hi every one ,been watching two dippers as a breeding pair in new mills ,for the last three weeks one is ringed the other is not, can tell any one who wants to know the colours if wanted . The nest is in a really inaccesible place but ace for pictures of daily happenings .will keep you informed. If i learn how to ,ill post some pics
Both Dippers appeared to have rings - 1 bird had yellow or pale green ring on left leg and orange on right leg. Couldn't make out the details on other bird as it was too active. Will revisit later when have more time to see if I can get better views. Rick
Please note that threads such as this for individual species should be used very carefully and they're not my favourite of things, hence I've closed a few recently. Whilst I appreciate there may be a need for some, as in the last post on here for instance a thread exists for Brabyns Park, Marple (started by John Rayner in February this year) which already has a sighting on it, including one for Dipper. The problem with these single species threads is that it confuses where an observer should post their sightings. The species thread, site thread or both? Sometimes, as in the last post on here, occasionally the odd 'other species' creeps on also. I would rather posts were kept to sites and if one doesn't exist for your sighting then either start one or place it in the bits and bobs thread. Ultimately, we could have a seperate thread for every species and one can imagine the choas that would cause!
2 unringed Dippers this afternoon on the River Goyt at Marple Dale, upstream from the Manchester Canoe Centre. Amazing to watch them fighting against a very strong current.
Many thanks for recent postings which are of great help to our ringing project. Two interesting features are the increase in sightings below Stalybridge down as far (nearly) to Reddish Vale, and our own sightings last weekend of as many as 4 unringed birds around the Tame/Chew Brook confluence. There are breeding pairs, reported last year, at upstream sites at Dovestones and Greenfield Res; it would be good to reduce the number of unringed birds in the study area! Prize for the first eggs of the year goes to a pair at New Delph.
Late posting from weekend owing to being without PC!
Portland Basin Ashton U Lyne
Looking down on river a pair of Dipper were chasing one another up and down the river at great heights for several minutes. Don't know where they finally stopped!
Dovestone valley Greenfield. 10th march, am One in the left hand gully (going upwards) by Yeoman Hey reservoir and one in the left hand gully of the very top reservoir (Greenfield) This one flew out of the gully when it saw me and sat on the reservoir edge for a good while in the open. Neither ringed as far as I could see
-- Edited by Tim Crossley on Wednesday 10th of March 2010 01:17:40 PM
Another pair nest building in Greenfield yesterday. One of the pair was colour-ringed (so a local bird) and seen to chase off an intruder from an adjacent territory.
The pair in Mossley mentioned in a previous post were still building in the snow showers on Sunday morning!
Will e-mail Tony Wilkinson with precise details of site.
Dipper gathering moss and nest-building further up the Tame in Mossley last weekend.
This forum is not the place to list nest locations. If you do find a nest site on the eastern side of the county, please e-mail Tony Wilkinson of the South Manchester Ringing Group which is running the Retrapping Adults for Survival project.
Dipper singing this morning from rock on River Tame in Dukinfield just over Dukinfield Bridge, a second bird just beyond in water, looked like it was feeding.
No need to read the ring - the colour combination is enough to identify the individual. As the bird in question was actually being ringed at the time, there's no need to report it to the ringing group either!
Keep up the observations and keep taking those photos.
Hi John, I haven't got any shots where the ring is readable but I'm 99% sure that it will be the same bird I photographed being ringed at Chadkirk in March of last year because this pair have been around for a couple years now.
Images of the bird are on this website here...http://www.manchesterbirding.com/gallery7b.htm
We met last week when looking for the Little Egret at Chadkirk and you photographed a dipper on the brook. I have had a look on your website at the result and note that it is ringed on the right leg. I can't read the ring but wondered if you have any other images which might help identify this bird.
Not sure if it's already been noted, but I reported earlier in the month on the Reddish Vale thread about a Dipper on the bend of the river behind the viaduct...
First one I've seen at Reddish Vale so I might have another look at the weekend to establish if it's likely to be resident there.
Time to resurrect this thread from the depths of the forum archives.
It won't be long before these delightful birds will be scrapping over territories, nest building and showing us a fine example of family life: infidelity incest and infanticide
Better stop there or I'll be given a ticking-off for indulging in anthropomorphism