July of 2004 was my first visit to Glacier National Park. At Sunrift Gorge, we watched a young dipper, playing in the rushing river. Being young, and being a dipper, he was fairly oblivious to the humans around him. His dark grey plumage blended in beautifully with the rocks he was hopping around. Later, looking at my photos, I was struck by the movement in the river and how the water’s fluidity contrasted with the solidity of the rock and bird.

Dippers on found along mountain streams in the western U.S. They are often seen bobbing along rocks and diving under water in search of insects. Water ouzel is the dipper’s nickname.

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