incubation could take 16 days or even less. It is also possible that incubation could have comenced after the laying of 3 or even 2 eggs. Only discovering the date that chicks hatch can this be confirmed. The earliest date that hatching could have ocurred is today. It was important that I checked the nest contents today. I can confirm that there are still four eggs in the nest and as yet no chicks. My method of checking, in accordance with the laid down procedure and advice from the BTO, is to sit unobserved, watching the nest. When the female has departed the nest is the time to make your move. My observations for the last 17 days have shown me that the female, after leaving the nest, has the habit of flying away upstream and is away for 8 minutes. This is ample time to quietly and without fuss, check the contents of the nest, but after first confirming that male is away from the area with the female. To check this nest requires a wet foot as it is situated above water on a vertical moss covered bank.
April 8th 2012
The weather forcast for the next couple of days is for rain and it is possible that I won't get the chance to check on the nest tomorrow, I hope to be able to because it is the start of an important week for the Dippers. I decided to have a quick check of the nest site and the breeding pair late this evening. The male was in front of the nest when I got there, it's always good to see him at the nest, confirming that there isn't a problem. Nothing special to add from this evening except that the male stood in front of the nest for quite a while, he was making that sibillant churring sound here and there, and had he got a response from the female in the form of a churring answer, I'm sure he would have flown up to her but he didn't. Considering that it's now 16 days since the first egg was laid and they are due to hatch within the next day or so, it's a surprise that she didn't invite hime to feed her. It will probably be easy to know when the eggs have started hatching because I am expecting the male to deliver food to the nest, that will be a change in recent behaviour. Just before dusk, the male was still in front of the nest and still making his churring noise. I felt a bit sorry for him, because he hasn't taken part in the incubation. He is detached from what is going on and has kept quite a lonely vigil for the last 16 days. Incubation is said to last 16 or 17 days and also to start on the day of the laying of the final egg of the clutch. This is to ensure that all eggs hatch simultaneously, not all birds use this syncronised incubation. Some species will incubate after the second egg meaning that chicks hatch on different days. The benefit of this is that the older chicks are inclined to get the "lions" share of the food brought to the nest. Only when their is a plentiful supply do all the chicks survive. In Dippers, all the chicks will have an equal chance of survival.
7th April 2012
When I arrived at the nest this morning, I crept in to the hide quietly and I expected to see the male Dipper waiting in front of the nest as normal. I have to admit that it started to frighten me when 15 minutes later I was still Dipperless! Was everything OK, I was just a little bit concerned. I was relieved when I heard the male approaching, fast and low as normal. He landed opposite with his usual noisy fanfare with a beak full of Mayfly. He flew to the nearest boulders just under the nest and called, bobbing incessantly but didn't fly up with the insects. I suspected that the female wasn't in the nest but I was wrong because out she came. She did a bit of dipping and then left upstream followed by the male. There wasn't a lot different to see, she was away for the usual 8 minutes, he returned and sang as normal. Just a few more days to go now before the eggs hatch and the only thing to report of note is the massive increase in insect life. It's also worth mentioning that in the hour that I was watching, the fem ale left to feed twice, the same pattern that I observed the day before yesterday.
April 5th Adult Mayflies on the wing.
I watched the nest yesterday for a couple of hours in the afternoon. It's now 14 days since egg laying began and incubation has thrown up a few interesting facts. To start with, the female, who does all the incubation has now developed the habit of leaving the nest to feed every 30 minutes or so. As I have said before, she is away from the nest for just 8 minutes, literally to the second. The male is not always aware that she has departed and yesterday I watched him arrive with a healthy beak full of adult Mayflies. This is the first time that I have seen the male, or female for that matter, feeding on adult Mayfly and my guess would be that the entire breeding cycle has been timed perfectly so that when there are chicks in the nest there is going to be a proliferation of Mayfly. He called to the female from a boulder close to the nest but didn't get any response because she was away feeding. He continued calling her but didn't fly up to her with the flies. I made the assumption that had she been in the nest she would have responded and he would have delivered the insects. I am certain that this is the case but I haven't heard her calling from the nest. before and it was interesting to realise that he was waiting for a response from her. Eventually after flying from boulder to boulder in front of the nest, he decided to eat the food himself but not before he had spent at least 5 minutes calling her. To think that the arrival of chicks in the nest has been timed to coincide with the Mayfly hatch is a stunning fact. Quite how that has been judged is a mysterious wonder to me.
03-APR-2011
3rd April and one month on.
In the Photo, the male keeps sentry duty in front of the nest.
It is exactly a month since I first discovered the nest site on March 3rd. The female is still sitting tight and incubation is in progress as hoped for. The male, who his taking no part whatsoever in incubation, spends the majority of his time sitting on a midstream boulder near to the nest. He flies, mostly upstream, to a favoured feeding area. He can be away from the nest area for as long as 20 minutes. On his return, which is always a noisy and excitable affair, he will invariably land back on one of his favourite spots and sing loudly for a minute or so. This singing fulfils two functions, firstly it is a signal to the sitting female that he has arrived and secondly he is singing to proclaim to any other Dippers that this is his territory. Yesterday when he arrived back, the female chose to leave the nest and immediately flew upstream, presumably to feed. What was different was that the male didn't follow her which he has done on most other occasions. He just remained sitting quietly, still on his boulder. As the minutes ticked by, again it was just 8 minutes to the second when she arrived back, splashing in to the water in front of the nest and climbing out on to a boulder. She dipped a few times, and then flew straight back to the nest, acrobatically and without pausing. Going in to the nest she always flies vertically from beneath. It is hard to report anything new during this period, but interestingly, the male seems to have stopped flying up to the nest to feed her now. He did this regularly when incubation first commenced but now she seems to go off to find food for herself.
02-APR-2011
2nd April the female wets a beech leaf from the nest.
Everything is safe and well at the Dippers nest today. The male visited the nest after catching some prey and the female is still leaving the nest to feed more regularly than you would imagine, at least once an hour. At one time she emerged from the nest with a beech leaf, dunked it in to the water and took it back to the nest. Natures way of ensuring the correct level of humidy in the nest no doubt. I am assuming that incubation started last Sunday or Monday it's day 7 or 8 of incubation now.
31st March
My observations today highlighted some slight changes in behaviour from both birds. The male spent the majority of the time that I was watching, perched on a boulder in midstream. When I had last been at the nest site two days ago, the male had been quite keen to visit the nest often, either to feed or to strengthen the pair bond, but today this didn't happen. He seemed content to wait for his mate to emerge and then accompany her when she went off to feed, which she did at least once every hour. On another occasion, first a Goosander and then a Heron arrived in front of the nest and this caused a degree of panic from both birds and with the arrival of the Heron, the female left the nest and both birds rapidly flew upstream quickly and away from the scene. There was also some disturbance from walkers and a barking dog in the adjacent wood. This certainly stressed the male who 'escaped" upstream by diving in to the water and swimming underwater upstream. I have read that Dippers sometimes escape predators by diving underwater and I am sure that this was an example of this and the first time that I have seen this behaviour. It wasn't long before the female returned to the nest as normal. Incubation is progressing nicely on the 6th day of incubation.
29-MAR-2011
29th March
I observed a couple of interesting pieces of behaviour this morning. The female is very quiet in everything she does and when she is the Dipper that I can see in front of me, I am quite certain that it is her by her quiet demeanour. This morning for example I saw her slip out of the nest and then fly up river. After a few minutes a bird returned and I knew immediately it was the male, he flew in calling very loudly as normal and then immediately started singing to proclaim his territory. A minute or two later she arrived back and very quietly started to look for prey, underwater of course. The male sat waiting for her, she flew to him and then they both flew off back up river together. I checked the time that she had been off her eggs, yesterday it was 8 minutes. It was around 8 minutes again when she flew back and very quietly slipped back in to the nest. I need to confirm this with many more observations over the next week or so, but it appears that the birds have an "internal clock" that instinctively dictates their behaviour to a strict timetable. Hence the male visits the female in the nest every 30 or 35 minutes. This morning I watched him fly up to her and make quite a noisy fuss as he communicated with her, hanging on to the nest with the majority of his body mass inside. Previously I had thought he was feeding her but I am 100% certain that he did not carry anything to the nest on this occasion. It's obviously just a way of confirming and strengthening the pair bond.
28-MAR-2011
28th March, a clutch of four eggs and incubation progresses.
The photo shows a close up of the males wing showing some wear and tear. The morning was spent trying to get better photographs of the Dippers flying up in to the nest. I am running out of ideas as to how I can improve now, it just isn't bright enough to get the shot that I am after. In the end, having spent most of the morning trying, I pretty much had to accept defeat and be grateful for what I am seeing and if I manage a decent photo, in-flight, then that's a bonus I suppose. I am learning a lot about breeding Dippers as you would expect and I hope that you (the reader) is learning something as well. It's been interesting to see the behaviour of both birds at this stage, the incubation. The male seems to be almost at a "lose end", sitting around waiting for something to happen, from time to time he goes off to find some food for himself and the female. When he returns to the nest site, I can hear him from quite a distance away, he always calls loudly (and musically) before he lands on one of the nearby boulders. I take this as a signal to the sitting female that he is nearby. After landing he will sing for a minute or two before flying up to the nest, only half entering, and hanging on as he gives the female his offering. Then out he will come after as long as it takes for her to take the food, flopping down in to the water and swimming to the nearby boulder. When he is in the nest he always makes that churring sibilant noise that I heard when they were first building and when they swopped over building duties. This is undoubtedly to get the female's attention so that she is ready to take food from him. It again seems that the male will bring food twice in around 70 minutes, almost like clockwork. However on two occasions as I watched this morning, the female left the nest, presumably to drink, find her own food and defecate. On the first occasion the male was unaware. She was away from the nest for 8 minutes. The second time the male accompanied her and they both flew upstream to feed. Interestingly both birds are prepared to fly several hundred yards away from the nest to feed rather than around the nest area although there does not appear to be a pattern to this feeding behaviour as the male is also quite content to feed in front of the nest. On the second occasion that she vacated the nest I quickly took the opportunity to check the size of the clutch. This is important to know for my BTO nest record card. As refered to previously I am collecting important data about dates of building, egg laying clutch size and the viabilty of the nest as part of the BTO's nest recording scheme, hence my reason for checking the nest. There will be no need for me to check the nest again until around the hatching date when the date of hatching will be recorded. Dippers are said to lay a clutch of four or five eggs, ours have four!
