Here we are this is the time
Like a dream coming to life
We live for moments like these
We come alive in moments like these
I try to take a breath. Thoughts racing through my head.
I try to capture it, but a picture can't hold what a heart is feeling.
I just wanna stop the world from spinning,
Slow it all down for a minute so that I can take it in.
The song above accurately reflects our evening by the river with the brown dipper family.
After a long birding day we were extremely tired and hungry, so we stopped by the bridge for tea and Maggi. While the tea was going to take 10 minutes to prepare, and 2 minutes for the maggi, our eyes began to scout the river below, where we saw Plumbeous water redstart, White-capped redstart, and a brown dot far out in the upstream that was undoubtedly a brown dipper.
Every hungry and fatigued soul instinctively snapped it from the top of the bridge, but it was simply too far away to capture even a record shot. The steps leading down to the rivers were staring at us, but our stomachs were screaming for food. While our minds were still debating whether or not to go, our legs had already chosen to descend the long steep 40-50 stairs to get a better view. And before we knew it, four of us were near the river, with a clear view of the Brown Dipper.
With well-coordinated efforts, we gradually came closer and took our positions. The light was terrible, but it was exciting to see the dipper so close. We didn't know we had signed up for a "एक पे एक फ्री" offer until another one landed on the same rock, making it double exciting.
We enjoyed watching them bob, call, preen, and of course dip. We watched them getting lost in the water and reappear out of nowhere on the rocks nearby.
Just then, a third one appeared, and while we were still trying to figure out what had happened, the fourth one entered. They chased each other and flew away playfully. The light was too low for our camera to capture that, but our eyes followed them until they disappeared as the river turned.
Four happy "girls" after attending the dipper show by the riverside, were now climbing back the steep stairs, with no sign of hunger or slightest feeling of tiredness. Each on of us was cherishing extraordinary experience.
For those who are wondering what happened to the Maggi, we ate it cold but it did not matter anymore!
This video was possible only because of well coordinated efforts by Anupreeta, Shewta and Swapana and equally supporting Veena, Meena, Shivali and Shefali! A 2 min video is bit long in 10 sec attention span era, but could not edit any moment.
Click here for the Youtube Video link (prefer watching on a bigger screen) https://youtu.be/frlAyllyq0o
Brown Dippers
If you loved the dippers video, you will love the BTS video and the glimpse of the habitat too.
Girls taking positions while the dipper was looking away!
Thanks to Meena Kinikar for capturing this from the top of the bridge.
The dipper scape in the evening!
We were really not in the mood to leave that place!