I spotted a nesting pair of American Dippers outside of Deadwood on the Whitewood Creek. I sat quietly along the creek and watched both parents take turns feeding their baby dippers. One of the parents hit the jackpot finding a big delicious caddisfly larvae. The larvae was tenderized on a rock and then a quick rinse in the stream before being delivered to the young dippers.  Both parents are tagged, and are being monitored by the South Dakota Natural Heritage Program staff.  It was really enjoyable to see and photograph.

Other Dipper Reads

Threatened or Endangered species review by the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks. The American Dipper review starts on page 3 – https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/nav/status-reviews.pdf

About the South Dakota Natural Heritage Program – https://gfp.sd.gov/natural-heritage-program/

Threatened bird in South Dakota stable but not expanding – https://www.newscenter1.tv/threatened-bird-in-south-dakota-stable-but-not-expanding/