Searching for the White-throated Dipper along Säveån at Jonsered

I decided earlier in the week that I wanted to try a new site for White-throated Dipper photography. I had one particular in mind and that was the factory complex in Jonsered along Säveån.

I know the area and had an idea of what I could expect from it. The only real downside is that the area is much bigger and I have to be lucky if I am to get any photos.

We are now at midwinter and only have 6h30m of sun each day so I can´t start the days as early as I want so I arrived at Jonsered at around 10:00 am. I parked the car and started the walk to a bend in Säveån where they have a small landing stage for rubber boats and canoes. I saw many Mallard Ducks in the water during the short walk and also a few female Goldeneyes but I couldn’t see and White-throated Dippers. I sat myself down on the landing stage and waited for things to unfold. You can´t be in a hurry because then you miss all the action. I soon discovered a couple of Squirrels doing a case and also some Blue Tits and Great Tits. I didn´t have to wait that long before I saw the first White-throated Dipper flying close over the water surface. It landed on the other bank and started to actively search for food. Sadly the distance was a little too far, but I sat there watching the small bird until it flew away in the direction I came from.

So I took my gear and headed back while searching for the bird. I soon discovered it again, but still it was too far away. Instead I decided to see if I could cross over to the other side to see if I could get close to the bird that way. I hurried my steps because the morning was really cold and I wanted more or less to go home. As I approached the walking bridge over Säveån I saw something. It came flying and landed on the left side of the bridge. It was a White-throated Dipper. I didn´t want to approach the bird straight on because then it would probably have flew of so I walked down under the bridge on the opposite side of where the bird landed. I walked slowly and stopped and sat down when I was 10 meters from the bird. Sadly it flew away, but it didn´t go that far. It just sat on a branch hanging over the water surface before it decided to come back.

I must admit that I was really luck for it put on a show for me for 20-30 minutes actively searching for food. I got some good portrait pictures, but I couldn´t use a high shutter speed due to the light. I show four pictures here and one of them is when the bird is searching for food. That behavior is something that I want to take better picture of, but I have to wait until we get some decent light before I can try again.

This is the best photo of the day for me. It is a portrait, but it also have the extra element of water drops and one is actually looking like a tear. It is a nice picture with the glint in the eye and you can see the structure of the feathers. I find it extra interesting to see how few water drops there are on the bird because it has just come out of the water and this is how it look shortly after doing a quick shake.

Photo Gallery: Searching for the White-throated Dipper along Säveån at Jonsered