Chum

November 6th, 2020 Species: American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) Location: Goldstream Provincial Park, British Columbia An American Dipper feasts on a newly hatched Chum salmon alevin. I sat near the waters edge for 30 minutes while watching this dipper splash and plunge in the fast flowing river during the Chum salmon spawn of 2020. Dippers are the only family of Passeriformes that display this aquatic behaviour. These spawning events attract dozens of species to the rivers, looking for an easy meal. We often associate the importance of salmon with orcas, bears, wolves, and other charismatic megafauna, but this assiduous species directly and indirectly provides nutrients to hundreds of unique animals, including the curious dipper.