THE AQUATIC SONGBIRD

Fly-fishing, chasing hatches and hunting for large trout has been my passion since childhood and for as long as I can remember has preoccupied even my dreams. It would seem irrational to suggest that anything other than fish and hatches consume most of my thoughts a great deal of the time. A fairly accurate assessment would be to assume the majority of avid fly fishermen generally direct their attention solely on the goal of finding and catching fish on most any fishing trip. That is until you try to rationally picture what an outing on stream would be like without the sights, sounds and smells created by the forests and creatures that share our fishing world with us. I would ask you to go to a quiet place right now, close your eyes and imagine your out on a stream and there is no sights sounds or smells what an empty place this would be.

The sights, sounds and smells of the natural world are all secondary pleasures to our primary purpose on a fishing trip. They may be a secondary pleasure but they are a pleasant distraction that makes me very happy and helps me to feel connected with my surroundings when fishing. Especially when I become a little drained from the intense concentration matching the hatch can demand. I have no problem setting aside a little time between rising fish and hatches to watch a dipper enthusiastically go about its daily routine. They are the darlings of high elevation streams and the only true aquatic songbird. Trying to picture my world without fly-fishing and the creatures that inhabit the proximity to the places I hold dear to my heart leaves me with a deep emptiness.

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One creature that resides on many of Alberta’s higher elevation streams that I personally have a very spiritual connection to is the (water ouzel) or dipper which has been described as the only true aquatic songbird. To this day the Dipper has been a harbinger of things to come on any fishing trip where I have come in contact with them; I have frequently experienced the pleasure of sharing some time with the Dipper on stream and the added pleasure of a wonderful days fishing. This transpiring heartfelt attachment has spilled over from a distant more innocent period in my early childhood. This attachment contains some of my fondest memories that remain filed away safely in my memory even to this day of some of my most cherished fishing trips. I don’t think my dad ever knew how excited I was the night before a special trip to our favorite stream the Mac Jack on northern Vancouver Island. I was so excited I usually never slept a wink the night before such a treasured occasion. Even now whenever I am fishing, the first glimpse of a dipper instantly transports me back to those early years to the sights, thoughts and smells I experienced on my first fishing excursions with my dad whom I loved and respected very much, move me deeply. It also helps me to understand why I have become so attached to the streams, the fish that inhabit them and the creatures that co-exist along them.

The dipper is one of those special creatures that hold an instant attraction for most perceptive anglers. As a matter, a fact it’s hard not to notice a water ouzel anxiously dipping and intermittently fluttering about just over the stream surface in quick graceful low-level airborne flights. It can be quite entertaining when a dipper unexpectedly appears as they innocently drop in to share a desired piece of water with an angler on their favorite stream. Dashing from one choice rock to the next intelligently selecting their next preferred dining platform that holds the likely prospect of some lavish aquatic invertebrate dining. Reaching the next ambush point, they quickly two step into their pre-dive dipping and dancing then instantly in the next moment; they quickly evaporate under a fold of water created by a well-placed boulder. Low and behold only to reappear on the stream surface at the tail end of a pool to begin the whole dining process over again.

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Dippers are not an overly curious creature they neither seek nor shirk your company; however their actions and habits do attract your attention. They are a part of our fishing world due to the mutual interests that the angler, the cutthroat and this bird share between them; high mountain streams, cold clear water and a genuine interest in aquatic insects. The Dipper inhabits the higher elevation mountain streams of western North America and has much the same requirements as any self-respecting angler. Healthy dipper populations require a clean un-crowded stream ecosystem and they depend upon a permanent source of, clean, cold and swift water, as well as rich aquatic insect populations to nurture and ensure their well-being. It is not surprising that many modern day angler’s thoughts are constantly occupied with the remedial, peaceful and enriching virtues of freedom and wellbeing that Southern Alberta’s high elevation streams inadvertently and innocently serve up for besieged, fragile and frazzled nerves. The Dippers home range is eloquently nestled in the rich valleys that lie within the cradle of the Canadian Rockies whose ruggedly picturesque peaks tend over wild roaming valleys which in turn frame the margins of precious streams. Within these ribbons of healing water run rich currents that pull constantly at the devoted angler’s waders as well as heart strings not to mention the sleek aerodynamic shapes of wild beautifully well adapted precious cutthroat trout that also call these haunts their homes.

Even when I am separated from my beloved trout streams and for a fleeting moment for some unforeseen reason I think of the Dipper. When I do my mind instantly transports me to the high elevation streams of the Rockies or the rugged yet temperate coastal streams of British Columbia. Where wonderful west slope and coastal cutthroat trout reside and prosper in such wild pristine waters. Modern day society may demand water from our streams, land holdings adjacent to river corridors and the general well being of our beloved trout streams. However, they will never dampen my love, passion, enthusiasm and genuine memories of a sport I hold very dear to my heart. The Dipper is one of those environmental indicators that can give us all hope that just maybe our trout streams will be okay. As long as there are still dippers residing along our favorite trout streams we can remain enthusiastically optimistic, even if just for a little while, that these places we hold dear will be protected and cared for properly.

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STREAM WEAVER FLIES
3829 – 50A STREET
RED DEER, ALBERTA
CANADA T4P 1E4

E-mail: bedens@shaw.ca

Phone #: (403) 343 - 8699