The Melrose Dipper Cinclus cinclus

This is an old friend of mine, it’s one of the dippers from the cauld (Scottish name for a weir) at Melrose on the River Tweed in heart of the Scottish Borders in the UK. I see this little bird regularly as it’s a place I visit from time to time.

The dippers feed  in the water margins along the River Tweed picking up invertebrates and the small fry from the slack water. A jaunty little bird, they are always busy and you can see them bobbing and dipping at the waters edge just before they go for a swim to find food. The dipper likes fast flowing water and they work a large territory along the river bank which they stay with all year unless the river freezes in the winter months. The birds are as agile under the water as they are above. The birds are generally monogamous but very occasionally a male will be bigamous. They start to breed in February but the can be as late as June when breeding.

The dipper is a good bird to watch as they will allow you to get quite close, which is ideal for photography, here are a few of the pictures taken.

Ron McCombe

Ron McCombe, A professional wildlife photographer, Ron lives in the Scottish Borders. He has travelled around Europe, North America and Canada in pursuit of his photographic goals. He concentrates his photography around the Borders Region of Scotland but travels up to the Highlands and Islands around Scotland running workshops in these areas. An award-winning photographer, Ron won the inaugural Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2010. His work can be seen in books, magazines and newspapers. He is passionate about Scotland and its amazing wildlife and promotes it in his lectures and illustrated talks all over the UK.

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