[obol] Unusual Dipper Behavior

[Mike Gellerman]

Unusual Dipper Behavior

We were helping on the Santiam Pass CBC on New Year's Day and hiked into the resort at Clearlake. As we approached the resort we were hearing this remarkable song of trills and whistles and buzzes coming from two different places. We were all (4 of us) at a loss to identify this bird. A few moments later we saw an American Dipper hunting off of a submerged log at the shoreline. It was quite unusual to see a dipper in a perfectly still lake so we admired it for a few minutes and returned to hunting our mystery bird. After several minutes of convincing myself we had an "Alpine Mockingbird or Thrasher" in our midst (not really, but we were a little tired and cold) I realized that this cacophony was coming from the dipper right in front of us. And, if that was not strange enough there was a second dipper across the cove hunting in the perfectly still lake from the shore and matching the first bird call for call. I have watched alot of Dippers in my life but I have never seen som!
 ething like this.

By the way, the resident Trumpeter Swan at Clearlake was there and trumpting along with a mixed group of Common Goldeneyes, Ring-necked Ducks and Buffleheads.

Mike Gellerman