27-MAR-2011
27th March
Now that the female has started to incubate her clutch of eggs which takes 17 days, there is going to
a lengthy period when not much happening. The pattern of behaviour observed this morning is likely to be repeated daily and it's going to be a quiet period in the breeding cycle. This morning when I arrived I couldn't see any Dippers around the nest, I assumed that the female was in the nest and the male away finding food. AsI lay under cover watching a bird arrived, splashing in to the water and then swimming up to the rocks beneath the nest before flying up. It was silent as it entered the nest and I had the feeling that this was the female, this proved to be correct because the noisy male arrived a few minutes later, singing his call as he flew in and then breaking in to sing before he visited the nest, perhaps with food but I couldn't be sure. I have established that there is approximately 30 minutes between male feeding visits to the nest so it can get a little tedious as you wait with nothing going on. Sometimes the male sits nearby, singing away and preening before he flies up or down stream to find food. Twice this morning the female left the nest to find her own food, whether this means that she has not started to incubate properly yet I am not certain but as "sitting" progresses I will be able to see if this is normal behaviour.
26-MAR-2011
26th March Four eggs now.
I travelled to the River at around noon. As expected and hoped for, there was a Dipper by the nest when I got there. I slid under the cover without the bird which was the male, again as I expected, being none the wiser. I sat and watched him for a few minutes, he flew up to the nest carrying an insect. I am pretty sure that he was feeding the sitting female who by now should have been sitting on a nice clutch of 4 eggs. He was noisy as he delivered his morsel to her. Exactly 30 minutes later he was back to bring her more food which he did in the same noisy fashion. Then around 30 minutes later he flew up to her again and I could clearly see that he was carrying food still as he emerged again, this time he flew back down still with the insect. This intrigued me at first but then I saw the female feeding in the shallows just upstream. He obviously thought she was in the nest the same as I! After just a short while she went up in to the nest and he displayed to her as she went in leaving him alone again on the rock. Later on in the afternoon after I had watched the Wagtails further upstream I returned to watch again and saw her emerge again, both birds flew off upstream and I guessed that they would be away for at least a few minutes giving me the opportunity to check the nest and confirm that yes, she has got 4 eggs now. I quickly went back "under cover" and waited to see her return to the nest which she did, everything is going just perfectly.
24 March 2012 and eggs have arrived.
I said yesterday that I was 99% certain that egg laying had begun but didn't feel that it was safe to check. Their behaviour was so different than on any of my previous visits in the last 6 weeks. I have witnessed site selection and nest building and if all progresses then eggs were due any day now. I couldn't visit the site until this evening and when I arrived there was no sign whatsoever of either birds, even though I watched for 30 minutes or so. I decided to check the nest for eggs and am glad to report that it contained two. Knowing that eggs are laid in the morning on consecutive days I am certain that I was correct in yesterdays assessment. To me there is nothing more beautiful than a bird's egg, it is the epitome of everything that is special in nature. Knowing that a bird will only lay an egg when conditions are perfect makes it special to be able to share in the intimate parts of it's life. The last 5 weeks have been building to this moment and I am thrilled that she has started to lay her clutch, as expected. There is still a long way to go but things are progressing just as I hoped.
23-MAR-2011
23rd March, a change in behaviour
The male was mid-stream on his favourite boulder when I got there at around 8.30. I guessed that the female was in the nest and that was confirmed when after a few minutes he flew up to the nest, went in and then flopped back out after 10 seconds or so. Every 20 minutes this behaviour was repeated and on one occasion I actually saw the male catch something in the stream and take it up in to the nest. This confirmed what I had suspected, he was actually feeding the female in the nest. At 10.30, she left the nest and as far as I could tell she had been in there for two hours. I was never confident that I could check the nest without causing disturbance so I resisted the temptation to check for eggs but to be honest, I didn't feel I needed to look because I am 99% certain that she had laid this morning.
To summarise, it appears that the female has laid and the male is already in to the routine of standing guard over the nest while she sits, providing food for her on the nest. I wasn't sure how the male will behave once the clutch is laid, but his behaviour this morning would indicate that the female is going to incubate the clutch and the male will feed her.
21-MAR-2011
March 21st 2012 Female still lining the nest.
I noticed that the nest protrudes out from the bank and reaalised that I could buld a little cover amongst the brancches of a holly bush, not far from the nest and with a clear view of the comings and goings. I did a good job of building it and concealing it both from the Dippers below me and just as importantly from any walkers that might pass by on the path through the woodland adjacent. I made the front, the bit that the Dippers could see, from dead wood, leaves and fern fronds. It worked really well and reminded me of a machine gun emplacement in miniature. The rest of it was wrapped with old cam netting and then everything was disguised again with dead leaves grasses and ferns. I had to work really quickly while the birds were away from the site but the majority was completed from the inside, taking a leaf out of the Dippers book so to speak.Whe I got there this morning it wasn't long before the birds gave me the chance of a photograph (see below) but my 500 lens didn't capture the bird, the field of vision was not big enough to capture the action, the bird was throughthis field of vision in a fraction of time and all I got was either a head or a tail. I changed the lens to my 200 which meant that I could see more of the scene in front of me. I focused on the nest and set the camera to manual so that the focus was fixed and wouldn't "hunt". The ligt was taken caer of by using the manual setting because I knew that anything less than 1/2000 sec. wasn't quick enough to freeze the action. The ISO had to be set at 3200 to enable enough light in to the camera, hence the slightly un-natural and grainy look of the finished image. Then I waited again for the bird to arrive and as it flew up to the nest from the boulder below, I pressed the shutter and took 6 images in a second. Somewhere in the middle of this mini series of 6 was the photo, not perfect by a long shot, but getting there at last.
Yesterday the lack of Dippers at the nest had caused me just a tiny bit of concern, it had been such a departure from their behaviour on previous days. Imagine my delight therefore, when at 07.30 this morning, there they were on the rocks in front of me, they arrived from up river excitedly, the male singing his musical call and displaying to his mate who was carrying a beech leaf. The difference today though was that I was in a new position and looking from a different angle. I had been excited at the prospect of getting some good photos from here but the pictures that I finished up with today, exceeded all of my expectations.The female brought and deposited several leaves during the 4 hours that I was there, visiting about 6 times, far fewer than earlier in the week. She was always accompanied by the male but he has now stopped getting involved with building or lining the nest. Instead, standing guard beneath and at times singing loudly. Some interesting behaviour occurred from the male who, as he sat on the rocks beneath, eventually got tired of waiting and flew up to the nest to seemingly encourage the female to emerge. He did this on several occasions staying in the nest for only seconds. Both birds were around the nest territory, but not constantly, up until 1130. This is roughly the same pattern of behaviour that I witnessed last year. They appear to back to the habit of "domestics" in the morning and feeding in the afternoon. A quick check of the nest before I departed revealed no eggs yet. Having seen her with "nest-lining" leaves often this morning, I may re-assess my prediction of egg laying which I was expecting today or tomorrow.
20-MAR-2011
20th March
As soon as I got to the nest site this morning I could sense that something was different and that's the way it turned out. The nest is finished now, I sat there for an hour but without a visit from a Dipper! This is quite a departure from behaviour on previous days when they were building and almost constantly in front of me. I have to confess to some slight concern but having checked last years records, I note that the few days before the first egg was laid there was the same kind of behaviour. I crossed the river to check the nest for the first egg. This was not going to cause any disturbance because I had already ascertained that the pair were safe and well and feeding together, way up-stream, 500 yards away. The nest contained wet leaves giving me the impression that some had been added in the early morning before I had arrived, however there are no eggs yet. Fingers crossed that all is well and hopefully egg laying will begin very soon.
I went back in the late afternoon, anxious to confirm that everything was OK. I took up a position with a good clear view of the nest and the territory all around. It wasn't long before the male turned up, just as I had hoped and expected he would, but I was still relieved and pleased to see him. At this time of the day I have noticed that the male will patrol his territory, take up a position near to the nest and sing loudly, proclaiming his patch. He had read the script and turned up on cue!
19-MAR-2011
19th March
Today's session shows some interesting developments. Nest building is finished now and the final touches are being applied to the lining of the nest, (with beech leaves). When I first arrived today, I couldn't see any Dippers at first but it wasn't long before I had something to watch.
I took notes and I quote from them now:
"The male landed opposite and beneath the nest. He flew up stream and then the female arrived with a beech leaf and immediately took it up to the nest. The male returned quickly afterwards and then the female emerged from the nest to join him. The male sang a greeting to her and they both went back up in to the nest. The male was first to emerge and started to preen under the nest. He then flew to my side of the river and landed on the large boulder. He continued preening and singing. He then returned to the rocks immediately beneath the nest again. He sang loudly, the female left the nest and straight away flew up river, followed closely by the male. All through this the female had been in the nest, quite an extended period and the longest that I have observed so far since nest building began. The male was the first to return and he was quickly joined by the female who he displayed to as soon as she landed. She quickly flew up in to the nest and the male remained below but flew up to join her a little later, with excited chatter."
