How to photograph – Dippers

A few years ago I was walking in the Findhorn Valley when a guy stopped to ask me if I had seen any Dippers; he was studying them and had not seen any all day.  As we talked one flew along the river and landed about 20 feet away from us and I was smitten – with the Dipper not the researcher!

A bit about Dippers

If ever there was a bird designed to look out of place then the Dipper is it.  Looking a bit like a dumpy blackbird with a white bib and something that wouldn’t be out of place on the garden bird table, the Dipper is in fact tied to fast rivers and mountain torrents.  There are few birds that are as closely associated with rivers as Dippers, they spend their entire lives above and below the water.

Yes below!  Dippers are perfectly evolved creatures that hunt for their food, insect larvae and freshwater shrimps, by “walking” under the water and hunting while totally submerged.  I’ve seen Dipper plunge into a torrent that I was sure would sweep it away, only for it to pop up a little higher up the river with a beak full of tasty morsels.

Unlike other birds that are so closely associated with water, Dippers do not have any obvious adaptations for a life on the river.  They do not have webbed feet for example, but rather normal looking feet with strong grasping toes.  Closer observation however, shows that they have short powerful wings that help the swim underwater and gives them a characteristic flight – the always remind me of clockwork toys whirring along at high speed and those strong toes are used for holding on to rocks when underwater.  Dippers bob to the surface like a cork if they stop ‘swimming’ and holding on.

Dipper nests are as closely associated to the water as are the birds and I have seen them behind waterfalls, in mossy banks above raging torrents and under crumbling footbridges.  You must not interfere with a Dipper nest – unbelievably one ‘photographer’ was found to have cut the top off a Dipper nest to enable him to photograph the chicks inside.

What you need to get the image you want

There is a good chance that you will get wet when photographing Dipper.  They can be found on some sedate river stretches, but the more likely and frankly more photogenic locations tend to be fast flowing rivers.

Finding a Dipper to photograph can be quite a challenge.  The best advice I can give is to head into Dipper country and look for likely rivers.  Then take a stroll up the river and look at rocks and boulders mid stream, if they are marked with white droppings there is a good chance that it was left by a Dipper.  Then settle down and watch, scanning up and down the river with binoculars.  Dippers have a quite distinctive call – a high-pitched whistle – that often signals their arrival long before you see them.

Once you have located your Dipper all you have to do it photograph it!  If only it were that simple.  But there are some great techniques for capturing the images you want.

Finding an active Dipper nest is by far the best option, although you must be 100% certain that you are not disturbing the birds in any way.  Please do not over photograph at one location as this can cause disturbance.  Dippers nest early, sometimes they have been observed nesting in January if the winter has been mild and they will almost certainly be underway by the beginning of March – be prepared to get cold!

Once you have found the nest you need to decide the best vantage point – for both you and for the birds’ sake.  On approaching the nest Dippers will usually stop on a rock in midstream and scope out the neighbourhood – this is your best chance to get great images.  You must be well concealed – I always use full camouflage clothing, scrim netting and natural screens such as rocks and riverbanks when I photograph Dipper.  It is also a big advantage to use either a tripod or beanbag support; at the very least sitting waiting for a bird to return to the nest for an hour holding a heavy lens is nigh on impossible.

The length of lens you will use depends on the size of the river!  My favourite place for Dippers is a river that I could leap across if I had a good run up.  Consequently if I get my position right the Dipper can be photographed within about 10 feet of my camera.

The technical bit:

The classic challenge with Dipper photography is the contrast between the mostly dark plumage of the bird and its striking white bib.  Make sure that you expose for the white to avoid blown out highlights and try to photograph on bright days so that the darker areas of the bird show up well.

Another challenge is the movement of the birds; Dippers do exactly what it says on the tin – they dip.  When working along the river hunting for food the bird will constantly bob up and down in an almost comical fashion.  This does mean that they are rarely still subjects and so a relatively fast shutter speed is required.  Add their habit of nesting under bridges or behind waterfalls and you can see that lighting is a challenge.  I have had some good days watching Dippers that were simply too cloudy and dark for photography purposes.

Location is also a challenge; it is likely that you will be uncomfortable (i.e. cold and wet) but more importantly your camera and other equipment is liable to be splashed frequently.  You will also have to be mindful of the background for your images – the Dipper might perch up on a nice rock but distracting weeds, bridges, etc can be a problem.  Frame carefully.

Conclusion

First and foremost it is important that you put the birds’ well being at the forefront of everything you do.

Make sure that you and your gear are protected from the water and be prepared for a long wait.

Dippers are about the size of a fat Blackbird and so for frame filling shots you either need to be close or use a long lens.