California Waterfowl board member and long-time volunteer Jay Goble shot this tremendous video of wood ducklings (or is it wood duck ducklings?) plopping from their nest for the first time. I don't normally use the word "cute," but friends, this is one cute video.
Thanks to Goble's careful positioning of cameras both inside and outside the wood duck box, the footage captures the moment of exodus in remarkable detail. You get a great sense of the nervousness and tension on the part of the ducklings leading up to their first plunge into the water. The video also captures some great vocalizations—the hen wood duck calling to her young, encouraging them to leap is particularly amusing.
This isn't the first time Dr. Goble has lent his talent to the ducks. This video, "Why Hunt?" is a good essay on a topic all hunters must address:
