WHENEVER I sit by a waterfall and watch a dipper diving into the rapid current I wonder just how the bird manages to dive beneath the water.

I found an old Victorian text book which stated that dippers grabbed hold of a stone and then used this as a weight to make it sink!

Actually nature is even more clever than this and the correct explanation has been provided by experts on the science of physics.

The dipper holds its wings at an angle to the current and the force of the water pushes the dipper down onto the bed of the river.

The bird then grabs hold of a stonefly and mayfly larvae which makes up the bulk of its diet. No other species has this method of feeding and thus the dipper has selected a unique feeding habitat.

The dipper has the shape of a large robin with a very prominent white breast and a stump of a tail.

The British dipper is present all the year round, but in winter it is joined by the continental dipper.

The two types can be distinguished by the fact that between the white breast and the black belly the British dipper has an orange band. This orange band is not present in the Continental Dipper.

Dippers cope with freezing conditions better than most other species because fast moving water hardly ever freezes.

The dipper looks very attractive but it is also a little toughie!