PotM Calendar
The Photo of the Month (see gallery) is a year-round calendar of wildlife and nature images with story contributions from visitors, friends and fellow photographers.
When it comes to nature photography, it's not only those exciting tales of high adventure that often accompany talent and skill for a fabulous result. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a well-timed shot or a well-framed one can say as much about you as a photographer, too. So, if you'd like to showcase one of your pictures here, free, for one calendar month with a bio or personal account, then this page is for you.
Winning One for the Dipper by Roger Cox
Tipton St John, Devon
On the far side of an upland river, a small plump bird with sooty-brown wings, a rich brown back and head, a flashy white throat and breast, and a wren-like tail flits between some boulders and logs. On returning to several favourite landing spots, it incessantly bobs. First, on the far side of a rocky outcrop, then mid-stream on a large stone, and finally, across to the other side of the river to a broken branch just above the water’s surface, where it momentarily pauses, and then dives.
One of the many intriguing characteristics of the dipper. The only aquatic songbird in the world, with several remarkable adaptations, like extra oxygen-carrying capacity in its blood, large clawed feet for submersible walking, underwater vision and special flaps to cover its nostrils when diving. They can hunt to a depth of 50 cm, using their muscular wings to navigate currents for whatever they can catch or detach from the rocks, stones and plants below; feeding mainly on freshwater shrimp, small fish, fish eggs, caddisflies, stoneflies, mayflies, and their larvae.
As champions of cascading turbulent waters, their thick down and well-oiled feathers not only help them withstand the chilling and drowning effects of the torrents they thrive on but also enable them to fly through waterfalls, which they typically nest behind to conceal and protect their young - an adaptation and key survival strategy that has once again proven to be another unbeatable win for the dipper.
Special announcements or simple hellos. Place your message or link here as part of your PotM agreement. With six places left for 2026, the PotM Calendar is closed until June 17th. To learn more about posting news, comments and events under a PotM agreement, please visit our Terms of Use page, where you can submit your photo (along with your story) during the last two weeks of every month.