This was typical of the comings and goings this morning. But, the birds were away from the nest site for longer periods than the previous two weeks. Now that the nest is finished, priorities are changing. This is going to be a relaxed period for the male. He can now take it easy before the stressful job of providing food for his progeny begins. The next stage for the female is egg production followed by incubation.
It was a good session for other birds as well, a glorious pair of Goosnders were on the river close to the nest, previously I have only seen a female here. I also had a very close encounter with a treecreeper not to mention the Dipper from the next territory. All in all a great session.
18-MAR-2011
18th March
It's now the 16th or 17th day of nest building and the male has decided that his primary task is to defend his territory and keep watch over the female who I believe is a day or so away from egg laying. This morning, the female continued with the task of lining the nest using beech leaves, brought to the nest one at a time. The male very occasionally helped with a leaf or two, but spent the majority of his time sitting on a new "favourite" perch on my side of the river. Luckily this boulder is in perfect light for photography and consequently I was able to take some glorious photos of him. He seemed to encourage her in to the nest a couple of times, excitedly singing as he flew in before she flew in after him. I could then hear singing from inside the nest, again I suspect that mating took place inside the nest. I need to undertake some research in to this. As as yet I have not been able to find any information that this takes place. On another occasion the male went in to the nest without a leaf and then immediately flew out again with a leaf which he dropped in to the river. Quite why he did this we will never know. It's worth mentioning what a spectacle it is when the Dippers fly in with their brightly coloured leaves, the combinations of brown feathers, stunning white breast and almost golden brown leaves is a glorious sight. If you now study the photos of the nest you can see how much moss has been used, all carried in a few pieces at a time, an immense task and you can understand why it has taken 17 days so far. The male seems to be very alert to other alarm calls from birds in the nearby woodland. Not for the first time, this morning a Kingfisher flew up river calling loudly as they do. This was all too much for the male Dipper and he left very quickly in the other direction. I suspect that they are very vulnerable to hawk predation in the breeding season and their strategy is to leave nothing to chance. Sparrowhawk predation, or the threat of it might also explain why the Dippers are prone to fly way up river and feed hundreds of yards away from the nest. This area could be away from the Sparrowhawk territory. I know from my own observations that a Sparrowhawk regularly hunts close to the Dippers nest.
17-MAR-2011
17 March and the nest nears completion.
I am quite certain that nest building is in it's final stages now. Today, both birds, but mostly the female, and for the two hours that I watched, constantly brought dried beech leaves to the nest. Not once did they bring moss or grasses. As I mentioned yesterday, they seem to be quite accepting of my presence nearby, of course, I have tried to keep disturbance to a minimum and the ideal would be absolutely no disturbance whatsoever but it is impossible to get in to the hide without being seen. Today, as I was uncovering the entrance of the hide and being as quick as I could, both birds landed opposite with beech leaves in their beaks, obviously not perceiving me as a threat. The female went in to the nest as I stood there, not in the least bit concerned that I was visible and just opposite. I climbed in amongst the wood pile and started to watch them. The female, after she had contributed her leaves stayed in the nest, leaving the male resting on the rocks beneath. After several minutes, a much longer period than on previous days, she emerged, flopped in to the water and then joined the male who displayed to her with much wing fluttering and dipping. They both went off in different directions and came back after a short while with more leaves. This pattern was repeated with the male from time to time, taking leaves of his own in to the nest. The highlight of today's session was when the female came to an area just to the right of the woodpile and began gathering leaves. Before she flew back over to the nest she gave an amazing photo opportunity.
It's been interesting to be able to record that both birds have taken an equal share in nest building and again contrary to previous information, both birds have carried leaves to line the nest.
17-MAR-2011
17 March the male in flight
Because of the situation of the nest, tucked away on the dull side of the river and out of the sunlight, it's really difficult to attain a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action of the birds in flight but today I got about the best "in-flight" shot so far,
16-MAR-2011
16th March and beech leaves are being added.
It's now 2 weeks since I discovered the "new" Dippers nest, close to where they had built last year. I have watched the nest develop from a slight hollow recess on a vertical moss covered bank , in to a cosy structure of moss the size of a volley ball. I have no idea of the internal measurements but I am guessing that it is a warm well insulated, secure nest, now almost ready to receive a healthy clutch of eggs. If everything continues successfully, I am going to have the pleasure and privilege of watching parents bringing food to hungry chicks and then the fledging of healthy baby Dippers. Both birds, and this deserves recording as it is contrary to previous information that I have read, have taken an equal part in the construction of the nest. They have worked tirelessly for at least 4 hours each day and probably much more, that's a total of at least 48 hours work so far, carrying an endless and constant supply of nesting material to the nest. The nest has been formed from the inside with mostly moss but some leaves and dried grasses have also been utilised. This has been pushed and woven in to the existing structure as more material has been added from the inside. The entire structure spreads outward and around to form a ball with a small entrance hole at the front. This is held together by the sodden moss and the more material added the more compacted and secure it becomes. Made from the same moss that covers the entire bank, the structure is almost invisible and it's presence is only given away by the birds flying in and out. Today was a milestone, both birds brought mainly beech leaves to the nest to line the cup, this is the final stage of building and an indication that eggs will soon be laid. I also noted that the female spent some extended periods in the nest alone, not just the usual two or three minutes. The male is still "full of the joys of spring" and not only started to sing whilst on the wing but also sang loudly from inside the nest again, this time while the female was with him. I wonder if mating occurred on the nest?
I made an error of judgement today, I was caught out in the open as I prepared to come away. Both birds flew in to the boulder in front and carried on as they normally do as I stood there. I took this as a sign that they are accepting of my presence now and used to me being around as I come and go, as long as I do not get too close. It is worthy of note that the male flew aggressively towards a Grey Wagtail perched near him, this didn't develop in to a chase once the male Wagtail had moved on but it is the first time I have seen even an acknowledgement of this different species in the Dipper's territory.
15-MAR-2011
15 March the male bringing grass to the nest.
A wet and misty day made it hard to get photos today but from a log pile opposite the nest, I watched the pair who are still bringing material, the male taking as much responsibility in nest building as the female. There is nothing different to report except I did hear the male actually singing from inside the nest. He's obviously in a high state of breeding condition. Again, they were displaying to each other but not with the same intensity as the day before, perhaps the miserable dull day just literally "damped" things down a bit. At one point, the male brought a very large stem of dried grass complete with roots. Instinctively it was still dunked and thoroughly soaked before it was taken up in to the nest. I watched the male arrive at the nest with a crash landing in to the water just in front of the favourite boulder and then swim up to it before climbing out. This was repeated several times. Each time the birds swopped over, the vacating bird would invariably flop in to the water before swimming back to the boulder before deciding in which direction to fly, sometimes over to me, too close to photograph, but mostly down river. Sometimes they would spend 5 minutes or so collecting nesting material, arriving back again with a full beak. On other occasions they would be away for 20 minutes or so, obviously feeding.
14-MAR-2011
14th March
I enjoyed my session today, there is a big change in atmosphere at the nest. Firstly both birds are spending time in the nest together now, I am presuming that it is approaching completion. It seems that their bond has really strengthened now and each time they met up again, even if only separated for just a minute or two, there was a greeting display from both birds and the female also offered herself to be mated on a couple of occasions. Displaying by the female involved stretching up to her full height with much neck stretching and pointing of her beak upwards, followed by crouching with the wings dropped and rapid quivering. The male on the other hand calls musically, also with dropped wings and the sibilant greeting heard in the nest is also used. I have't seen mating yet. Specifically today, both birds brought nesting material to the nest, a mixture of moss and grasses but as yet I haven't seen beech and oak leaves being brought this year. They spent far less time on nest building today while I was there. They had both vacated for their favourite feeding area up river by midday. Later on the male returned to a rock in front of the nest just to sing his territorial song, 10 minutes later after the usual good stretch and after a long preening session and a full rendition of his song, twice over, he flew back up river and by 3.30 they still hadn't returned. Pretty much the same as last year.
13-MAR-2011
March 13th 2012
Not too much to report today, around 10 days in to nest building. Both birds were carrying on as previous days with each bird spending time in the nest but never remaining in there together. Nesting material consisted mainly of moss and I have not seen too much evidence of leaf carrying as yet. Nests are said to be lined with oak leaves or beech and last year I saw leaves being carried, a few days before the first egg was laid, both birds brought leaves to the nest. I am therefore assuming that we still have several more days of building before completion and the arrival of eggs.
I managed to take up a prone position under a cam net at water level and it gave me a different angle of the nest and the favourite boulder. The birds were again oblivious of me and carried on unconcerned. I managed to get some better shots of the birds in flight and there has been an improvement which is good. At one point a Kingfisher arrived near the nest and perched tantalisingly close to me, I didn't have the camera assembled so couldn't get a picture. It is the first time this year that a Kingfisher has landed nearby. When it had moved on and before I left, I went to see if there was a hole and a Kingfisher nest, that would have been too much to hope for, so no!
13-Mar-2011
13 march the male leaving the nest.
My efforts to capture photos of the birds in flight continued on the 13 March. This shot shows the male shooting out of the nest.
12-MAR-2011
12th March and nest building continues.
