A white throated dipper

After walking by the canal yesterday I wandered along a very small and less well travelled footpath beside the River Frome. The nearby canal was actually built parallel to the river about forty yards away, where overflowing water would constantly refill the canal. It was on this part of the river that I photographed a swimming otter a few years ago, so I had it in mind to expect the unexpected. For a few minutes today there was nothing unusual about the scene with the sound of running water overriding the background noise from the nearby factories’ ventilators.

Once I reached the southern bank of the Frome, I walked a few yards upstream before turning around and walking a few more yards downstream. I came across a view through a small former orchard on land was originally close by to Ham Mill, which was powered by a waterwheel, and its nearby clothiers house, which is still occupied on the far bank of the river. The mill’s land on both sides of the river is now fenced off and maintained as a garden with mown grass and some flower beds. However several old hazel trees are still growing there (they are hard to kill) which were obviously coppiced in former times as their form has been retained with multiple thin trunks growing up vertically from the base. Perhaps they will coppice them again for use as runner bean poles? I was delighted to spot a treecreeper flitting about.

As there was a more open view across the gardens I could see the river water flowing. A small arched stone bridge had been built allowing access to the garden on both sides of the water. There are quite a few small bridges over the river some of which allow single track lanes to cross. Fifty yards downstream there is the bridge built for an ancient path which allows vehicles to reach a house built beside the pedestrian crossings over both the canal and the railway line. The valley bottom is probably only a hundred yards wide. The footpath carries on up the steep hillside to reach the Minchinhampton and Rodborough commons. 

Suddenly I saw a bird flying upstream a few feet above the river. When it saw me it did an abrupt about turn, stalling in mid-air and then quickly flying back under the small garden bridge. I knew immediately that it was a white throated dipper, which is a relatively common bird on the river, but not the canal, and habitually nests under the arches of bridges over rivers.  I decided to hang on and keep a watch the bridge as I felt sure it would return, so I moved a little further away and sheltered out of sight behind a tree.

As you can see my hunch was correct and the dipper eventually flew back and forth a few times, including flying up vertically with something in its mouth to the underside of the bridge. I’m assuming the nest is either ready there, or being built. I may return to see any baby dippers in a few weeks time. In the picture you can se a lot of small flying insects which could be good food for the dippers.