I had my first opportunity to photograph the baby Dippers today and I am very glad to say that everything is progressing splendidly. I watched from under cover nearby and with a clear view of the nest then as soon as the female left the nest and flew up river to feed I took the opportunity to check the nest. It is not necessary for me to do this daily but I am keen to know if the chicks are thriving. By using a small LED light I can see the chicks in the nest quickly without too much disturbance. The chicks, all 4, are now covered in very long charcoal-grey down, they are darker than they were on the day of hatching. I have been able to record some interesting behaviour today. The female left the nest several times in the 2 hours that I was watching this afternoon, not only to feed herself but also returned with food to carry back to the nest. This is a contradiction to other descriptions of breeding Dippers that I have read that suggest that the female does not help to feed the chicks until they are at least 10 days old. In this pair the female is already deffinitely helping to feed the chicks in the nest today and the chicks are 3 and 4 days old now. The male in particular is very industrious and constantly, either food or delivering it to the nest. There is going to be a video clip posted in the next half an hour so please check back.