Ivy bees and a dipper by the river Ashburn

The river Ashburn in its stone-lined channel near the centre of Ashburton showing the large bank of ivy and to the right, North Road

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As the river Ashburn approaches the centre of the south Devon town of Ashburton on its descent from Dartmoor, it runs along a stone-lined channel close to North Road giving the area a distinctly watery feel.    The rapidly running water attracts wildlife so I always stop to look.

Today, a long section of the wall on the road side of the stream is covered in ivy which at this time of year (late September) is in full flower.  Each flower head contains many small pale green hemispheres each topped with five yellow pollen-laden stamens.  The overall effect is to give the normally dark green bush a temporary pale green coat with a glistening yellow sheen.  The flowers are a rich late season source of pollen and nectar and give off a sickly-sweet odour perfuming the surrounding air, providing an irresistible lure for insects. 

There is a cool blustery wind but there have been hints of sunshine and I notice some wasps and honeybees feeding from the ivy along with one or two distinctively marked bees with bright yellow hoops around their abdomen (see picture above and below).  With their pale chestnut-haired thorax, these are ivy bees (Colletes hederae) our last solitary bee to emerge each year with a strong preference for feeding from ivy.  These are males as their back legs lack pollen collecting hairs.  They move about quickly from flower to flower and are very jumpy.  They are waiting for females to emerge and their enthusiasm sometimes bubbles over into misguided mating attempts between males.

I can’t help glancing at the running water and suddenly I notice a flash of white.  It’s rather far away so I use my camera zoom and find that this is a bird standing on a branch in the water.  Photos show its chocolate brown plumage and a prominent white bib, unmistakeably a dipper (Cinclus cinclus).  Dippers are elusive birds, at home by fast running water but always on the move and they get their name from the frequent bobbing movements they usually perform.  This one seems more interested in preening and stretching its wings but it does a little dip for good measure (see video below). 

I look back to check on the bees for a few moments but when I return to the dipper, it has already moved on.

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Two male ivy bees on a head of ivy flowers

Two overexcited male ivy bees

A still photograph of the dipper

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I visited Ashburton on September 27th 2023 and all the photos and the video were taken on that day,