Working on your own projects is a great way of learning more about your chosen subject, while becoming a better wildlife photographer I firmly believe.
Learning how the light changes at different times of day, when wildlife is most active and much more through time spent in the field.
You will also learn so much about the behaviour of your subject and even witness their individual personalities which will show in your images.
The images below show the male Dipper displaying to the female. They sky point with their beaks, flap their wings really quickly, spread their tail feathers while elongating their bodies as they call to the female in a show of strength and devotion, it’s beautiful to witness.
Two pairs of Dippers built their nest’s on the same river, in different parts of the Peak District National Park. Over a period of a few months I watched them come together, find and build a home, breed, then raise their young in Peak District National Park.
The nest’s were built by both the male and female over a three week period. The female then laid her eggs, which often is a clutch of 4-5 white eggs. She incubated them by herself for around 16 days until they hatched. The young were then fed by both parents until they fledged the nest.
They continued to be fed by both parents for a week or more after leaving the nest before coming fully independent. During this time it’s thought they still use the nest to roost in.
After all this activity both sets of parents hopefully will start their second brood. This blog post shows just some of the incredible moments I had with these Dippers.
A major food source for Dippers is caddisfly larvae. They build a protective case around their bodies out of debris found in the river. After plucking one from the river, this Dipper brought it ashore and grabbed it by its exposed head.
Then with a few quick flicks of its head the casing around its body flew off, exposing the larvae. Incredible behaviour to witness and photograph.
Using fieldcraft and respect I was able to photograph the Dippers in their own environment while blending into the same habitat to get some incredible encounters with these remarkable birds.
Here are some images showing the young Dippers being fed and showing just how well they blend into their environment.
Always respect nature, work ethically and with integrity. Find your own work, don’t copy others. Work with what is given to you by nature. The results from all of this will really show in your images, many thanks.
#wildlifephotography #ethics #dipper #peakdistrict #nikonz9
The post Dipper Project appeared first on Craig Jones Wildlife Photographer.