American Dipper

During our trip to Yellowstone last week I had the opportunity to photograph a few new birds for my life list. One of my new lifers was an American dipper. I had no idea what this bird was when I photographed it. It looked a lot like a plump cowbird but I was pretty sure it was not a cowbird because I found it in the rapids of the Yellowstone River.Fortunately it closed its eyes for a moment and I was able to photograph it with its white eye lid showing, above, which helped me to identify it.

 Dippers live around clean rushing waters. They forage the rocky bottoms of rivers and streams for aquatic insects, larvae, small fish and crustaceans. Many live in cold climates, such as mountains, and do not migrate south during the winter unless the water freezes up. Thick down feathers as well as a low metabolic rate help the dipper to survive the cold. Not the most colorful bird but still exciting because it was a lifer.