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Tag Archives: Dipper

A dispersing Dipper

17 Saturday Jul 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Dipper, post-fledging dispersal

We don’t see Dippers very often in Cardiff Bay, as they’re generally birds of fast-flowing rivers, so I was surprised but very pleased to spot this one on the embankment during a recent walk.

210717 dipper (1)

After a closer look through my zoom lens, I realised it was a juvenile bird. This probably means that it was in the process of post-fledging dispersal, where birds leave the area in which they were raised to find territories of their own. Good luck, little Dipper!

210717 dipper (2)

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Dipper fledgling

22 Saturday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 4 Comments

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Dipper, Dipper fledgling

Dippers are birds I don’t see very often. They’re primarily birds of fast-flowing rivers and, although there are two rivers, the Ely and the Taff, within walking distance of my home, where they flow in to Cardiff Bay neither river has the boulders or rocks Dippers like to use to launch themselves into the water.

210522 dipper fledgling (1)

So, it was a delight to hear a Dipper calling in the River Rhymney during Wednesday’s walk in the Welsh valleys and then, on peering down into the river, to see not only an adult bird, which flew off upstream, but also to spot and then watch this adorable fledgling, which was already practising the bobbing motion these birds are known for.

210522 dipper fledgling (3)
210522 dipper fledgling (2)

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3/366 Stroll around Forest Farm

03 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks, winter

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Dipper, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, Great spotted woodpecker, Grey heron, Kingfisher

Today’s was another merry meander, this time around Forest Farm Nature Reserve. The sun was actually shining for part of the time, which was a very pleasant change, and I was lucky with my bird sightings.

200103 1 dipper

As soon as I stepped on to the pedestrian bridge that crosses the River Taff from Radyr Station to Forest Farm, I could hear a Dipper singing – such a delightful melody! And there it was, sitting on a rock on the far bank, almost directly under the bridge. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the day.

200103 2 great spotted woodpecker

The little birds – the tits and finches, Robins and Wrens – were also very vocal and it wasn’t long before I had paused to hand out some sunflower seeds and enjoy their feasting. As I watched, I caught a flash of red – my first Great spotted woodpecker of the year. I also heard, then saw a Green woodpecker but wasn’t quick enough for any photos.

200103 3 kingfisher

I popped along to the second bird hide but all was quiet there and I’m not one to just sit and wait for the birds to come, so I headed along to wander the length of the old Glamorgan Canal, and back. I was soon lucky there too – a Kingfisher was flying and perching on low branches, trying to fish but being almost continuously disturbed by passing dogs and their walkers and noisy families.

Four hours later, I had dished out all of my seed offerings and managed to clock 30 species, four of which were new for 2020 and all of which were lovely to see. But the highlight of the day was probably the sight of 10 Grey herons in one huge dead tree (at one point also joined by a Buzzard but two Magpies soon saw it off)!

200103 4 grey heron
200103 5 grey heron

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163/365 ‘Feed me!’

12 Wednesday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Dipper, Dipper chick, Dipper feeding its chick, Radyr Weir

I didn’t spot the fledgling Dipper at first, its pale brown, grey and yellow tones blending in perfectly with the dull hues of old concrete and rusty metal.

190612 dippers (1)

Then I spotted the adult Dipper flying towards the weir and, as soon as the young one opened its mouth, that bright orange gape was impossible to miss. It shouted ‘Feed me!’

190612 dippers (2)

Four times I watched the adult bird fly off downstream, desperately searching around stones and under water for more tasty titbits.

190612 dippers (3)190612 dippers (4)190612 dippers (5)

As soon as it had a mouthful, back to its chick it flew, to deposit the snacks into that wide and ravenous orange mouth. I really don’t know how bird parents find the energy to keep up their constant effort. What an incredible job they do in rearing their young!

190612 dippers (6)

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A’dipping and a’bobbing

01 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

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birding, birdwatching, bobbing in birds, British birds, Cinclidae, Cinclus cinclus, Dipper

You might think it’s just the little Robin that goes bob-bob-bobbing along but no!

After two days of weather warnings, gale-force winds and heavy rain showers, I was itching for a walk, partly because I tend to go a little stir crazy if I can’t get out every day but also because I’ve been learning this year how much weather affects the movements of birds. On Thursday, though more rain was forecast, I decided I’d head down to Penarth Marina for a walk along the Ely embankment path to see if anything unusual was sheltering from the tumultuous weather in its relatively calm waters.

