Dipping out

I am always enthusiastic that exciting and interesting records of wildlife are passed on to specialists or to the Gloucestershire Environmental Records Centre. But sometimes it is impossible not to become a little bit envious when told of a particularly good record. That is what happened this afternoon when I was phoned by Margaret, who had just enjoyed a particularly fine walk with Milli the dog.

Travelling around the UK is a good way of seeing the richness of the countryside. But the downside of travel is the dull time spent in comfortable but characterless hotel rooms. My temporary accommodation in Antrim has given me views of the local Swallows, Greenfinches and the occasional ‘hoodie’. What it does not have is a cheerful little river burbling along outside.

The redevelopment of the old Listers site in Dursley has now generated some wildlife wins. The River Cam, which was for many years imprisoned for over a mile within a dirty, polluted pipeline, has once again been opened to the air. Now much more free flowing, the river has cleaned itself of the silt and dirt that it had accumulated. It is clear and should support a greater range of invertebrates.

That has been supported by Margaret’s unexpected sighting of a young Dipper and one of its parents not 100 metres from our house. The Dipper’s disappearance from many of England’s rivers has been an indication that water quality had declined worryingly.

The Dipper is a fascinating bird with the amazing skill of being able to walk along the bottom of even fast flowing watercourses whilst searching for insect food. It looks a little like an oversized Wren with a distinctive white bib. Now, I have never seen a Dipper on the Cam and I don’t see or hear the Kingfisher as frequently as Margaret. Despite being a conservation professional, I have no confidence in beating her to the double that she is now looking forward to. To see a Dipper and a Kingfisher in one view really would be something and put the Cam firmly on the wildlife map.

Photograph (c) Richard Carter on Flickr