Cheviot Return (Pt11) Dipper
By: snowgood
Tags: Dipper, Northumberland, The Cheviot
We were losing height rapidly, but every so often Jim stopped to listen.
A babbling brook is a sound that feeds the soul.
Fresh water filtered by peat, illuminated by sunshine.
An audible tonic to those living within the confines of the London commuter belt.
As we walked we talked.
I’m always flagging up details on what we might see, or can hear.
Jim was up front when this friendly dipper appeared before us.
To those of you not into birds they look a bit like a well fed robin, with a white breast.
Unlike the garden bird these have a more aquatic party trick.
They feed in brooks and rivers by diving in, and walking underwater.
Dippers live off insect larvae and freshwater shrimps.
I’m not sure what you’d expect to see in such a tiny stream, but Jim was quick to point out sizeable fish in pools further downstream.
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