Dipper Survey Results

You may remember that back in January we asked for help in undertaking a survey of dippers on the Worth and it's tributaries (We're looking for dipper spotters 19/1/23). A big thanks to those who contributed to the project, your input was valuable. The nesting season is now over so we can review the results. Here are the details from John Tickner who organised the data and also took this lovely photograph of a dipper and fledglings.

Dipper and fledglings (John Tickner).

Dipper observations, Spring 2023

Along the River Worth itself, between Ponden and the confluence in Keighley with North Beck, 6 definite nest sites were identified where adults were seen feeding young.  Nothing was reported to suggest there were any more pairs, except possibly in among the industrial buildings at Ingrow where observation is not so easy.  Individual birds were occasionally reported downstream of the North Beck confluence towards the River Aire, but no nesting identified.
 
Individual birds were reported on Bridgehouse Beck between Ebor Lane and the River Worth confluence, but observations implied that these were birds from either of 2 nearby territories on the Worth itself.
 
Above Haworth on Bridgehouse Beck, Dunkirk Beck and Leeming Beck, no actual nest sites were confirmed, but 4 likely territories were identified, and in at least one of these breeding was successful as fledglings were seen.
 
On North Beck, individual birds were reported at 2 separate locations, around Goose Eye and both sides of Castle Mill, but again no actual nest sites were identified nor breeding confirmed.
 
Thank you to those of you who have taken the trouble to send us your reports.  We hope to have another go next year, learning from our experiences this year, and ideally with a few more folks joining in.  We were struggling for a while to make any sense of a lot of isolated sightings, then in the space of a few days in mid May it became much easier to locate nests as both parents were frantically to and fro trying to satisfy the voracious appetites of their young in the nest.  It appeared that breeding was remarkably synchronised along the river.
 
Dippers are renowned for liking nest sites under bridges, but not all our nests by any means were under bridges, it seems that the old stone walls built all those years ago to contain the river provide an almost unlimited array of possible holes for nesting.  The grey wagtails think so too!

Dipper feeding (John Tickner).