THE BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE DIPPER CINCLUS-CINCLUS IN SOUTH-WEST IRELAND

The breeding biology of Irish Dippers was studied over 12 years. A tot al of 501 nests was located, mostly at artificial sites, notably bridg es. Irish Dippers start breeding earlier, lay fewer eggs, fledge fewer young and have fewer second broods than most other populations. The m ean clutch size was 4.16 (+/-se 0.03) and the mean brood size at fledg ing was 3.48 (+/-se 0.05) per successful pair. The breeding biology is compared with other populations and some differences are highlighted.