SPRING AT COTTERDALE: THE RIVER

   We were lucky enough at the holiday cottage to have a beck run along the bottom of the garden which was home to both Grey Wagtails and Dippers although as it turned out the wagtails were not very obliging and very difficult to photograph but fortunately for me a few miles down the road at West Burton there were two pairs of Grey Wagtail nesting near to the waterfall that were very used to people and gave me excellent views.

   At the start of the week the adults obviously had young in the nest as they spent a lot of time collecting insects such as mayflies until their beaks could hold no more and returning to their nest alongside the waterfall. However at the end of the week when we returned the young had fledged and the parents were busy feeding three hungry chicks and I managed to get some pictures of them feeding even though the light was very harsh. The chicks were separated from each other along the riverbank below the waterfall but the parents knew exactly where they were and it was fascinating to sit and watch them.

   There were two pairs of Dippers along the beck and soon became apparent that both pairs were feeding young, one nesting under a nearby bridge and the other alongside a waterfall known as 'Cotter Force' and I managed to get some average shots of the parent birds without getting very close. During the week the young at the waterfall fledged but managed to get into a position mid way down the falls that made them very difficult to see, however the dryer conditions later in the week meant that the water levels had dropped and I found that by wading in the river below the falls with wellies on gave me unobstructed if distant views of the youngsters and I was able to grab some record shots of them. On the day the photos of the chicks were taken the temperature was in single figures with a cool breeze and I found that after two hours standing in the freezing water I had lost all feeling in my feet and it took ages to warm up back in the cottage. The things I will suffer for a few photographs!