I could't visit the Dipper site yesterday so consequently I was anxious to check that everything was OK this morning. Both birds were present in front of the nest which is now a classic feat of avian engineering, a ball of moss that would be impossible to see if you didn't know it was there. Some leaves were being carried now, the finishing touches to the nest. Moss is still being brought but when one of the pair is in the nest it's impossible to see the occupant. The birds are still using a favourite boulder to land on both before they enter and when they leave. At one point the female was preening, perched on this boulder, we both heard the male flying down the river, calling as he flew. The female reacted by adopting a low posture as though she was going to be mated, he landed and performed a wing fluttering display and then flew up to the nest.
10-MAR-2011
The nest on 10th March
I didn't visit until after 4 today and I wasn't expecting to see the birds at the nest. So much for my theory that they don't get involved in nest building in the latter part of the day. I could see both birds just sitting quietly on the rocks in front of the nest, the first time that I have observed them just sitting. It was interesting to see such a dramatic change of mood around the nest. It was quiet and calm. I managed to squeeze in to the hide by sliding feet first on my back and without showing a profile above the bank. I was pleased to see that they were not in the slightest bit disturbed by my arrival, they hadn't seen me and were completely unaware of my presence. This meant that I could start recording their behaviour immediately. There wasn't a great deal to record but that in itself became the thing of note. Interestingly both birds swopped over in the usual way but the dramatic difference today was that they didn't always carry nesting material with them when they came and went. Once inside the nest I could hardly see the birds because the external structure is now a complete ball with just a smallish entrance hole. There was a definite calming of intensity with birds carrying material to the nest but not in the frantic way of previous days. The nest seems to be nearing completion now and it's going to be interesting to see for how long they continue adding the final touches. As I watched one of the pair in the nest I couldn't help admire the perfection of it. When I built the hide opposite I had disguised it with leaves and moss, hoping that it would be undiscovered. The Dippers had done exactly the same thing, building a camouflaged nest disguised with moss and leaves, albeit instinctively but in a way, the end result was the same. Because of that, I felt some kind of real connection with the birds today. It's going to be difficult to assess the commencement of egg laying. I will not want to cause any disturbance whatsoever so I will not be investigating the nest. I am developing a real fondness for this pair of birds that have given me so much pleasure already and I feel a real sense of responsibility for their welfare.
09-Mar-2011
Dipper with a Salmon Par
It turned out to be a very special session today. I didn't get there too early because the light is so hard to deal with first thing and I was quite confident that the Dippers would be carrying on with their building. The nest isn't finished yet, there is lots to do. I managed to get in to the hide with no disturbance whatsoever and as I put everything together, the camera on the tripod and then attached the camera to the lens, I could see both birds in front of me, coming and going just as before. The morning progressed nicely with the nest really taking shape now and turning in to a ball of moss protruding from the hollow and almost finished. There is a a small entrance hole now and it is impossible to see inside. It's been quite incredible too see it develop over the last week from a little hollow in the bank that didn't seem as though it was possible to support a nest, to this structure now that is going to be just perfection. It blends in to the surrounding moss bank perfectly and it would be impossible to see if you didn't know it was there. When you consider that instinct is involved in the building of this nest, then you have to marvel at the way that it has taken shape. Perhaps this may be the first nest that this pair has built, how incredible is that? It is certainly a different female than last year who I would recognise by damage to the eye of that bird.
The birds came and went as usual with one leaving as soon as the other arrived. At one point I am quite sure that a 'rogue' male came in to the immediate vicinity of the nest and joined the resident female while the male was away, a few minutes later there was a few exciting minutes when "our" male flew up river in pursuit off the intruding bird, he was calling loudly as he drove the trespasser out of the patch. The female finished off what she was up to inside the nest and then joined in the chase as though she needed to find out what was going on, almost an after thought. The real excitement occurred when the male went off to feed and I watched him emerge with a real catch. He swam to a mid-stream boulder with a fish which turned out to be a Salmon Par, I could hardly believe my eyes. It was the size of a small minnow and even a Kingfisher would have considered this to be a decent trophy and for a bird usually content with small insects, a real prize. He had it firmly held by the dorsal fin and then, once out of the water proceeded to beat it to death in just the way that a Kingfisher would. Eventually and after several minutes he managed to get it down. He stood quietly for a few minutes while it settled in to his stomach and eventually he carried on as normal. The fish was comparatively large for such a small bird and proof that live fish are definitely on the menu, quite a revelation. The birds came and went, working on the nest until way after 13.00. There is lots to do before eggs are laid.
08-Mar-2011
8th March
Nest building continued today, Thursday 8th March, one week on from first discovering this nest site. I arrived at around 10 this morning and both birds took an equal part, building until just after 1.00. There was nothing different about today, mostly moss and the occasional piece of grass were brought. Moss is gathered from boulders high and dry or sphagnum moss from the dry bank. The male seems to have a preference for sphagnum, the female gathering mostly aquatic moss. At one point the male responded to an alarm call from the adjacent woods, he left the nest and perched on the rocks beneath and then sounded a musical call of warning to his mate and they both departed. I suspected that there was a Sparrowhawk nearby, I looked around but couldn't see it for myself. I undertook a count of visits to the nest for an hour between 1120-1220 both birds between them visited, with nesting material 17 times. A pattern of leaving the nest seems to be developing, as soon as one of the pair arrives, the other bird immediately flops in to the water beneath the nest and then swims down stream to a nearby rock before flying off to gather more material. On some occasions the male would instead, fly upstream returning quite a while later.
07-MAR-2011
7th March nest building continues.
Watching the Dippers today made me realise how fundamental their requirements are. A good habitat of fast flowing, clean clear water that can sustain enough prey for them to find easily and with little effort is fundamental to successful breeding. A female Dipper needs to have built up enough energy reserves to produce a clutch of 4 or 5 eggs with a combined weight of approximately 23 grams, a third of her body weight. For the female who, while the eggs are developing expends a considerable amount of energy on nest building rather than finding food, it is vitally important that she can find prey quickly and in quantity. Nest sites are important. Safety and seclusion are the prime requirements. Being a species that spends it's entire life in or close to the water they utilise the safety of water as a strategy when nesting. Nests are invariably over water or alongside it. I had first hand experience today of how important seclusion is and I am guessing that this is as important as the other two factors already discussed. The pair that I am studying have a large territory, a stretch of river at least 600 metres long and the reason that they have chosen to nest in this particular spot is because it is about as far from human interference as it could be. In my 75 or more hours of watching this spot I have not even once seen another person. This means that they can get on with feeding and building unhindered with the absolute minimum of interference. I arrived at the site way past 11 because of a rainy start to the morning. It was virtually impossible to tuck myself under cover without being seen. After that, as I sat and waited, it was more than 25 minutes before they returned to carry on with nest building. It is not not satisfactory nor acceptable for me to disturb them in this way and I need to find a way to get in to the hide without being seen. Imagine how impossible it would be to successfully breed close to a well used path for example.
Once building had resumed it pretty much went on as before. For example they had finished and departed at roughly the same time as yesterday, around 12.45. The male was the first to start after a little song from the rock opposite. During the session, a Mallard swam up the current and was in front of the nest just inches away. They took real exception to this and perched opposite, both with a beak full, waiting for the duck to move away. The nest is now suddenly taking shape and starting to extend outwards. I can see that it will eventually form a ball that will be closed off gradually, leaving an entrance hole in the front, making it, no doubt even more camouflaged.
I went back to the site after 4 this afternoon and to my utter surprise both birds turned up. They were back at the nest and continuing with building. Not with the same intensity as the morning sessions and it appeared to be the male who was taking the lead. There had been noticeable progress on the nest since this morning so my guess is that they have been working on it through the afternoon. This is a dramatic change in behaviour. It's the first time that I have observed any nest building in the afternoon or early evening.
06-MAR-2012
6 March the female starts to take over the building
My observations continued at the Dipper nest today. Building continued unabated and with zeal by both birds. I watched from just after 9 until 12.40 and for that entire period they mostly took it in turns with the female perhaps doing the lions share. Yesterday, moss was almost entirely used but today a variety of materials included leaves and grasses and even a dead fern frond. Without exception every beak full was dunked and thoroughly soaked before being taken up to the nest, obviously an in-bred instinctive behaviour. The male was more likely to take a feeding break, which he did on several occasions but the female only once. Food seemed incredibly easy to come by and I watched the male successfully find prey on every underwater foray which took just a few minutes. The sibilant noise that accompanied every arrival at the nest, particularly by the male, was hardly made today particularly as the session went on. The method of building involved much poking and pecking and the new material was woven and pushed in to the existing fabric of the nest. Only one bird at a time would work on the nest with each bird usually remaining at work until it was relieved by it's mate. When exiting the nest both birds flopped in to the water in the same manner and swam with the current to a favourite rock in the stream. They would then decide in which direction to fly to gather more material. On returning to the nest they would arrive in flight to the same rock after first wetting the beak full of material before flying up to the nest to relieve their mate. On some occasions the delivering bird would immediately leave with a full beak knowing that there was not room for both birds to work at the same time. This seemed to be cognitive behaviour. All nest building came to a sudden end at around 12.40, pretty much exactly the same time as yesterday and like yesterday, the male perched on a boulder and sang to proclaim his territory. By 1.00 both birds had departed the nest area.
