{"id":15157,"date":"2014-06-06T03:30:46","date_gmt":"2014-06-06T09:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=15157"},"modified":"2025-06-06T10:57:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T15:57:39","slug":"still-on-a-lifer-streak-american-dipper-with-prey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/06\/06\/still-on-a-lifer-streak-american-dipper-with-prey\/","title":{"rendered":"Still On A Lifer Streak – American Dipper With Prey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I photographed another lifer! An American Dipper with prey at Cascade Springs above the Heber Valley of Utah. I went looking for a juvenile Saw-whet Owl that people had seen and reported the day before and got sidetracked by the only aquatic North American Songbird.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican Dipper and prey – Nikon D7100, handheld, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 321mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

American Dippers actually swim under water using their wings to find their prey in fast moving streams with rocks and logs in them. They can even walk on the streambed under the water.<\/p>\n

They truly are songbirds and their song is quite beautiful, it can be heard here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This image was taken with my new Nikon D7100 on day two of using it and I am enjoying it so far. My D300 has been acting up and I have grown 3,514 new gray hairs waiting for Nikon to come out with the D400 (or possible D9300). Maybe it is only 1,727 new gray hairs, I haven’t had time to stop and count them.<\/p>\n

Most of the time the dipper stayed in the shade but for a few brief moments it perched on a rock in the rushing water in bright sunlight. Of course I had some green vegetation that was in front of the dipper’s tail and part of its wing. Hopefully the next time I photograph an American Dipper I will be better prepared and my heart won’t nearly jump out of my chest from excitement.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my American Dipper photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I photographed another lifer! An American Dipper with prey at Cascade Springs in the Heber Valley of Utah. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2590,27,2593],"tags":[4004,10264,13793,2591,2594,2679,4021,2592,16075,16497,4069,4106,165],"class_list":["post-15157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-dippers","category-avian","category-cascade-springs","tag-adult","tag-alpine-creek","tag-alpine-stream","tag-american-dipper","tag-aquatic","tag-aquatic-songbird","tag-bird-photography","tag-cinclus-mexicanus","tag-dipper","tag-dippers","tag-mountains","tag-prey","tag-spring"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/american-dipper-ouzel-mia-mcpherson-1203.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-3Wt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15924,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/09\/24\/juvenile-american-dippers\/","url_meta":{"origin":15157,"position":0},"title":"Juvenile American Dippers","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The drive to Cascade Springs was beautiful yesterday with the beginnings of fall colors on the mountains but for me the best part was photographing American Dippers again.","rel":"","context":"In "American Dippers"","block_context":{"text":"American Dippers","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gnatcatchers-kinglets-and-others\/american-dippers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Dipper juvenile, Cascade Springs, Wasatch National Forest, Wasatch County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/american-dipper-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9949.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/american-dipper-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9949.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/american-dipper-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9949.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/american-dipper-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9949.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40518,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/07\/14\/jackpot-lifer-northern-pygmy-owl-with-prey\/","url_meta":{"origin":15157,"position":1},"title":"Jackpot! Lifer Northern Pygmy-Owl with Prey","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I went looking for a mammal species yesterday and dipped on them but hit the jackpot by getting a lifer bird, a Northern Pygmy-Owl and it had prey!","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Northern Pygmy-Owl with prey, Centennial Mountains, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/northern-pygmy-owl-prey-mia-mcpherson-3740.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/northern-pygmy-owl-prey-mia-mcpherson-3740.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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wasn't much above 20\u00b0F when I photographed him as he consumed the vole bit by bit.","rel":"","context":"In "American Kestrels"","block_context":{"text":"American Kestrels","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/falcons\/american-kestrel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"attempting to lift off with prey, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/american-kestrel-male-prey-mia-mcpherson-5615.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/american-kestrel-male-prey-mia-mcpherson-5615.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/american-kestrel-male-prey-mia-mcpherson-5615.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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McPherson","date":"March 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In some shrubs next to Glover Pond I saw two sparrows and the one that quickly drew my eye was a lovely first winter Harris's Sparrow, jackpot, a lifer!","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Northern Harrier hovering over a grassy field, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-hovering-mia-mcpherson-8488.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-hovering-mia-mcpherson-8488.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-hovering-mia-mcpherson-8488.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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