Still Dipping

Another set of photos of the Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii) from Oyukaeri-kawa. This one was taken on the morning of November 28. This time I brought the external flash with me and used it to photograph the bird. I found that it really helped open up the details in the dark feathers of the bird. But there's still one problem I'm still struggling about, the problem of angle. Because the area is very limited, there's only a few places where I can sit and wait for the bird, while it can't notice me. All of the places are high up in the river bank, 2 or 3 metres above the river, so I just couldn't get any low angle shot of the bird. I can't use very low speed to make the water smooth as well, as the bird is always active. This is the only problem I've got to solve!

Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii pallasii)

You can tell it quite easily which photos used and didn't use flash. The bird's plumage looks really dark without flash light. With flash, the dark chocolate brown pigment of the feathers is brightened up. There are actually several open perches where the bird often perches on, but it is very difficult to get close to the bird while it is perching in the open. I think it would be a bit easier if I use a hide. The thing is I don't have one.