Baby Ducks’ First Flight | National Geographic

we’re inside a tree 15 feet above a lake
high in the Rocky Mountains we’re in a
nest of wood duck eggs hatching after a
30-day incubation and we’re here to
witness a Rite of initiation that is at
once daunting and amazing even though
the mom duck laid her 11 eggs on
different days she didn’t start sitting
on them till they’d all appeared that
way they’d all hatch on the same day the
hatchlings get to spend their first
night in the nest one night that’s it
enjoy yourselves because tomorrow
morning comes the big ordeal tomorrow
morning arrives in a hurry when the
hatchlings first gaze at their mother
she’s 15 feet below calling for them to
gulp jump down to her can you imagine
how much courage you’d need to take the
plunge to mama your first day on the
planet never flown before now having to
leap the human equivalent of 30 feet or
more
Wow made it none the worse for wear
the truth is 15 feet isn’t that big a
deal
some hatchlings have to leap 60 feet
why would these hatchlings take such a
leap how if they stay in the tree they
starve to death yeah that sounds like
motivation to me mom and her 11 little
hatchlings after a rite of passage like
this one they’re ready for absolutely
anything