181202 redshank (1)
181202 redshank (2)
181202 redshank (3)

The three Redshanks were a nice surprise, the most I’ve seen there this autumn, but the highlight came right at the end. As I approached the last bend in the path, I spotted a dark bird at the water’s edge. I hadn’t brought my bins with me so used my camera to take a photo and zoom in. A Dipper! What a treat!

181292 dipper (1)

The Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) is a rotund little bird, more often seen prospecting for food in stony streams and low-flowing rivers. It’s the only British passerine (birds that perch) that feeds underwater and the only British member of the five species of Cinclidae found around the world. Their name cinclus comes from the Ancient Greek word kinklos, meaning a small tail-wagging bird that lives near water.

181292 dipper (2)

In deeper water, the Dipper swims down to the river bed, ‘flying underwater’ – an action probably more akin to rowing with wings, and its sturdy claws can grip even the smoothest of stones. This lovely bird, though, was working the shallow water where the stony embankment of the River Ely meets the brackish water of Cardiff Bay, poking about and flipping stones in its quest for aquatic insects.

181292 dipper (4)
181292 dipper (5)

It paused when it noticed me watching it from the top of the bank above so I stayed completely still, hoping it would then ignore me and return to its grazing. It blinked at me several times, exposing its pale upper eyelid, an action I have since read is either a courtship or threat display – I don’t think it fancied me!

181292 dipper (6)

Luckily, after a couple of minutes, it obviously decided I posed no immediate threat, bobbed a couple of times and carried on. Bobbing is an odd motion that several different birds make – it has been interpreted as a means of visual communication but that seems unlikely in this case as the bird was on its own. I also read on the Birdnote website:

One possibility is that the dipper’s repetitive bobbing, against a background of turbulent water, helps conceal the bird’s image from predators. A second theory asserts that dipping helps the bird spot prey beneath the surface of the water.

181292 dipper (3)

Perhaps we’ll never know the real reason for its bobbing but it was certainly a joy to watch this particular bird a’dipping and a’bobbing on my local patch.

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Birding at Craig Cerrig Gleisiad and Garwnant

19 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, spring, walks

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, Brecon Beacons, British birds, Craig Cerrig Gleisiad, Dipper, Glamorgan Bird Club, Grey wagtail, Pen-y-fan, Pied flycatcher, Stonechat, Willow tit

Derek the weatherman got the forecast absolutely right for our Glamorgan Bird Club trip yesterday: foggy and a bit mizzly until 10am, then the cloud lifted to leave clear blue skies and t-shirt weather – it almost felt like summer!

180419 Brecon in the distance

We twenty-two birding enthusiasts had headed north of Cardiff to the Brecon Beacons National Park – when the cloud lifted, we could see Pen-y-fan, at 2,907 feet (886m), Wales’s 10th highest mountain. The plan was to walk the lower slopes of Craig Cerrig Gleisiad National Nature Reserve, in the hope of seeing Ring Ouzels, Whinchats, Redstarts, Wheatears and possibly Pied Flycatcher, amongst other birds.

180419 Pen-y-Fan

Because of the damp weather and low cloud, we began the day by exploring the woodland around the Youth Hostel across the road from the reserve and immediately had superb views of Pied flycatchers, and not only male birds but also a female who was making a start on nest building. A Tree pipit sitting high on bushes in the neighbouring fields was also a year tick for me.

180419 Pied flycatcher female
180419 Pied flycatcher male

After a spot of early lunch back at the cars, we climbed the slopes into the dramatic landscape of Craig Cerrig Gleisiad, the southernmost glacial boulder field in Britain. Here we had Willow warblers singing all along the stream, and frequent views of Stonechats and Meadow pipits.

180419 stonechat female
180419 stonechat male

Some of the party went further up the track and were rewarded with views of distant Ring ouzels – I wasn’t one of the lucky ones, but it was great that others got on to them. Then, after regrouping back at the cars, some of us took a small detour on the way home for a quick visit to the Garwnant Forestry Centre, where we saw Grey wagtails and Dippers on the river and a Red kite and Sparrowhawk overhead. And we were very lucky that the resident Willow tit showed well for us near the Centre’s car parking area. It was another splendid day’s birding!

180419 Grey wagtail
180419 Dipper

My species list for the day was: Red Kite, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Peregrine, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Willow Tit, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Wren, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Dipper, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Stonechat, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, and Siskin. And other birds seen (but not by me) were: Kestrel, Marsh Tit, Wheatear, Skylark, Swallow, Goldcrest, Ring Ouzel, and Linnet.

180419 Willow tit

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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