Not every story has a storybook ending, sometimes tragedy cannot be helped. Wednesday, something seemed amiss when I arrived at the second nest, there was a surreal quiet to the air. There was a juvenile in the area, and he was getting along by himself. An adult arrived and went into the nest with a fish, he was in there longer than the normal one second, and came out with the fish. The nest was coldly silent while he was in the nest. We watched the nest for the next hour, then I went down river to see what I can find. I did not find any dipper activity. I walked up stream to find what I could, there was one kid at the #2 nest, two about half way between the two nests, and one at the roost. Only two adults could be seen, it was becoming too real; the second female and her brood were gone.

When I got back to the second nest I had to watch, to be certain that there was no activity. An adult returned twice and one time he threw something grey out, I don't want to speculate, because i did not get a picture. Somthing happened between 4 PM Tuesday and 8:30 AM Wednesday. The storybook ending would have been: The second female took all her children, on her back, and flew down river, for some peace and quiet, after all the noisy kids moved in, and they are living well in a secluded, quiet streach of the river.
Blue skies, a thousand shades of green. Standing in water of sapphire and emerald, listening to the river chear and leaves dance. The roar of a baby dipper, breaks through the serenity and fills my soul with warmth and a smile.

But the reality, the first female came down river to check on her kids, and had a confrontation with the second female. The fisrt female chased away the second and went into the nest and annihilated everyone and destroyed the nest cup. If they would have fledged they would have been okay; if she had made the nest just a couple hundred yards down stream they would have been okay. When three fledglings showed at the second nest, on Tuesday, I knew something was about to happen, and I had hoped for something good. If the second brood had fledged, the first mother would have still chased away the second, but she would have cared for her young.

There are not many reports of infanticide, and it was not witnessed, but it is the most logical conclusion. I didn't want to report this with the last post, I need to be sure who was in the area, Friday, I spent walking from the bridge to several hundred meters past the second nest and back. Four juveniles and two adults were all that could be seen.

So we will stick to the right conclusion, she took her young by wing and flew to a much safer and peaceful place.


Now, the parents are working on getting their four out on their own. They are taking the kids out further; one adult will coax a pair up the river a 100 yards, by feeding and getting them to follow. Once they are far enough out the parent quickly flies back. One of the chicks will often follow, the other may take its time. The parents are moving them up and down stream, back and forth across the river, teaching them to be independent, and any time now they will start going off on their own. They are covering about 3/4 mile from the bridge down river, I expect this area to keep expanding, but not much further; the parents are reaching the end of their territory. Both parents are moving their young very methodically up and down the river.


This will be the final entry to this episode, they are into a moving away mode now and there will not be many changes, except the youngsters will be disappearing; the female will be working on a second brood, and we will see what happens when it occurs. It has been sad, Tuesday I saw little ones in the nest, Wednesday the nest and my heart were empty.


http://e-picturebookdesigners.com/walks/fledge6/


Don Wallace
Sequim
don at e-picturebookdesigners.com