More bird photography, The Dipper!

The Eurasian Dipper (Cinclus cinlus), hereafter dipper, is one of my favourite birds, and it is now back in Denmark for another winter sesaon. This splendid little fisher is just fascinating to watch while its doing its thing.
By first appearances it seems like any other bird of its size. What makes it special is its behaviour …. especially when feeding.

The Eurasian Dipper (C.cinlus) posing by the stream. I just love the white bib.

You’ll find your typical  dipper fouraging in clear fast flowing streams, not too deep and with plenty of shallows reaches and rocks protruding the water.  The dipper will typically be standing on a rock amidst the turbulent whirls, bobbing rhythmically up and down, before it darts forward and sticks its entire head into the water, fishing around for juicy larvae and whatnot. After doing so a few times it might fly on to another rock, or rush head first into the water, walking against the flow, picking larvae from the cracks between the rocks on the bottom. Walking across the stream bottom it’ll use the strong stout wings as flippers to aid in pushing forward and manouvering about before it seeks rest on the bankside or a rock.

"I know they are here somewhere..." The dipper looking for a snack.

The most fun sight is when it takes off from a rock, flies a few yards and then crashlands, “PLOP” in the rivetting water bashing around seeking for some larvae, before hurrying back to dry land. For food it mainly relies on insect larvae found in the stream or on the banks, though fish fry can make for a fine change of menu.

Several times I've seen the dipper pacify larvae with a few violent thumps against a rock, before swallowing it whole.

2 x 4 hours in the freezing cold, belly down in the wet forest undergrowth, trying not to move to much allowed me to get close enough to a few pretty nice series of this bird. As long as you don’t move to suddenly it is actually quite easy to get close to. Even if you don’t have a camera I can highly recommend setting an hour aside one day just to watch it move about. It’s quite enjoyable!

There will be more on dippers another time!