On June 23, 2025, I visited an urban pond and river system to continue checking on a lone abandoned duckling from the Vf family. Unfortunately, I could not confirm its survival on this day. However, the same field session produced several important observations: a rediscovery of the Uf family after a long absence, a newly recorded duck family identified as Yf3, and a clear comparison between ducklings of very different ages sharing the same river environment.
This article is based on my own long-term video field records. I am not a professional ornithologist, and the interpretations here should be understood as observations and hypotheses from an amateur wildlife observer. At the same time, I have continued recording urban wildlife almost every day, preserving the footage as continuous date-based evidence. By comparing what appears before and after each filming date, these records can sometimes reveal movements, disappearances, family changes, and survival patterns that would be difficult to notice from a single isolated scene.
Species recorded in this observation
- カルガモ / Eastern Spot-billed Duck / Anas zonorhyncha
A resident wild duck commonly seen in urban rivers and ponds in Japan. This observation mainly focuses on mothers guiding ducklings through concrete river structures, weirs, resting sites, and migration routes. - バン / Common Moorhen / Gallinula chloropus
A waterbird often found in ponds, wetlands, and slow-moving water. A moorhen chick around 34 days old was seen running toward its parent, showing active family behavior. - カワセミ / Common Kingfisher / Alcedo atthis
A small, brightly colored river bird that feeds mainly on fish. Juvenile kingfishers were recorded, with immature plumage such as paler orange underparts and less fully developed coloration.
Observation record
The first purpose of this visit was to search for a lone abandoned duckling from the Vf family at the pond. Only two adult Eastern Spot-billed Ducks were visible there, and the duckling could not be found. Because sleeping or hidden ducklings can be extremely difficult to detect, this does not prove that the duckling was dead. However, based on past experiences of waiting many hours for abandoned ducklings to reappear, I decided not to remain at the pond for too long on this day.
Before leaving the pond area, I recorded a Common Moorhen family. A chick, estimated at around 34 days old, ran toward its parent. I also observed juvenile Common Kingfishers. Their colors were not yet fully developed, especially the pale orange belly and the blurred blue tones, which suggested immaturity.
Further along the river, the Sf9 family was found safe, resting during the day. A male duck was also nearby. Later, I also confirmed the Xf5 family, observed the previous day, resting safely.
A major discovery came when I encountered a duck family that I did not recognize. The family had three ducklings, already somewhat developed, and I recorded them as Yf3-20. At first I wondered if they might be the Uf family, but the ducklings appeared larger than expected. I estimated them at around 20 days old. Since this family soon attempted to descend the weir, it may have been in the middle of moving through the river system.
The Yf3 family’s descent was especially notable. The ducklings struggled, but eventually used a safer route. In urban rivers, concrete weirs and flowing water can become difficult obstacles for young ducklings. This scene showed how a mother duck may guide her young through such structures, and how ducklings gradually learn routes by following her movements.
Shortly afterward, another important family appeared. I recognized the mother as Uf. This was the first confirmed rediscovery of the Uf family since their pond departure on June 13, 2025. Sadly, the family had decreased from five ducklings to two. Even so, after roughly ten days without confirmation, finding any surviving ducklings was significant.
One of the most visually striking observations of the day was the comparison between Uf2-13 and Df5-37. The Uf ducklings were about 13 days old, while the Df ducklings were about 37 days old. Seeing them in the same area made the size difference extremely clear. At 37 days, ducklings can already look close to adult size, making it difficult at a glance to distinguish mother and young. By contrast, 13-day-old ducklings still appear small and vulnerable.
There was also a tense but peaceful moment when the Uf mother rested close to the Df family. Because mother ducks can be aggressive toward other families, especially around young ducklings, I watched carefully. However, the interaction remained calm.
Later, I confirmed several other families: Af13-45, Tf8-17, and Cf3-42. The Af family was especially impressive because the ducklings had grown so large that the difference between mother and young was becoming subtle. The Cf3 family was seen near a lower watergate area and began resting at a popular resting site. When the Tf8 family approached, Cf3 moved away as if avoiding conflict. The Tf mother did not attack, and both families settled peacefully.
Behavioral notes and interpretation
This day’s footage shows how complex a single urban river system can be during duckling season. Families of different ages, different survival histories, and different movement routes may overlap in the same narrow spaces.
The rediscovery of Uf2-13 was especially meaningful. The family had disappeared after leaving the pond, and I had begun to fear that all ducklings might have been lost. Finding two survivors does not erase the loss of the other three, but it provides important evidence that the family continued moving through the river environment.
The newly recorded Yf3 family also raises questions. If they were already about 20 days old when first found, where had they been living before arriving in this part of the river? They may have come from farther upstream. This is one of the limitations of field observation: even with daily filming, some areas remain difficult to cover fully, and families can move through hidden or hard-to-access sections.
The weir descent scene also suggests that young ducklings do not simply move randomly. They hesitate, observe, follow, and sometimes find safer routes. The mother’s movements appear to influence their decisions, though I avoid overstating intent. From an observer’s perspective, it looked like the mother guided the fearful ducklings toward a workable path down the flowing weir.
Recording method and limitations
This observation was filmed with super-telephoto compact cameras such as the Nikon P1100 and P950. My raw footage is preserved with minimal editing as a personal field archive. These recordings are useful not only for later review, but also as date-stamped evidence that cannot easily be reconstructed afterward.
Because I am recording living animals in open urban environments, there are many limitations. A missing duckling is not always dead. A hidden family is not always gone. A mother duck seen in one place may have traveled from somewhere not covered by the camera. For that reason, I treat each conclusion as provisional and compare it with footage from previous and following days.
This approach is not formal scientific research, but long-term continuous observation can still provide valuable clues. Especially in urban wildlife documentation, daily records can reveal movement, survival, disappearance, family overlap, and repeated use of specific resting places.
Conclusion
The June 23, 2025 observation began with uncertainty: the lone Vf duckling could not be confirmed. Yet the day also brought important evidence of survival and movement. The Uf family, missing since their pond departure, was found again with two surviving ducklings. A new Yf3 family appeared and descended the weir. Several other Eastern Spot-billed Duck families were confirmed safe, and the difference between 13-day-old and 37-day-old ducklings was clearly visible.
For anyone searching for Eastern Spot-billed Duck behavior, duckling growth, urban river wildlife, or mother duck parental care, this record offers a detailed example of how wild duck families navigate human-made river structures. It also shows why long-term observation matters: a single day may look incomplete, but when placed in a chain of daily records, it becomes one piece of a much larger story.
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