Comments on: What kind of (swimming) bird is this?

Question: What kind of (swimming) bird is this?

everichon — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 08:51:10 -0800

So my wife and I are walking in the park in SW Oregon, and there in the creek is a little starling-lookin' bird on a rock. Brown-black, no markings. The bird jumps in the water, and swims upstream under the water, looking perfectly natural. It came up with a little twig or something, then did it again, and again. It was swimming for distances of 3 to 6 feet. What kind of bird was this?

By: nancoix

nancoix — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 09:03:33 -0800

It was an American Dipper.

By: routergirl

routergirl — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 09:04:27 -0800

Could it be a Dipper?

By: planetkyoto

planetkyoto — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 09:23:30 -0800

Common moorhen? They have quite a song.

By: Hankins

Hankins — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 09:33:21 -0800

Herons can swim underwater for quite a while; however, I doubt that's what it was, since your description suggests it was little.

By: driveler

driveler — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 09:42:08 -0800

Cool that you noticed this. I'd guess American Dipper. Check out John Muir's account of it. He calls it a water-ouzel.

By: stirfry

stirfry — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 09:42:35 -0800

The Dipper is also called a Water Ouzel. Was it this guy?

By: everichon

everichon — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 09:48:47 -0800

I think it had to be the Dipper. It was very trippy to watch, not knowing that there are such birds. It was like, "Can you do that?".

By: gentle

gentle — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 12:20:00 -0800

As a brief aside, I was diving (in the Oslo fjord, in Norway) last year and while at a shallow depth of about 10 meters I was startled to see a largish white bird swimming around us. You often see birds dive into the water and then immediate ascend; but this one was swimming around, wings partially unfolded, taking its time, quickly but calmly, for more than 20 seconds. I believe it was a tern; the BBC documentary miniseries The Blue Planet shows a similar species, or perhaps the same species, diving deeply into a school of fish. Fascinating to watch.

By: piskycritter

piskycritter — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 15:14:18 -0800

startled to see a largish white bird swimming around us

I suspect it was a gannet.

By: gentle

gentle — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 20:46:13 -0800

piskycritter, I think you're right. Thanks.