Illusive little river bird.

The East Lyn River out here in Exmoor in Devon is fierce. It is powering down its rocky course taking no prisoners of any loose vegetation. It has been raining hard on the high moors and although the sun is now shining, the torrents of brown tannic water resulting along the river course are impressive.

We are on the track of an illusive but remarkable little aquatic bird - the dipper. On a quiet river it seems more fish than bird and walks along the riverbed under the water looking for food. Here among the torrents it stays in the dark river edges where the water moves more slowly, putting its head underwater to look for its aquatic insect food. Chestnut brown with light edges to dark feathers giving them an almost fish-scale like appearance and a bright white breast.

They are always moving and those river dark edges make photography very difficult.

Another Exmoor speciality: cream tea (scones and whortleberry jam with wasp.)