There were a small party of Long-tailed Tits in the trees near where I settled down, a couple of Mallards drifted by at one point and a solitary Jay flew across the river, but star billing today went to the Dippers.
When you go out with the camera you spend more time in one location than you ever would birding, and this means you get to see more behaviour. There was nearly always at least one Dipper in sight, and they were nearly always doing something interesting, whether it was jumping in the water to feed, popping up briefly every so ofter as the current took them downstream and then back under again, chasing each other in territorial disputes or preening.
One of the best little episodes to watch was when one bird took up a position on a rock stood upright, head thrown back & bill pointing up with it's tail fanned, BWP describes this as the advertising display. Another bird then appeared from under water and stood on the edge of the rock. I'm not entirely sure if it was a pair bonding display or a territorial/antagonistic display, as depending on context, this display can be used in either.
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