Cold winds and wintery showers.
27th March 2026
A very cold wind still endures and frequent wintery showers persist in the Brecon Beacons.
Yesterday morning I went for a short walk along the River Usk which is near to where I live. I was sitting under a tree on the banks of one of the small tributaries that feed the above river, trying to shelter from the wind when I could hear a Dipper singing downstream – they have a surprisingly pleasant song.
The song then changed to a flight call, which is a series of sharp peeps, uttered every couple of seconds as they fly.
Dippers, like Kingfishers have short wings, built for the job, and they fly low over the water in a direct line from A to B so to speak. Finally I could see it coming in my direction landing with consummate ease on a large wet rock some twenty yards away.
I always marvel at these little birds, they are so dextrous in the way they navigate their way around fast flowing water, and they are so waterproof, much more so than a Kingfisher e.g. which looks bedraggled after exiting the water. Dippers never look wet - except for a few beads of water on their feathers which quickly run off.
It stayed on the rock for about ten seconds, surveying the area before flying off upstream, disappearing from view.
Lovely birds, a privilege to see.
Yesterday morning I went for a short walk along the River Usk which is near to where I live. I was sitting under a tree on the banks of one of the small tributaries that feed the above river, trying to shelter from the wind when I could hear a Dipper singing downstream – they have a surprisingly pleasant song.
The song then changed to a flight call, which is a series of sharp peeps, uttered every couple of seconds as they fly.
Dippers, like Kingfishers have short wings, built for the job, and they fly low over the water in a direct line from A to B so to speak. Finally I could see it coming in my direction landing with consummate ease on a large wet rock some twenty yards away.
I always marvel at these little birds, they are so dextrous in the way they navigate their way around fast flowing water, and they are so waterproof, much more so than a Kingfisher e.g. which looks bedraggled after exiting the water. Dippers never look wet - except for a few beads of water on their feathers which quickly run off.
It stayed on the rock for about ten seconds, surveying the area before flying off upstream, disappearing from view.
Lovely birds, a privilege to see.