05-MAR-2012
5 March, nest building continues.
When I arrived at 9.30 this morning, I tried not to disturb the bird that I could see frantically working inside the, as yet, hollow nest opposite. I was successful and slipped in unnoticed and she carried on untroubled. The male came along just a few minutes later and started to sing before he joined her in the nest. I made a guess that he had just arrived at the nest site for the first time as he didn't sing like that for the next three hours, but more about that at the end of this piece. At the moment the nest is starting to look more rounded and it seems to be fully lined now, however there are still days and days of building to be done. I have read that nest building can take as long as 3 weeks, if so this would put us on around the same time frame as last year when the first egg was laid on the 26th March. There was lots of noisy chattering when he joined her with that churring, bubbling sound. This noise is quite audible above the noise of tumbling water and seems to be associated with nest building. I said previously that this was a greeting but I am certain now that it is a sound used whenever they enter the nest, perhaps later when chicks are in the nest it is a greeting to them? It was interesting to note that the male is more vocal and made the noise even when he entered the nest alone and while the female was absent. It certainly drew my attention to the nest which is odd because in every other respect they are very cautious. Nest building went on for just about three hours, both birds fetching and carrying material and they would take it in turns to be up in the nest. Sometimes one bird would arrive at the nest and the other would immediately depart but mostly the female would wait on rocks beneath the nest for her mate to finish before she flew up. Every beak full of moss was thoroughly dunked in the river and completely soaked before it was used. This may make it easier to manipulate in to the existing structure. I watched this wetting of nesting material continually last year so it is an obvious ritual that is always carried out. Building material was mainly moss, either gathered from the dry bank or wet rocks. On two occasions, grasses and leaves were brought back. Both birds took part in building today but the male, at one point was seen to start feeding for 20 minutes or so before carrying on with building duties. I didn't see the female take this kind of feeding break. At the end of the session there was a dramatic change in the demeanour of both birds which signalled an end to this particular part of their daily routine. The male had already left and gone down stream to patrol his territory. After a few minutes he came back and called musically. The female, with much excitement left the nest and started to dip and bob, which she hadn't done in the previous three hours. She responded to the males presence with wing fluttering and dipping and I thought that copulation might take place. They both hurriedly departed together and in the same direction upstream presumably to feed in the area where they seem to spend the later part of the day, 300 hundred meters or more from the nest. It was more than obvious that they had stopped for the day as their behaviour was so dramatically different from the previous three hours.
04-MAR-2012
4 March and nest building continues.
It was wet and very dreary this morning so I delayed my visit until just after 10, I didn't think this would be too much of a problem though because yesterday I had not seen the birds at the nest until after 1030. When I got to the river I attempted to get in to the hide without any disturbance . This almost worked but I immediately saw a Dipper slide out of the nest and quietly slip away downstream. It had probably seen me but I can't be sure. It was 20 minutes before either bird returned which makes me think that was the case. Both birds arrived together, first they flew to the rocks in the water below the nest and then one, probably the female flew up to the nest. They were noisy enough to herald their arrival and I heard them coming even before they had landed. After a very short while, twenty seconds or so, the male joined her in the nest and I heard the new greeting sound that I had heard yesterday for the first time. Strange that you can see a bird hundreds of times and then hear something totally new. I will make an attempt to record this sound which is very interesting. At first both birds went to and fro from the nest in turn but after a while it seemed that the male missed his turn. He visited less and less until he stopped building and started to feed. The male had been collecting sphagnum moss from the high dry bank sides, he then flew to the rocks near to me and made more than a casual effort to wet the moss before flying back to the nest. At one point, instead of flying over to the nest side of the river, he entered the water with a full beak of wet moss and swam back instead. The nest is already taking shape and looks more circular than yesterday. With the male upstream, feeding and the female away from the nest gathering moss, I left as quickly as I could without any disturbance.
I returned at 5 for the last hour of light. I am trying to discover if the birds have any association close to the nest at this time of the day. At around the same time, the male arrived opposite the nest and sang a short song before he moved to a near perch to repeat his song, then after a while returned in the opposite direction and repeated the process. The presence of the male on two consecutive evenings at the same time and acting in the same way, is hardly scientific but perhaps indicates that the male was patrolling his territory before he went to roost. I am starting to gain an understanding of patterns of behaviour during the day. It seems that first thing in the morning they feed for the first few hours and then afterwards spend a couple of hours nest building. Then for the rest of the day they are off feeding again until dusk.
3rd March and I find the new nest.
I was excited as I made my way to the river quite early this morning. Yesterday I had put up a screen hide between an old oak tree and a small holy bush. From this hide I had a clear view of the opposite bank and the "potential" new Dipper nest. I just knew that today was going to be great so when I arrived and there was no Dipper where I expected one to be I have to confess to being perplexed. Never take anything for granted with birds, it rarely works out the way you expect and frustration is the norm. The minutes ticked by…… total silence, eventually it was gone 10 and with every minute I felt more despair and disappointment. It even went through my head to call an end to it but having spent more than 40 hours just this week trying to solve the "where are they nesting" riddle, that would have been stupid. Then, the male Dipper flew down to me, perched on a nearby rock, sang a little song and left back up to where he had come from. What was that all about I thought? He had seemingly ignored the nest and now he had gone again. This only added to my frustration and now despair had certainly set in.
Then suddenly and with excruciating tension, there he was again, right in front of me with a beak full of moss and then…….. up he flew to "the nest." I had found it! It had been right there in front of me all along and I couldn't see it for looking, what absolutely brilliant camouflage. Then within seconds the female joined him in the hollow cavity, because that's all it was at the moment. They made an odd chuckling and bubbling sound as they greeted each other. They both came and went from the nest repeatedly for the next hour and a half, the male mostly gathering moss from the bank side and the female flying off up stream to get hers. They took it in turns to weave the moss in to the structure being formed. Sometimes they would be there in the hollow together but never for long, the male tumbling in to the water head first as he departed the female flying off up stream. Each time they swopped there was this excited new greeting sound that I hadn't heard before. There was a degree of almost aggression from the male who was obviously the boss and he bullied her into leaving whenever he arrived. On one occasion she made two attempts to add her moss but he refused to leave until his had been woven in to his satisfaction. All in all it had turned in to a pretty special morning. The male seemed to want to dunk his moss in to the water and get it thoroughly wet before he delivered it, I don't know if the female was doing this, she collected hers from further afield. I observed this behaviour last year when they were finishing off the nest. Some other interesting behaviour occurred when they reacted to a threat, real or imaginary I don't know. They both departed the nest with real urgency and fled the scene in total opposite directions, flying very low, silently and extremely quickly. I have often read that male Dipper do not help in nest building, this is obviously poor information and not accurate, I watched both pairs taking an equal part. It's obvious that over the next few weeks I am going to be able to add lots more information and as I hoped, it's all going to be very exciting.
The downside of this, if there is one, is the very difficult light that I am having to deal with so after leaving them to it at lunchtime, I went back late evening to see if it would be better then. I didn't expect to see nest building, as mentioned before, I have never seen building activity in the afternoon and evening, an interesting fact in itself. I was perhaps hoping to see if the birds chose to roost near the nest. This seemed to be the case because just before dusk the male turned up and sang to proclaim his territory. Going back to the first appearance of the male in the morning. It seems that he had flown to the nest area to check if the coast was clear so to speak, returning later with the female when they were certain that it was safe to do so.
02-MAR-2012
Where's the nest.
Continuing on from yesterday, I returned to take up my position by the new nest site. It made sense to approach from another direction and I was interested to immediately see a Dipper on the stepping stones that I was about to cross. It flew in the opposite direction and I suspect that this was a bird from a different territory and not my breeding pair. I arrived up river at the spot where all the activity was yesterday and immediately saw that the female was perched just beneath the makeshift hide that I had put up before I left. It soon became obvious that the area that they were interested in was just below me because several times a bird came and went with nesting material. I was not learning anything though and that was the idea of today's session. I was trying to find out exactly where the nest was. When I thought it was safe to do so, I left the scene taking my gear with me. I had been studying the opposite bank while I sat there and came to the conclusion that I would have a better view of what was happening from the other side. Off I went and half an hour later, I was covered up in camo gear and watching, now from the opposite bank. I have noticed, both this year and last, that all nest building activity seems to take place in the earlier part of the day and in all my watching I have yet to see any building activity after 1pm and it was now way past midday. I was pleased therefore when at 12.38, the male noisily arrived singing and chirpy with a beak full of moss. I watched him intently and with the excitement that comes with real interest. I thought my question was going to be answered as he flew to the rock just beneath where I had been sat earlier. I expected him to give up his secret but then, frustratingly and inexplicably, he flew back up stream without depositing his building material. I won't tell you what my reaction was but just lets say, I cursed! Then, probably because of their habit of feeding way up stream in the afternoon, as I have already explained, that was the last sight I had of Dippers today even thoughI remained for another 3 hours.
01-MAR-2012
1st March and a new nest site.
I managed to get the answer to some questions today. I have spent the last 5 days sat in the hide trying to work out exactly what the Dippers are up to. So after another couple of hours, and with no sign of Dippers it was starting to look obvious that the nest was not going to be used this year. I decided that some proactive action needed to be taken. I had my suspicions as to where they may be nesting now so I made my way to the spot, just 100 yards or so down stream. I immediately saw a Dipper on the rocks where I had seen it numerous times before. Taking cover behind a tree I watched as it collected nesting material and flew in to the bank on my side of the river and hidden beneath me. It wasn't long before it re-appeared on the rocks again and repeated the process, this time joined by it's mate who also filled it's beak with moss and followed the other bird. They were obviously building. I quickly retreated without disturbing them and made my way back to the car to get some camo material. 30 minutes later and back at the new site I quickly sat down and covered myself with the cam material and leaves. This worked well and I watched both birds coming and going with nesting material for about half an hour. I had some real issues with my camera, it was very misty when I arrived and the damp air had misted the front of the lens making any photos taken useless until I had sorted it out. Eventually I managed to get it clear and took a few photos. The light here is superb with the wood thinning out and allowing more light on to the scene. I am really confident that I am going to get some really great photos here and also carry on with my study. Incidentally I deliberately kept away from the nest not wanting to take any risks whatsoever.
