White throated dipper on a rock in the river Frome

I needed to visit town to pick up some documents that I must read prior to a meeting tomorrow. After chatting with colleagues I headed to the canal to check on the recent dredging that open up the final stretch of the canal in the town centre.  It certainly looks better and will allow boat traffic, but I wasn't impressed with the quality of the remedial works. I think finances ran out, but problems may lie ahead there.

I walled on to where the canal passes under Capel's Mill railway viaduct as I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere where the river also flows under the viaduct next to the canal. I have blipped there many times and today wondered what I might see. The kingfishers which nest there, in the high river bank, have been elusive on my recent visits. I stood on the old stone walls of the mill's ruins and pointed my camera with more hope than expectation.

It was very cloudy which makes that area very dark as it is under a thick wooded canopy.  I soon saw a white throated dipper some way downstream and watched it very slowly follow the water's edge ob the far bank towards me over about twenty minutes. Suddenly I saw a telltale blue streak in the distance which immediately cheered me up as it meant the kingfishers were still nearby. 

A short while later while concentrating on the dipper I noticed a kingfisher fly onto a small branch right opposite me and I managed to turn the camera towards it.  Unfortunately I had changed the ISO settings because of the dark lighting conditions and the only pictures I could get were very noisy, but at least I could see it close up.  It stood on the branch for at least a minute with food in its mouth and then flew into its nest. I've added two pictures of that happening to my 'Extra photos' below.

Soon after a dipper flew onto some old stones which rest in the middle of the river covered in moss. This time my camera was better prepared for a closer shot and I've decided to blip the dipper as I do like very much. It jumped about and hopped into the fast flowing water to find food yet as gain before flying away upstream towards its nest by the footbridge. To y delight a pair of kingfishers then flew upstream towards me and alighted on different tree branches before flying up to their nest again. What a delight. Before too long i hope to master my remote flash set-up so I can overcome the poor lighting which will only improve once the leaves fall. But then the strength of the sunlight will also have reduced enormously.  I think flash is my only option and will be a challenge.