One of the interesting birds I encountered in Waterton Canyon was the American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus). This is a very unique bird, with some interesting behaviors. The American Dipper is a medium-sized bird, with a full-body (appears “chubby”). The dipper can be found around many western mountain streams and mountain lakes, where they forage in the water for their food. The unique thing about the dipper is that it will jump into the water and “hunt” underwater, where it can both swim and walk. Here are a few images I captured of this fun little bird:
In this next image, he is contemplating going back into the frigid waters:
And without warning, in the water he goes. In this next image, he is in the water, by the edge of the ice:
A fun little bird!
Photographic Equipment Used:
- Canon 5D Mark 3 body
- Canon EF 100mm-400mm, f/4.5-f/5.6 IS lens + Canon 1.4x TC (shot at 560mm)
- Handheld, with IS “On”
- ISO 400
- Aperture f/11
- Shutter 1/320 sec.