Across western Europe there are few species that are so habitat specific as the Dipper. Essentially this year-long resident is a bird of clean, fast-flowing upland streams and rivers, only moving down to the margins of lakes and reservoirs when forced to by severe weather during the winter months. Uniquely adapted to life at the water’s edge, the Dipper uses exposed boulders as convenient perches as it dives, swims and “walks” under water in search of its aquatic invertebrate prey.
Often preferring tree-lined stretches of water the Dipper will fly fast and low along a twisting watercourse rather than choosing to cross dry land, all of which can sometimes make gaining good views something of a challenge. I have been lucky enough to encounter this species fairly regularly back in the UK…despite its widespread distribution across Spain however, it’s a species which so far this year has eluded me.
Nonetheless the streams of our local hills and mountains provide all the necessary conditions and I was sure given time we’d eventually find one, and I guess everything comes to he who waits…while on a trip out to the “white villages” above Lanjaron Kiersten found a stretch of river visible from the road and sure enough snapped our first Dipper of the year. Great stuff…a species that by rights really ought to have been on our year-list, so these shots were something of a relief! Note the clean, white bib and uniform dark brown plumage…unmistakable if you put a little bit of effort in and get yourself “in the zone”.
With the Christmas break looming on the horizon it’s fantastic to be still adding new species to the count for the year…keep checking the trip reports as we wrap up my first year in Spain, as always we’ll keep you up to date with all the news!