29-FEB-2012
29 February and the Grey Wagtails take over the nest.
It's Wednesday 29th Feb, an unusual day, but glorious. Clear air, clear skies and a nice feel about spring with the sun shining and the dampness of early morning. Light-wise this is a perfect day and the sun illuminated the scene in front of me beautifully.The Dippers are really foxing me though, early on there were no signs whatsoever and even on a walk down stream I couldn't find them…. a total mystery and I am beginning to doubt that they are going to use this nest. I have't seen them going in for two days now and then just the male who was, as you may remember surprised to find the male Grey Wagtail there. Dipper territories can be large, I was hopeful that they would suddenly "fly in" which is often the case.
The Grey Wagtails are very interesting though. I saw them up in the nest several times and the way it happened needs some mention. The male was calling loudly and displaying up and down the river doing a little parachute flutter as he landed on various prominent boulders until after a few minutes the female showed up. That was his cue and he immediately flew to the "Dipper"nest and started to call to her. She didn't respond however and they both then moved out of the territory. Then a few minutes later he returned and perched on to roots that are growing around the nest (see photo) and continued to call to her.
The Dippers put in an appearance at midday, one flying up river strongly and then the other, probably the female, was feeding not too far down stream but she eventually flew in the direction of the male. They both avoided the nest!
28-FEB-2012
28 February 2012
The 28th of February was an odd day. it was miserably overcast but unusually warm for the time of year. I toyed with the idea off giving it a miss today but I was anxious to try and work out what's going on at the nest. It was another earlier start for me and I was at the site by 8.30. A Dipper flew upstream at 8.38 calling loudly and at 8.57 it flew down again quickly, again calling loudly. I have seen this behaviour before when the male seems to patrol his territory, always calling as he flies by. I can't explain why, but I had a pessimistic vibe about today, I feared that they are nesting elsewhere after seeing the female collecting moss from just in front of me yesterday and then flying away down stream with it and then later seeing her with an empty beak? Lots of questions still to be answered. The usual format is silence and no activity followed by the sudden arrival of the birds so there is always hope. I did have a close encounter with the male Dipper in the afternoon, but neither the male or female came to the nest today. The Grey Wagtails both turned up at the nest though, and the male proceeded to carry nesting material in to the area of the Dipper nest, building has begun. I am not sure whether the Wagtails have put the Dippers off using last years nest. I am yet to discover if that proves to be the case, if it does I will have some interest in the form of breeding Wagtails at least. They are a nice species and I will make the most of this opportunity to get to know them better.
27-FEB-2012
27 February and the Wagtails in the Dipper nest.
My early start paid real dividends this morning and by 9.05 I had enjoyed all the protagonists at the nest site including my first fly-by Kingfisher since I started this project, I had been wondering why I hadn't seen one yet. The most interesting occurrence of the day was the arrival of the male dipper who landed on his favoured boulder as normal. What he didn't know was that the Grey Wagtail male was up in the nest. He quickly exited the nest followed by the Wagtail. I wouldn't say that there was conflict at all, just a surprise for the Dipper. It wasn't long before he returned and then he was joined by the female and he displayed to her (see photo) as she landed.
There was lots of activity from a pair of Grey Wagtails, and their breeding activity is really ramping up and they seem to be constantly chasing and displaying. As yet I haven't seen them carrying any nesting material, but I am certain that will happen very soon. At the end of the morning the female Diper arrived and immediately began to pluck moss from the favourite boulder. I expected her to take it up to the nest but oddly she flew downstream with it. Very strange behaviour, either thee is another nest or this is a distraction/devensive ploy. I hope the later is the case. It would be odd I am sure if they were both coming and going to this nest but building another nest nearby. I am sure that I will find out sooner or later.
27-FEB-2012
Finally one of the pair, or even a third Dipper arrived on the waterfall and I managed a flight shot at last. A bit more work needed.
26-FEB-2012
26th February and Grey Wagtails in the Dipper nest?
It was about 8.45 when I walked to the hide. As I approached, but not quite there, I disturbed one Dipper, and then a second, this one carrying nesting material. They both flew down stream and I expected them both, in time, to make there way back to the nest site. I set up a remote camera, I was excited to see how that worked out. At 9.36 Some really interesting behaviour happened, not with Dippers but Grey Wagtail. I am pretty sure that they are also contemplating the Dipper nest site as well. The male Grey Wagtail investigated the under the bank where the Dipper nest is. There was lots of calling and a lovely display flight to the female who also appeared, close to the hide. Then the male perched very close to me, only a foot or so away, investigating the roots of the tree that I was sat by. They are definitely searching for a suitable nest site. It would be good if they chose to breed here as well. Very early in the morning, even though we have a great sunny day, the light is too dull for decent photographs, as the sun continued to climb in the sky it had brightened considerably.
The Grey Wagtail continued to sing and display which was something to watch at least and then the female joined the male up inside the overhang. Quite what would be the outcome if the wagtails took over the Dipper nest I don't know? There was till no Dippers at 10.00 but the Wagtail sang constantly and very close by. He was certainly responding to the sunny day and feels that spring has arrived I am sure.
6 minutes later the male Dipper eventually turned up on the waterfall and started to sing away. He then flew immediately to the favoured boulder in front of the nest and carried on his tune! A knowing glance up to the nest and then he moved off walking down stream only to fly back up and past me and the waterfall to land just beneath me but out of sight. At that point, still no female but later she arrived on the waterfall and started to feed giving tremendous views of her. It was interesting to see that, even though I couldn't see him, I knew that the male had joined her. Her demeanour changed and she looked excitedly for nesting material. This activity seemed to be stimulated by the male's singing. She flew over to the boulder, by now the male had gone in to the nest but she flew off quickly down stream. This surprised me but to my recollection, I have not seen both in the nest at the same time, both this year and last. This probably explains why she left. All in all it was a pretty special session.
26-Feb-2012
He has a look up towards the nest before flying up.
24-FEB-2012
24 February 2012
I was set up today by 9.40, a little later than I would have preferred. It was quiet with no sign of Dippers! The weather was bright with clear sky and scattered clouds, it was unusually warm for the time of year. The water level has dropped slightly and returned to normal, important because some of yesterday's submerged boulders were now exposed again. These boulders make ideal perches for Dippers and Wagtails. I had seen a pair of Grey Wagtails on the walk down and now other birds were singing loudly around the hide. It is almost spring after all. 20 minutes or so later and a pair of Goosanders flew upstream and past the hide giving me extremely close views of this interesting fish-eating duck. They are known as sawbills because of the serrated edges to the bill which enables them to hold on to their slippery fish prey. They are reviled by game anglers because of their preferences for the same kinds of habitat and water that is also preferred by Salmon and Trout so you can guess the conflict issues that arise. When Goosanders flew past me last week in the same manner they eventually made their way back to me in front of the hide but unfortunately I wasn't able to picture them. I am hoping this isn't going to be the case today. At 10.24, still no Dipper which is quite normal. The time had moved on to 11.27 and at last I had a Dipper in my sights. Not actually with me yet but about 200 metres down stream. This usually means that it would make it's way up to this favourite area of river........ and hopefully the nest site! When it did, I was ready, the light had improved a little. I could actually see the bird feeding now. It had just flown from it's bank side perch and flopped in to the water to feed in the usual fashion. I could only see one but just lately they are never too far from each other. It was much closer now sitting on a favoured midstream boulder and dealing with something it had just found. At 11.35 I have lost sight of it........ but there it was again now even closer........ just as expected.
I stopped writing at that point because It was starting to get interesting. Suddenly the one was joined by his/her mate and then the male flew on to the branch below. He spent a few minutes nonchalantly preening and trying to make out that he wasn't interested. Then after several minutes the female suddenly came in to view very close behind with a beak full of nesting material. They then both flew to the boulder even nearer to me and then she was up in to the nest to deposit the nesting material. He immediately left the nest site and she disappeared yet again without me seeing her leave. A few minutes later a Dipper flew from upstream and back down river, probably to join up with it's mate. What a thrill, nest building, which is said to take up to three weeks to complete, is going well. I have no idea if this is earlier than last year. In 2011 the first eggs was laid on March 26, a month off yet. As usual when I left in the early PM, they were both way up river, away from the nest. In the meantime I saw the female carrying nesting material but she didn't bring it to this nest, is this just a defensive ploy to confuse watching predators?
24-Feb-2012
Keeping watch over the nest.
24-Feb-2012
Preening
A ploy to distract predators from the nest.
24-Feb-2012
The male greets his mate.
As the breeding season gets under way in ernest, I am hoping to film more of this wing fluttering posture.
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.
17 April
After a weekend away from Devon, I visited the Dipper nest late in the evening to check on progress. I saw both birds down stream 50 yards or so away and knowing that it was safe to check, had a look to see if any eggs had been laid yet, glad to report that the nest contained 1 egg.
14-APR-2011
14th April
The building and completion of the new nest was continuing today with both birds present. The female was seen carrying her usual beech lives which she dipped in the river. This is interesting behaviour. Both birds seemed more wary than usual and when they flew upstream with some purpose, I took this as a sign that they sensed my presence and I moved away from the nest.
