My observations today highlighted some slight changes in behaviour from both birds. The male spent the majority of the time that I was watching, perched on a boulder in midstream. When I had last been at the nest site two days ago, the male had been quite keen to visit the nest often, either to feed or to strengthen the pair bond, but today this didn't happen. He seemed content to wait for his mate to emerge and then accompany her when she went off to feed, which she did at least once every hour. On another occasion, first a Goosander and then a Heron arrived in front of the nest and this caused a degree of panic from both birds and with the arrival of the Heron, the female left the nest and both birds rapidly flew upstream quickly and away from the scene. There was also some disturbance from walkers and a barking dog in the adjacent wood. This certainly stressed the male who 'escaped" upstream by diving in to the water and swimming underwater upstream. I have read that Dippers sometimes escape predators by diving underwater and I am sure that this was an example of this and the first time that I have seen this behaviour. It wasn't long before the female returned to the nest as normal. Incubation is progressing nicely on the 6th day of incubation.