The first flying Dipper this winter season

I have a short-term goal and that is to capture a flying White-throated Dipper this winter season.

Everyone whom has tried this knows that a flying Dipper is really hard to get. I managed a couple of photos during the breeding season, but there are of course room for improvement. I find the White-throated Dippers a rewarding photo subject and I know where to find them.

You might ask why I set a hard goal like this, but it is simply because I want hone my skills. I also get to know my cameras better and that is a big plus. One could of course go for the normal stationary pictures of the bird, but I have those pictures already. I need something else and that is another reason why I chose to try to capture a flying Dipper.

Today is the first time this season that I tried it. The reason behind this is lack of sunshine and lots of rain. Now there is a turn in the weather and the last few days have meant less rain and temperatures below zero. It seems this high pressure is here to stay. If the forecast is correct, then I will give it another try in the middle of next week.

How did my first flying session went?

Well I got lucky and found one White-throated Dipper that played along nicely. It stayed in front of me for almost 30 minutes actively searching for food. Normally they can do this standing on stones in the middle of Säveån. Today that was impossible due to the amount of water. The water level is really high and that gives me better conditions of capturing the flying bird. Instead of diving from the stones they now have to fly from the bank and plunge themselves into the water.

Still not the easiest to capture as they fly towards you. That is hard for most cameras. Instead, you need to rely on pure luck. You set a predetermined focus point and when the bird moves into focus you need to press the shutter and hope luck is on your side.

Did I get lucky?

I think I nailed one picture on maybe the eight try. What really interested me was to see how they approached the plunge as it seemed to me that they always went into the water with the feet first. At times I also saw how the flying bird just landed with the chest in the water and skidded toward without going submerged. It was nice to witness this and I must give this a couple of more tries as the conditions really seem favorable at the moment.

In the gallery you will find pictures from my last two outings. It over a month in between, but the pictures are all from the same location.

Please enjoy the gallery.

Photo Gallery: The first flying Dipper this winter season