Dippers in Cumbria!

Wednesday 15th October 2025

River Derwent, Workington Cumbria

Thanks to Sara, I made my first visit to Cumbria since 2019. We travelled up by train on Monday, October 13th, and returned on Thursday, October 16th. The main focus was to meet up with family, but I did get the chance to walk by the River Derwent, my usual "hotspot" for Dippers.

Initially, it was just me and my sister Joan but we were joined later on by my other sister Marilyn.  

• I spotted the first Dipper just north of Calva Bridge.  It was on the far side of the river and moving along the stony waters.
• Further upriver, Joan spotted another..
• When Marilyn joined us, we backtracked to Calva Bridge, where she soon picked out the Dipper and watched it fly under the bridge. We crossed the road and soon caught sight of it again.
• We followed the river upstream on the Barepot side where Marilyn picked out another Dipper, our fourth sighting of the day.

It's been six years since I last saw this bird, so I was delighted with how things turned out!

2025 species count = 193

193  Dipper