Dippers - Mating in the Forest of Dean!

Fantastic weekend and the weather has been bang on too!
After gaining a dipper location I decided to put in a few hours today to see if I could capture this elusive bird, (in a photograph that is).

The location wasn't great as it was quite dark, but I found a nice stone, which looked ideal for a dipper to rest on.



I must have sat there for at least 4hrs until suddenly I saw a flash from my right and sure enough, a dipper landed right where I wanted it to.





Now, if you have a sense of humour and are still here, thank you for enjoying "my" humour and read on.....


I was gobsmacked that a dipper was right in front of me, as if posing for the camera! But everything was about to go go ballistic as another one (presumably the male) turned up and they started mating, right there in front of me!



This was more than I could have ever imagined and I was buzzing with adrenaline, but then from out of nowhere a crazed beast popped up and before I knew it the dippers were gone! All that remained was just a few crumbs!



I managed to capture the beast and after a few moments I had tamed him. He is now a close friend and I am sure he will be popping up (unexpectedly) in future photographs, so look out for him.

PS: After interrogation he told me that they tasted like chicken!


There are lots of issues regarding our wildlife in the UK, which can sometimes get you down. For this reason it is "always" a good idea to occasionally do something silly, just to remind yourself that although it may be hard work sticking up for the wildlife, usually ending up with ridicule and abuse being thrown back at you; it is also there to be enjoyed and we (I) mustn't be serious all the time.

Rob