Wildlife photography of an American Dipper standing in water holding an autumn leaf in its beak

From a rock perch, an American Dipper has emerged with a leaf, hoping in vain to have found a meal. A plucky resident of swift, clear Rocky Mountain streams, the American Dipper is North America’s only aquatic songbird. It dives, swims, and even walks underwater, feeding on aquatic insect larvae. The magical light of early Autumn evenings often bathes the Yellowstone River in rich Fall colors, turning the LeHardy Rapids into luscious swirls of blue and gold.