A dip in the creek?

  

We spent some time watching an American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) in a creek along the Oregon Coast today (5 April 2026).  I had trouble deciding which photos to share, so here are a few different views.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little dipper

  

American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) in a creek near Cape Perpetua, Oregon, on 29 October 2022.

We had fun watching this dipper while it foraged for invertebrates, both in and above the creek.  It would often fly-catch — swooping up to snatch flying insects, perhaps caddisflies:

 

 

It was so fun to see how at home the dipper was along the creek — perched on rocks in riffles, walking along submerged logs, swimming, and diving below the surface, flying upstream and over cascading falls.

Dalí droplets

While walking through the woods this afternoon, this series of droplets caught me eye.  From a distance, I couldn't quite tell what was going on.  It looked a bit surreal — How could the droplets at the lower edge be rising up?

 

Then I realized that the entire lower portion of the scene was a reflection of a narrow icy ledge that was now elevated above the surface of the stream.  So the lower droplets are reflections of the upper droplets.  If you're interested, here's a broader view (below).  The surface of the stream was quiet enough that the reflection was just about perfect!

 

 

During the rain

It has rained almost 3 inches in the last 24 hours!  At times today the National Weather Service reported that it was raining at a rate of 1/2 inch per hour and it issued flash flood warnings.

I went out for a few quick pictures in the late afternoon to document the event.  These images are from a small stream that usually supports just a slow trickle of water.

Looking upstream:

 

Looking downstream:

 

Next to the stream bank:

 

And an audio clip so you can hear what this stream sounded like.  Listen for the combination of a low background roar as the water tumbled and rushed by and bubbling and gurgling sounds here and there.  (Turn up your volume.  And if you're reading this in an e-mail, click on the title of the post above to go to the website to access the sound file.)

flash flood by nhbh