American Dipper at Work (6x)

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Archive 2009 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Jay Gamble
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p.2 #1 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

The "Water Ouzel" as affectionately known by so many trout fishermen who relish seeing them busily working the edges of streams and rivers.

Great capture of a busy bird with great personality! The red ant capture really tops off the series.

Jay

Nov 06, 2009 at 03:29 AM

ReyPet
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p.2 #2 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Great pictures. I first saw one of these when I walked up to a small stream in the Sierra and one came up out of the water right after I stopped. I got a good look and was able to identify it later. Cool bird!

Nov 06, 2009 at 06:03 AM

trailhiker
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p.2 #3 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

tfoltz wrote:
Steve,
Congratulations on a fine series, Awesome

Tim

Thanks Tim, just goes to prove that it pays having the camera kit with you at all times, you never know what you might see.

Best Wishes,
Steve

Nov 06, 2009 at 02:37 PM

trailhiker
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p.2 #4 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Rob Tillyer wrote:
Wonderful series Steve. #4 is a fantastic catch. I love watching these guys but they do like the dark places to do their work.

WTG

Rob

You're right about their preferring to work in the dark places, Rob, and and with their overall gray color they're sometimes even hard to spot initially.

Thanks,
Steve

Nov 06, 2009 at 02:52 PM

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p.2 #5 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Tim Kuhn wrote:
I love watching these guys but they do like the dark places to do their work. +1

I have watched these guys but never in enough light to photograph them as well as you have Steve, well done!

One minor correction, it is a nictitating membrane.

Tim

Hey Tim! Thanks for pointing out the syllabic absence. (Why doesn't FM have a preview button for checking things before posting?) And I've always had the same issues shooting Dippers before; even this time there was barely enough light to keep things respectably in-focus.

Best Wishes,
Steve

Nov 06, 2009 at 10:28 PM

trailhiker
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p.2 #6 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

thunderbird wrote:
Steve,
Interesting to see exemplary behavioral shots of this rarely seen bird (at least in our local area). I saw some of them about 200 ft inside the gate across the bridge from Glacier Lodge.

Andy

Andy, this may have been one of the ones you saw as these were taken along the creek opposite from the summer cabins behind that gate. The Dippers are in our local mountains (San Gabriels, for one) but these along Big Pine Creek are reliably-seen.

Thanks,
Steve

Nov 06, 2009 at 10:36 PM

HOWARD KEARLEY
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p.2 #7 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

great shots,

Howard.

Nov 06, 2009 at 10:57 PM

trailhiker
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p.2 #8 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Hungtran10 wrote:
nice work steve. these little guys are super fast!

- hung

Not only are they fast, Hung, but that bland gray color may be good for camouflage but makes it hard to even spot them! Or to track 'em with the AF. Should try manual focus next time...

Thanks,
Steve

Nov 08, 2009 at 02:47 PM

Thomas Sanders
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p.2 #9 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Love #2 Steve, it's a thrill to get a look at this seldom seen bird especially so well captured

Tom

Nov 08, 2009 at 02:52 PM

Mr Zoom
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p.2 #10 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Johnny Bravo wrote:
VERY nice series of a bird that is most difficult to capture well.

Nicely done!

What JB said, Steve. I've gotten a lens on them maybe twice and came away with nothing this good. Last try was up the creek flowing out of Lake Sabrina and the mosquitoes won the contest on who would stay the longest

Ken

Nov 08, 2009 at 04:46 PM

grebe
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p.2 #11 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

This a fun series. Good focus and lighting. I do enjoy watching these birds popping up from the water, instantly dry.

tom

Nov 08, 2009 at 09:06 PM

Robert Spencer
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p.2 #12 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Steve I don`t know everything about bird photography but from what I do know at this point I have to consider the American dipper the most difficult subject in my area to photograph. They are small. They DIP constantly! They are dark colored. They like dark places and are elusive & very timid. All of which contribute to the degree of difficulty.
It has not been mentioned but when I researched them last year after shooting one here on Prince of Wales Island, I found that they are the only known aquatic song bird. Great job! Take care. Bob
PS Are you the same fellow that used to post on the DPR Panasonic forum under the user name Trail Hiker Steve?

Nov 09, 2009 at 07:08 PM

Martin Good
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p.2 #13 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Great captures Steve in difficult conditions.
Who would have thought it would have caught a red ant there!
Martin

Nov 09, 2009 at 07:16 PM

trailhiker
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p.2 #14 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

lbuscher wrote:
Nice Steve and a new one for me. Also maybe to the bird one red ant was better than no red ant. Amazing what birds and animals will eat and I can't even have a beer. BUMMER

Lou

I'm sure you're right about one red ant being better than none,it's just that he probably would have had better luck finding them on the banks and not in a swift-moving stream...But then I guess it wouldn't be a Dipper. And don't feel too bad about not being able to have a beer, it's not sustenance for us as the red ant would be for the Dipper. Well, for most of us it's not.

Thanks, Lou!
Best Wishes,
Steve

Nov 11, 2009 at 04:19 AM

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p.2 #15 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

Karl Witt wrote:
I remember this bird! They must have some pretty strong grippers to hold onto that slippery bottom in the current. Infomative series Steve, nice 'skinny-dippin-bird'

Thanks for sharing what seems to be a rarely photographed bird.

Karl

You're right about the strong grippers, Karl. It was one swiftly-flowing creek, and of course the Dipper was going upstream, which impresses all the more. It shows a remarkable adaptation to its chosen environment. The Dipper sure gets my respect!

Thanks, my friend.

Steve

Nov 11, 2009 at 04:24 AM

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p.2 #16 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

fwyflyr wrote:
Steve -
Thanks for bringing to my attention a new species. When I was up at Zion in September, I watched a bird engaged in the same behavior for a very long time, but didn't know what kind of bird it was.
- Ken

Ken, I assume you didn't have your long-lens camera gear with you at the time as I know you wouldn't have let such an opportunity pass you by

Thanks,
Steve

Nov 11, 2009 at 04:43 AM

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p.2 #17 · American Dipper at Work (6x)

jkermani wrote:
They really do dip! How cute they are and fine captures.

Jeanette

Dip they do, though it's more like a "bob", but I can't see them called "American Bobbers"

Thanks, Jeanette!

Best Wishes,
Steve

Nov 11, 2009 at 04:45 AM


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