IMAGE OF THE MONTH

February 2024

Nest Building

A pair of dippers have chosen their nest site and have been busy building their nest with moss and latterly with beech leaves and grasses.  Dippers tend to use traditional nest sites, which are often under bridges. The same domed nest may be used in successive years or a new one built nearby.  Breeding can begin as early as February but with the Scottish climate, expect it to begin from March onwards.   A clutch of 4-5 eggs are laid at daily intervals and they will hatch 16 days later. The chicks will fledge about 3 weeks later and fully independent in just over a month from when they first hatched.