13-APR-2011
13 April
Glad to report that the Dippers are back to nest building to replace their previously predated clutch of chicks. I watched the female carrying nesting material, mainly beech leaves which are used to line the bowl. She was back to the "walk-up', that is to say, landing 20 feet down stream and then making her way carefully back to the nest site. All the time, pausing to check for safety before arriving on the boulder just beneath the nest. This all took place in the morning, afternoons seem to be reserved for feeding because I haven't seen any nest building other than whatsoever but always see them well away from the nest area and feeding avidly.
12-APR-2011
12 April
There was signs of activity at the nest today when I went to check. it's just a week since the eggs were taken by a predator. The nest has been re-lined with beech leaves. One of the birds was sat beneath the nest, tucked under the bank. Later in the afternoon, I saw both both birds together, about 400 mtrs or more from the nest site and feeding in the now shallow fast flowing and clear river.
05-APR-2011
5 April
What a disappointment at the Dippers nest this afternoon. I arrived at the site full of hope but with a bit of fear that whatever had predated the nest on Friday had been back. I jumped down the bank to take a quick peak in the nest, but I didn't need to. My worst fears were confirmed, there on the ground, just in front of the nest, was a smashed egg. I hardly needed to look inside the nest but I did, no eggs left and wet with yolk! Whatever had taken the eggs had made a terrible mess. I feared the worst, Had the........ whatever it was, taken the sitting female? There was no sign of them and I hadn't seen them on the walk up. At the time I had thought that was a good sign. Well as you can see from the picture, they are both safe and on the way back I watched them feeding. They were about as far from the broken nest that they could get. I am not 100% certain that it was my breeding pair but an educated guess would say it was.
05-APR-2011
Broken egg
One of the eggs lies broken on the ground where it was left by the predator, the remains of yolk still showing. Nature can be cruel but I honestly suspected that the nest was not the best structure that i had seen.
3rd of April
I left it until late evening today to visit the nest. It was a nice evening after a heavy April shower. I approached the nest area with the usual walk down the river and was optimistic when I didn't see any Dippers at all. At the nest location, I paused......... still no Dippers, this was either a great sign or a disaster. After a bit of thought, and with no Dippers in sight, I thought it was safe to hop down to the nest to check. To my utter joy, there was now two warm eggs......... she has started incubating and it seems that the earlier disaster and predation has not been utterly damaging!
2nd April
I can't begin to describe how disappointed I was yesterday. When I went to check on the nest for further eggs, the nest was empty! Something has predated the nest, not an egg collector because there was the residue of yolk in the nest. I'm thinking perhaps the stoat or even the Heron that was lurking in front of the nest the other day. We'll never know what but it's very disappointing. The birds were still in the territory about a hundred metres up river, carrying on as normal. I couldn't wait for today to dawn so that I could return to see if she had laid again and I am glad to report that she has laid another egg, so-far-so-good today, but that's not to say that it won't be predated again......... fingers crossed!
31 March
Yesterday, and on the 29th I had visited the nest site in the afternoon, one thing is for sure, there is very little activity around the nest site and in the nest at this time of day and I didn't see the birds in that area at all on those visits. I was beginning to worry that they had deserted this nest?. It appears that most "domestic" activity takes place in the morning, at least that is the case with this pair. Today, even thought the weather was still not really suitable, it was wet and overcast. I felt I must visit in the morning just to reassure myself that everything was progressing as it should be. As soon as I approached the nest I saw one of the pair sat in front of the nest site, a big relief. He or she left and I quickly took up a position in front with a good view, but camouflaged and hidden as usual. After a while the male reappeared and just sat on a boulder in mid-stream, not too far away, where was the female? After around 20 minutes he flew up stream and I was pretty sure that something different was happening. I quickly climbed down and checked the nest. Half expecting the female to emerge, I deliberately made more noise than normal as I didn't want to upset the bird by surprising her on the nest. I need not have worried, she wasn't in the nest......... but there was an egg. It was in the new nest which is lined with beech leaves and, compared to the unused "volley ball" sized one, is just rudimentary, in fact I wouldn't have thought it was finished. I quickly, very quickly took photographs and moved away as soon as I could. There is something special about a bird's nest and I am thrilled to discover that everything is progressing as it should be.
Later on, as I walked back on my way home, I watched both birds feeding in their usual place, at least 300 yards from the nest. If one fact about these birds has surprised me most it is the way they roam quite a distance, and in 12 days of watching I have yet to see them feeding in view of the nest, obviously a ploy.
29 March
Due to bad weather it was very late in the afternoon before I went out to the river to check on the birds. At the nest site, right there in front,was a Heron. These birds are lethal predators and in fact, Britain's largest predator and If I were a Dipper I would keep a low profile and avoid a Heron like the plague. So I wasn't surprised when the birds stayed way up river and didn't come anywhere near the nest while I was there. I did video them feeding though which didn't turn out too bad considering that the light was quite poor. Here is a link to the blog entry and the video.
http://parrotletsuk.typepad.com/wldlife_in_a_suburban_gar/2011/03/ring-flash.html
28-MAR-2011
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
When I first arrived at the nest site today one of the birds was just in front of the nest site and moved off when it caught sight of me. Because at first, I only caught sight of one bird, I imagined that the other was perhaps sitting on eggs? But no, after just a few seconds, there was the female doing the usual walk up to the nest and the male was keeping watch, as usual on a nearby boulder in mid-stream. The female entered the nest and after a while they left and I managed to take a quick look in the nest. Still no eggs but even more interesting was the absence of the leaves that I had seen the bird carrying just before and lots of other times previously. I was intrigued, I searched around and there it was staring me in the face.......... another nest. It seems that the nest I found before is an old nest and they are now building another hidden behind this one. Not sure what is going on but it's going to interesting to see how this develops.
Saturday 26th March
I was undecided whether to visit the nest today, I thought it might be better for the birds if I left them for a day or so just in case my presence is causing any pressure, which frankly, I doubt. However, I succumbed in the end but just spent a very short time in the area, long enough to check that they are still building and everything is well. I checked to see if she has laid but not yet, this is a surprise. My impression was that she would have by now. As I sat there, the female did a walk up to the nest carrying a leaf which she "softened" by shaking in the way that I had observed the other day.
The female did the usual measured walk towards the nest and I could see that she was carrying a leaf. She then hesitated to soften it by shaking it and dipping it in to the water. On this occasion, it broke up completely and she was left with just a stalk which she dropped in to the river.
Here she continues to deal with her leaf.
Friday 25th March
I observed some different, and interesting behaviour today which made the trip well worthwhile again. I tried very hard not to disturb the birds when I arrived. I managed to get a view of the nest area and couldn't see any Dippers beneath me. I thought the coast was clear, but no........ one of the birds was in the nest and emerged as soon as I took up position. She wasn't too worried about me, even if she could see me, which I doubt. It wasn't too long before I saw her starting to walk towards the nest again, and obviously towards me. On every day of observation now, I have seen this behaviour. The female lands 25 yards or so, away from the nest, and then purposefully makes her way towards it, eventually arriving on what is the favoured boulder in front of the nest. She then spends quite a while before deciding to enter the nest once she has made sure that she is safe to do so.
This happened as I expected and then the male arrived and started to act in the same way, gradually making his way towards me and the boulder. Of course, at this point I had no idea which bird was which......... was the male in the nest and could this be the female making her way towards me. My suspicions were aroused even more when this bird stopped and picked up some grass stalks. Then this bird began to sing, confirming that it was the male after all. He never did go in to the nest, instead, when the female emerged, off they both flew.
Later on, when they were both nearby, another bird flew in to the territory. This, just like yesterday, caused quite a degree of stress to the male who did his best to try and get rid of the intruder. Eventually he was successful and things calmed down.
Dipper nest
When the birds had left, and because I have seen that they are away from the area for around 20 minutes, I quickly went down to the nest to check if there had been an egg laid. Not yet! I quickly tok a photo for the diary and was back on the bank and well away after just 30 seconds or so. In the photograph you can just about make out an entrance hole at the front. The nest is made mainly of moss and roots and is very well camouflaged.
24-MAR-2011
Thursday 24th
Todays interaction was a mixture of success, frustration and a bit of worry. Again I had to disturb them when I arrived and this troubles me. I quickly concealed myself again, and only a few minutes had elapsed before they both flew back, it was now around 10 o'clock. This time the female was carrying a small piece of root or something similar, but not a leaf like yesterday.
24-MAR-2011
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
It looks like she has this leaf in her beak but in actual fact she just investigated it. All the time that the female was at the nest site, the male was nearby on a midstream boulder as usual.
24-MAR-2011
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
What happened next was something quite different. The male who as I have said previously is very excitable, reacted in an aggressive way to another dipper that flew through the territory. This incensed "our" breeding male who flew the "fighter-plane" patterns chasing around, swooping in circles over the water and then landing on one of his favourite boulders calling with a bubbling musical call, quite unlike the normal single syllable flight call, a mixture of call and song. He repeated this behaviour for quite some time. The strangers presence made them very wary and when they then came near to the nest a while later they were very suspicious and wouldn't approach, at this point a Wessex Helicopter flew low over the woods and this was just too much for the birds who were definitely spooked and left with some haste.
24-MAR-2011
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
Having decided that I had been at the nest area long enough, disturbance is always a worry, I bumped in to presumably my pair of birds. It was no surprise to see them because I was sure that they were up river somewhere having left the nest area half an hour earlier. What did surprise me was seeing this third bird right there near to the breeding pair.
Wednesday 23rd March
I arrived in the morning hoping that there was going to be a little more activity at the nest at this time of day.
