My trip out to the River this afternoon was not without it's successes, in fact it was another very enjoyable two hours or so. I had a few different bird sightings today ( as well as the usual) and the best without a doubt, was this Treecreeper - Certhia familiaris.  I had positioned myself down stream in front of a couple of Grey Wagtails (see image below) and was waiting for another to follow, I knew that there were two and they were feeding on the edge of the stream as they do.. Suddenly, opposite, a bird flitted on to the tree in really bright sunlight.  I knew almost immediately that it was a Treecreeper, not a bird that I see all the time but not a rarity either.If you spend enough time around trees you will eventually see one.  I heard it call as it flew and landed and it is worth learning the way they operate. When they fly to a tree they will always fly to the lower part and then make their way up the trunk, searching for food as they go. This behaviour means that you can sometimes get a good sighting at eye level and that is what happened today. In the end I took quite a few photos but only a few were even half decent. I was pleased to see it but lost sight eventually. The camouflage is incredible which makes them hard to spot unless you manage to pick up the white belly and their movement through the trees. Got to say that I really like this shot.

I mentioned yesterday how Grey Wagtail males  develop a black bib when they are in breeding condition and the one I photographed then was just starting to show signs of black?  Well today  the bird I saw and pictured was a bit further in to breeding condition and he  has a nice black bib already and is a very pretty bird.

As far as Dipper were concerned.  I had several nice sightings including some interaction between two birds who were never far apart.  We are in to March now and spring can't be too far away.  Breeding will commence very soon.  I am obviously in their territory and with some patience and good luck I hope to find their nest…………. here's hoping.  but, even if I don't it is still going to be good to keep watching them as the spring progresses and hopefully I will manage to get pictures of the youngsters. 

My "gillie suite" is working well and today I paid a visit to Wildlife Watching Supplies in Tiverton to buy some camouflage items for the tripod and camera. I was incredibly impressed with everything that I saw in their workshops. Kevin Keatley  the owner is a real gentleman and made me feel like I was the only person he cared about which is just the way you want to be treated when you go to buy something.  He was incredibly helpful . Click on the link to go to their web site, it's well worth a look.  In a future BLOG ENTRY I plan to to cover them in more detail which will be interesting for everyone.  In the meantime have a look HERE.