What started as a calm morning turned into a complicated web of missing ducklings, mistaken identities, and a surprise visit from a group of new arrivals. One poor duckling spent the entire day alone, and we even saw two duck families mix up their babies. Let's walk through what happened.
🌿 Morning Observations
00:00 Highlights
Yesterday, I had seen the mother duck Vf1 with her duckling, and Wf2's duckling was also still alive, though without its mother. Today, I went back to check on them.03:01 A large-billed crow (ハシブトガラス) appeared, poking into the bushes. This pond used to belong to large-billed crows, but this year, the smaller jungle crows (ハシボソ) had taken over. It’s rare to see ハシブト here lately.
04:46 One lone duckling was silently circling the pond—possibly Vf1’s. The lack of sound made identification difficult, but based on a low-pitched call I caught later, I’m leaning toward Vf1.
06:16 A surprise visit from a Oriental Greenfinch (カワラヒワ)! Rare at this pond.
🐣 A Duckling Left Behind
06:51 The lonely duckling continued swimming quietly.
Yesterday it had its mother, but today—it was completely alone. The usual volunteers watching the ducklings assumed all had disappeared. I couldn’t help but wonder: what happened overnight?09:07 A duckling passed by a moorhen chick.
Possibly a second clutch? The size difference suggested it.13:31 One duckling struggled to eat a moth. A tiny but mighty battle.
19:23 A sparrow caught a green caterpillar, likely for feeding.
19:31 The lonely duckling still wasn’t calling out—just quietly swimming.
😢 Confusion Among Duck Families
52:58 Something rare: a baby duck from Df5 wandered into Gf7’s group!
At first, the mothers didn’t notice, but it escalated quickly.53:35 The Df baby even pecked at a Gf duckling!
Then they switched places again, and both mothers looked confused.54:09 A Gf baby cried and ran off. The Df mother eventually took her nap, unaware of the chaos.
This kind of baby-mixing is rare—and stressful for all involved!
🌙 Nightfall and New Faces
24:02 Sf9-15 started to nap, but before that, tried to eat a mysterious white object.
(At first I thought it was bread… turns out it might’ve been gum. Thankfully, no one swallowed it!)40:13 A new group appeared! 5 small ducklings with a mother I hadn’t seen before.
At first, I thought it was Uf5, but on closer inspection, the mother was different.
I've named this new family "Xf."52:11 A rare moment: two families resting near each other—Df5 and Gf7.
58:21 Gf7’s mother slept in a very unusual place.
1:08:42 A separated duckling cried out—heading the wrong way!
Hopefully it found its family again.1:14:25 Tf8 ducklings started their bedtime routine, though they’re now too big to fully fit in mom’s shadow!
📝 Final Thoughts
Today, the situation at the pond had completely changed overnight. One duckling remained, silent and alone—but it was Vf1's, who had survived nine days. There’s still hope, as there have been rare cases of ducklings growing up solo. I’ll keep checking.
Also, the chaos between the Df and Gf families was something I’ve never captured on camera before. The way ducklings got mixed up—and even attacked each other—was a reminder of how complex animal behavior can be.
A new family (Xf) may have moved in, and the missing Wf2 remains a mystery. Things continue to shift by the river...
🇯🇵【日本語訳】Duck Family 0621F｜混乱と別れ、新しい出会いの一日
タイトル： ひとりぼっちのヒナ、まざった家族、そして川辺のドラマ
今朝は静かな始まりだったのに、池では次々と予想外の出来事が起こりました。
ヒナの取り違え、見つからない母カモ、新しい親子の登場…とにかく忙しい1日。とくに、1羽だけ取り残されたヒナの姿がとても印象的でした。以下、観察のまとめです。
🌿 午前の様子
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00:00 ハイライト
昨日はVf1の母子が見られ、Wf2のヒナもまだ生存。でも今日は…。 -
03:01 ハシブトガラスが久々に登場！
今年はハシボソが優勢だったので、ちょっと意外な登場です。 -
04:46 1羽だけ池を泳ぐヒナ。
鳴き声が一切聞こえず、判別が難しかったけど、最後にかすかな声を聞き、Vf1と判断。 -
06:16 珍しくカワラヒワが来てくれた！
🐣 取り残されたヒナ
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06:51 ヒナは今日も1羽だけで静かに泳ぎ続ける。
昨日はいた母の姿が今日は見えません…。 -
09:07 バンの雛とすれ違うカモのヒナ。
バンの2番子？サイズの差が気になる。 -
13:31 蛾を食べようと格闘するヒナ。 頑張れ！
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19:23 スズメが青虫を捕まえる。
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19:31 ヒナは今日一日、鳴かずに池を回っていた。
😢 混ざったヒナたち
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52:58 Dfの子カモがGfの群れに混ざるというレア展開！
最初は気づかれず、やがて小さなバトルに発展。 -
53:35 Dfの子がGfのヒナをつつく！
お互い混ざったり戻ったり…母カモも混乱気味。 -
54:09 Gfのヒナが鳴きながら逃げ出す場面も。
Df母は気づいていなかったようです。
🌙 夕暮れと新たな親子
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24:02 Sf9-15が寝る前に白い謎物体を食べようとする
パンかと思ったらガム？誤飲しなくてよかった！ -
40:13 小さなヒナ5羽の新しい家族を発見！
Uf5かと思ったけど違う母カモ。「Xf」と名付けました。 -
52:11 Df5とGf7が珍しく接近して休む姿も。
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1:08:42 はぐれたヒナが鳴きながら逆方向へ…
無事でありますように。 -
1:14:25 Tf8の子たちは、もう母の影に入りきれないほど成長してました。
📝 最後に
池の様子は、たった一晩でがらっと変わっていました。孤独な1羽のヒナが静かに泳いでいるのを見て、自然の厳しさとたくましさの両方を感じました。
DfとGfのヒナの混乱は、私が今まで記録した中でもかなり珍しいケース。新たな家族の登場、そして行方不明の親子の安否…。川の物語はまだまだ続きそうです。
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