Don’t you just love it when you achieve something that you set out to do, be it a big lifetime quest or just a little plan or idea that comes together nicely. Well today was just one of those days. As you can probably understand the weather at this time of year is dodgy, quite often overcast and dull and frankly there is no worse weather as far as I am concerned. But today, even with really dismal low cloud and damp air I decided to get on the Chinese bike and head out to the River Teign on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park at Dunsford. As the crow flies not far but for my liitle 5occ job she was going to have her work cut out hauling my fat backside up and down those hills. Dressed up like an Eskimo both scooter and me were relieved when we arrived at the beautiful location of Stepps Bridge.
My idea was to walk the bank of this almost gin clear, fast little river and perhaps run into a Dipper or Grey Wagtail. Dipper are one of my special favourites not only because they have such an amazing lifestyle but they are very, very “smartly dressed” birds as well. If I tell you that I had walked for at least 20 minutes before I even saw a bird then you will know how frustrated I was. I could hear birds constantly calling and singing but they were all very high in the top canopy of the trees bordering the river valley. Eventually I caught a glimpse of a Marsh Tit, then a Robin and from time to time just quick shapes moving quickly through the autumnal leaves. With my walk now well into an hour and a half I still hadn’t seen a Dipper but suddenly a bird caught my eye about 30 yards down river, I thought it was a Blackbird but as I put my Binos up to my eyes it flew on to a rock opposite and, halleluha………… a Dipper at last. Almost immediately, in to view just behind on the opposite bank a couple of old lady walkers came in to view complete with Sky Blue jackets and matching boisterous Jack Russell. The self respecting Dipper immediately did a disappearing act as I casually asked one of the old Biddies if her name was Murphy but the joke was lost on her and for what it’s worth me too!
So, coffee out, I resigned myself to dipping the Dipper and enjoyed the lovely peace and tranquility now that Jack Russell and owner had vanished in to the distance.
I started my walk back to the safety of the road and the waiting Chinese Scooter, keeping my eyes alert as always but with mind wandering to the thoughts of music and the score that I am currently working on. Suddenly I froze because there right in front of me on a branch in the almost dark was a bright, bright blaze of white ……… yes the breast of a Dipper, no more than 20 feet from me perched on an overhanging Silver Birch Branch. It didn’t appear to have seen me so I gently put the tripod on its three feet, fired the camera up and started to snap away. I had my ISO set at 3200 as the bird was hidden in the shadows on this almost dark day. I wasn’t hopeful of a really good shot in these conditions. I fiddled around in my pocket for my remote and then managed some shots as steady as I could get. The bird stayed still and calm whilst I rattled off about a dozen…… just one has turned out well, in fact I love it!!!!

So in the end a good trip and worth all the effort that both the Scooter and I put in!