Dipper: Why you should keep your eyes peeled on the early birds this winter

They live in rushing waters and it is a pleasure to watch one bobbing up and down on a rock in the stream before dropping into the water and disappearing,

Dippers are well adapted to this life, collecting most of their food, mainly caddisfly larvae, by walking underwater on the bottom of streams.

They have a third transparent eyelid called a Nictitating membrane that they can close but are still able to see underwater.

Their dark brown plumage with white breast and chestnut stomach is thick and waterproof to enable them to survive in the chilly temperatures.

Dippers hold territories throughout the year, with males and females holding rival territories next to each other along the river.

But now they are pairing up again and can be seen flying low over the water making short sharp cries as they go and chasing any rival dippers away.

They are also starting to sing again after being quiet for two months, a sweet trilling sound like the song of a wren.

They are also starting repair work on their large, sometimes football sized, nests often behind a waterfall but also behind other man made structures such as weirs, bridges and even in one case behind the wheel of a working watermill.

Perhaps the best known place to look for dippers is on the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey but there are plenty of other places where an early New Year walk can be combined with a dipper sighting.