Tremough Surprise (28th January)

I was wandering around campus in the afternoon picking twigs of different tree species in order to later ID them for my "Field Techniques in Conservation Biology and Ecology" module and thought I'd cross the road to the stream that runs literally right past the campus in the hope of finding a few new trees to pillage their foliage.  I suddenly remembered that Dipper had been recorded here before and as soon as my hopeful mind began to speculate a DIPPER came whizzing into view and landed neatly in the stream only meters from where I was stood!  I could barely believe my chances and still rather surprised it had chosen such a minor stream as its wintering home I began texting birding friends on campus to spread the news that it was perched and feeding only about 100 meters from my flat!

Dipper! taken in the pouring rain and with a mini digital compact camera

After an all too short period of time it decided to fly off, shot through a tunnel and disappeared upstream.  In the hope of refnding it, I wandered a little further upstream.  The thought of Thetford and its Black-bellied came to mind and hitting myself on the head for not checking I tried extra hard to attempt to relocate it.  Barely seconds after slapping my forehead, I found it once again sat casually in the stream dipping away as Dippers do.  Not a Black-bellied Unfortunately.