Dipper Surprise

 I recently spent a weeks family holiday in a cottage on the Somerset/Devon border.
About twenty feet away in front of the cottage was a fast flowing river including several Weirs, so I thought that perhaps with luck, I might see a Dipper.
​I had only seen one before several years ago in Hampshire and that was only a fleeting glimpse as it flew past me in failing light.

On the day that we arrived at the cottage it was raining as it had been all day. The water level over the Weirs was rising with torrents of water crashing over the boulders.
Later that afternoon, with the rain still coming down I was looking out of the front window at the river, when I saw a small dark bird hopping amongst the rocks at the nearest Weir, a Dipper.

I couldn’t quite believe my luck in seeing the bird so close. Rain and poor light put paid to me taking any photos, so I contented myself with watching it feeding before it flew off downriver.

The Dipper visited the same location daily throughout my holiday, in which I was able to take photographs.  
​I felt very privileged in seeing such good views of a bird that had previously eluded me.