American dipper: mountain or coastal?

A few weeks ago I ran into this American dipper in a side channel of the Campbell River in Elk Falls Provincial Park. It's one of my favourite local hiking spots in Campbell River, but it was the first time seeing this species in this spot (actually my first on Vancouver Island).

Looking into BC's Breeding Bird Atlas, it looks like there are both coastal and mountain dippers. It looks like we might have both in the area — birds living high up in the mountains and others staying along the coast.

Dippers are also known for there tendency to undergo altitudinal migrations.

But which was this (looks like there are year-round iNat observations in the park)?

Are there fundamental behavioural or genetic differences between the two?

Not sure. I do know that dippers are sweet birds.

Posted on March 1, 2022 11:40 PM by seanthebiobro