The American Dipper is covered in guidebooks with statements such as:
Perches on rocks within fast-flowing mountain streams and dives underwater for aquatic insect larvae.
It seems that one local dipper failed to read these manuals; its behaviour departed somewhat from the description.
Yesterday’s dipper:
- Didn’t hunt along a stream, but in a lake (behaviour seen before in midwinter);
- Sang from on a rock perch, but then flew to deeper water, alighted on the surface, floated, peered below and dove;
- Surfaced with (what seems to be) a fish and flew off.
This dipper acted rather as if it were a kingfisher wannabe. (Whimsey aside, I recognize that limited guidebook space allows for few subtleties).
A dipper sings from a rock along the shore of Kootenay Lake.
It then flew to deeper water, floated a bit while peering below, then dove.
After surfacing, it flew off carrying, what certainly looks like, a small fish.
Once again, some more superb photography of an extraordinary event ! ! I particularly have always loved two of the Dippers’ unique traits; walking on the bottom of streams and peering into the water below as they swim around as if snorkeling 🙂
thanks,
Bill