11th April. A Brief Dip

There are some bits of habitat that you just know look right for certain birds. Dead trees that look perfect for hunting shrikes, light towers for Little Owls and cow shit for rare wheatears. So everyday when I cross the river I scan the weir, below the footbridge that leads to Orgreave's lakes, and look through the discarded fridge freezers, hazardous waste and old pallets for Dippers. So perhaps it was no surprise that this morning, whilst walking towards bridge I heard the familiar song of a Dipper. Not a rare bird in Sheffield, but there was something about connecting with this one, singing away on one of Europes (formerly) most polluted rivers.

Sadly the camera was still set up for the previous days sunshine, consequently the photos are crap.