One of Ecology Matters’ directors, Tony Cross, has been monitoring and ringing Dippers in Shropshire and the borders for many years. Recently there has been an increase in the monitoring effort on the back of funding by various bodies and the listing of the Dipper as a Biodiversity Action Plan species for Shropshire.

A recent report, produced in conjunction with Leo Smith and John Swift makes interesting, if disturbing, reading. Dipper populations on the lower reaches of the main study rivers have all declined markedly and the body mass of adult and juvenile dippers, of both sexes, has dropped significantly.

Click this link to download Adobe PDF of the report.

shrops-dipper-report