This proved to be the case. I was disappointed when I got to the site, to disturb the birds who were both in front of the nest. Unfortunately there is no way that you can approach without knowing if they are there or not. They both quickly took flight but I was pleased to see that they wee not unduly disturbed perching on a rock 30 yards away and feeding as if nothing unusual had happened. I took up position and covered myself. After just a short time the female appeared on the edge of the flow and worked herself towards the nest carrying these beech leaves.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
She didn't immediately go in to the nest, but showed quite a high level of caution, looking around and seemingly making sure the coast was clear. In fact it took her more than a minute before she eventually flew up to the nest, but straight back down still with a beak full. At first I was concerned that she was cautious because she sensed me nearby but I am confident that this was not the case because eventually she went under the over-hang and presumably, in to the nest.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
Here she had returned to her favoured boulder and was about to fly up and in. It is of real interest to see how clean this boulder is. The presence of Dippers can be detected by looking for "bird-lime" on the tops of exposed rocks and almost all of the rocks and boulders around and about are spotted in this way,,,, with the exception of this boulder and the one next to it. It is obviously a defensive strategy to keep the area clean and clear of any hint at their presence.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
Dippers are named for their habit of continually "dipping" up and down and when they are particularly excited, sometimes with fluttering open wings. This is more often observed by the male but the female here also. The light around the nest is, as you would expect, dull and not touched by the sun. This makes it very hard to freeze the action as you can see.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
The next three photos show her on the bank just under the nest. She doesn't always fly up from the boulder and up to the nest, sometimes preferring to make her way carefully until she is just a small hop away.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
If you look very closely at the pupil of the bird's eye here you can get some indication of how dull it is by the nest. If it were bright of course, the pupil would be very small. I took very accurate timings of the time between visits with new nest material. On one occasion it was just 10 minutes between visits but usually more like 20. Each time the returned today it was the female who was carrying nest material. As I didn't discover the nest until just four days ago, I can not say whether the male has taken part in any of the nest building but I can confirm that in the four days that I have been observing, I have only seen the female doing any of the building.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
Here she arrived with a new leaf, ten minutes after departing. She still showed the same degree of caution before entering the nest. The male meanwhile was standing guard nearby.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
The female arrived at the favoured boulder just beneath the nest site.
I saw her carrying this large leaf from quite a distance away. She worked her way along the water's edge carrying it carefully. When she got to the boulder she proceeded to try and soften it by shaking from side to side.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
She continues to shake it violently almost as if it were alive and she was trying to kill it, in much the same way that a Kingfisher shakes and beats it's prey. My guess is that she is trying to soften and break the central spine of the leaf.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
She continued until it eventually broke up in to pieces and then took the small piece in to the nest with the majority of the leaf left to float away with the fast current.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
The male keeps guard as the female decides if it's safe to enter the nest.
Tuesday 22nd March
I arrived at the nest site at 12.55. When I walked down river I had not seen any Dipper and this encouraged me, I suspected that they would be by the nest, and I was right. I tried to approach very carefully, realising that any disturbance is going to be made when I arrive at the nest, particularly if one or both birds are there. Unfortunately that was the case and one bird was disturbed and quickly left the scene. I was disappointed of course and a bit upset that I had caused it to fly. I quickly got myself concealed and I was very relieved that I hadn't caused too much damage because both birds arrived together at 13.31. I was now sitting in a different spot just a bit further away because I really don't want to get too close. They approached me from up river and quickly landed on the boulder together. This surprised me because I hadn't seen that the bird, there when I arrived, had flown past me . In short, I was expecting them to arrive from the other direction. The female immediately went in to the nest but I hadn't seen if she was carrying any nest material. The male remained on the boulder as you can see, bobbing up and down and fluttering his wings in a display to the female. The male is excitable and never stops bobbing and dancing. They stayed for 10 minutes in total, the female eventually leaving the nest. Then they were both on the rock together and I tried to get a good shot, but didn't really 'pull it off" but it's worth posting for the record.
22nd March continued.
After a few seconds the female left the boulder to perch on the waterfall opposite.
The male flew up river and she followed on. The time was exactly 13.37, is it a coincidence that this is the same time that they were at the nest yesterday? As the afternoon developed I was expected them to return but no, just like the day before the stayed away from the nest area for the entire afternoon. So I am suspecting a pattern of behaviour here. While they were away, I quicklty checked the nest for an egg........ still not laid yet. I discovered that there are two cavities to the nest. The lower nest cavity goes deep inside the ball of of tightly woven moss and roots but just above this entrance, there is the opening to another cavity which is more of a loose hole and packed loosely with dry sphagnum moss. I have read that this is used by the none "sitting" bird, the male, while the female is incubating for example.
During the afternoon watch, I witnessed a female Sparrowhawk on two occasions. The first time it swooped in to make a kill but was unsuccessful. The second time, the bird of prey flashed past me just inches above the water and close to the bank. Could this be why the Dippers were keeping well clear of the nest site? They would present a very good target if they were caught off guard. A female Sparrowhawk consumes between 50-70 grams each day. A male Dipper weighs on average, 64 grams, a perfect size meal for a Sparrowhawk and definitely on the menu. The Dippers have every reason to be wary. Later on as I was walking back I found both birds just standing in shallow water about 300 yards from the nest area. It is the first time that I have seen this behaviour. Usually they are feeding or preening. This quiet behaviour seemed unusual and would point to a state of nervousness because of the presence of the bird of prey.
Monday 21st March
I returned to the nest area in the early afternoon, in fact at 1.35.
I quickly got myself concealed and began to wait, just 2 minutes as it happened. Both birds flew in to the boulders in front of the nest and just beneath me. It was exciting when they flew in and the impression that I got from them was that they were excited as well. There was much calling and bobbing up and down. I stayed motionless because I didn't want to betray my presence or upset them in any way. One of the birds had a beak full of nesting material including a dead leaf. This bird quickly flew up in to the nest and as it entered, made a new noise that I haven't heard before. A cross between a call and a chirp. I started to count to see if I could estimate how long this bird, which I thought at the time, was the female, was inside the nest. In the meantime the other bird remained on the boulder beneath, seemingly keeping watch. Later when I had a close look at the images taken of this bird, I noticed that there were remains of some fibres in the beak. On second thoughts, perhaps this was the female and the male was in the nest finishing off by lining the nest with oak leaves. I have read that this is the usual pattern of events. The bird outside the nest flew off after a while and the other bird, after about two minutes, emerged, and then quietly moved away, hopping from rock to rock before disappearing out of view. What happened then perplexed me to say the least. I am pretty sure that the birds were not aware of me whatsoever, but they never returned to the nest while I was there for the next 2 hours, and a bit more. In the meantime I saw them display flying and then they both flew past me and up river. While they were away, I checked the nest to see if an egg had been laid. The nest was wet inside from the parent bird but there was no egg yet. My assessment is that the nest is all but complete and there is no more building to be done. The birds were away feeding in another part of the territory. I have no way of knowing if this is normal behaviour or not.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
One of the Dippers waiting by the nest as the other is inside doing some building.
March 20th. Discovering the Dippers Nest
I have been studying the Dippers on a nearby river here in Devon, UK for the last 4 weeks.
I have been seeing real breeding behaviour but up until today I had not been fortunate enough to discover a nest. Sat in my usual spot where I previously had been fortunate enough to see the Dippers almost constantly, it dawned on me that today, and for that matter yesterday, I hadn.t seen the Dippers as often as I had been. Their behaviour had definitely changed. I decided to walk down river to see if I could discover what they were up to. I hadn't walked more than 50 yards when I saw the very distinctive white breast of a Dipper reflecting back at me in the strong sunlight.
I made my way carefully in it's direction and managed to get myself sat quietly by the water without being seen. The Dipper moved on and so did I. Eventually, as I sat quietly and concealed, the Dipper flew past me again and back up River, I watched and it settled near to the waterfall that I have seen them on often. I spent quite a while watching and decided that they seemed to be favouring this area. I took up a position over looking the water and was thrilled to see one of the Dippers right beneath me. After it had left I quickly got myself in a position that gave me a good view. I was just a few feet away but concealed in a Gillie suit wrapped in cam netting which I had covered with hands full of Beech leaves. I was well and truly concealed. To my utter delight and amazement, both Dippers returned to the rock just below, one carrying root fibres. After some hesitation, it flew under a hover-hang and then emerged with an empty beak.......... it was nest building! It returned every 20 minutes or so for the next hour while I waited, and the process was repeated. While this was happening, the male was keeping sentry duty on a rock in mid stream. When they had both left the area I quickly went down the bank to check for the nest and discovered a "volley-ball" sized collection of old moss and roots sitting just under the bank and wedged on top of a thick root. At first I couldn't find a hole but it was tucked almost underneath and towards the back of the nest, just as I had read would be the case. I had to use a massive amount of self discipline and leave the area to let them get on with it. They will still be there tomorrow and for the next month in fact, and it's going to be just fantastic to observe them breeding.
20-MAR-2011
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
Here, the female seems to be hesitating before she flies up to the nest to place her "root". I have read that nests can be under construction for as long as 28 days. This is easily understood if so much time is taken over one tiny piece.
20-MAR-2011
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
I want to dedicate this picture to my father who loved Dippers and showed me my first as a young child in the 1950's.
Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
This shot shows the bird about to disappear in to the nest. The lightness at the foreground of the image is caused by leaves between the camera and the bird. It is also slightly out of focus or blurred because the big lens was hand held. The situation precludes me from using a tripod, there simply isn't enough room.