On June 29, 2025, I recorded another long-form field observation of wild duck families in an urban river environment. This entry is based on continuous video footage filmed with a super-telephoto compact camera, mainly Nikon P1100 and P950, and preserved as close to the original field record as possible.
This article is not written from the position of a professional ornithologist. It is a careful field note by an amateur observer who has continued daily recording of duck families, wild birds, and other urban wildlife. Because the footage is published with date-based record codes, it also functions as chronological evidence that can be compared with observations from previous and following days.
Species Observed
- カルガモ / Eastern Spot-billed Duck / Anas zonorhyncha
A resident duck species in Japan. In this observation, several mother ducks and duckling groups were recorded, especially the family coded Ef5-5.
- カワセミ / Common Kingfisher / Alcedo atthis
A small, brightly colored river bird. One female was observed, and another moment showed a kingfisher catching a shrimp-like prey item.
Main Observation: Ef5-5 and the Steep Water Slide
The central subject of this day was the duck family coded Ef5-5. This means the Ef mother duck was observed with five ducklings at about five days old.
A particularly important point is that this family had previously been seen with only four ducklings, but on the day before this record, the number had increased to five. This suggests that one duckling may have been temporarily separated and later rejoined the family, although this cannot be proven from this video alone.
The most remarkable behavior was the repeated attempt to descend a steep flowing weir. The mother duck moved toward the drop several times, but the ducklings hesitated. Some approached the edge, some turned back, and one duckling was briefly swept into the fishway-like current before climbing back up.
At around 43:49, the swept duckling successfully climbed out. The mother was calling loudly during this moment. While it is impossible to say exactly what the mother intended, her vocal behavior appeared to coincide with the duckling’s struggle and recovery.
Repeated Attempts and Learning
The Ef5-5 family attempted the weir descent multiple times.
Several early attempts failed. The ducklings gathered, hesitated, separated, and returned. At one point, the mother moved into an unusual position on the opposite channel, creating a rare and confusing situation for the young ducklings.
After a long period of hesitation and rest, the family finally succeeded at around 1:18:45. This moment was especially meaningful because it followed many failed attempts. The behavior looked less like a single dramatic event and more like a gradual process of learning, fear, trial, retreat, and eventual success.
Later, the same family descended another smaller step much more smoothly. This may indicate that once the ducklings experienced the first major descent, later obstacles became easier for them to handle.
Other Duck Families
Several other duck families were also recorded.
Df5-43 and Ef6-42 appeared to be resting near vegetation, possibly avoiding heat. Xf5-19 was confirmed safe. Ff6-41 was also confirmed. Gf7-45 was later seen descending the weir successfully, and this was notable because this family had often seemed cautious around flowing water. Sf9-23 was also confirmed after some time and later performed a successful “water slide” descent.
These additional observations are important because they show that the steep weir was not only a challenge for one family. It was a shared environmental obstacle encountered by multiple duck families at different ages and developmental stages.
A Possible Lost Duckling
At around 1:28:26, a small lone duckling was heard and then seen. Its size appeared slightly larger than the Ef5 ducklings, and it may have belonged to another family, possibly the Af group, but this identification remains uncertain.
The lone duckling approached other ducks and crossed toward the opposite bank without being attacked. However, it was later lost from view. Because the mother duck could not be confirmed, this remains an unresolved observation.
This kind of uncertain record is also part of field observation. Not every event can be fully explained at the time of filming, but preserving the footage may allow comparison with later records.
Behavioral Notes
This day’s footage suggests several points worth considering.
First, very young ducklings can repeatedly attempt difficult terrain without immediate success. Their movement is not always efficient, but repeated exposure may help them learn how to handle currents, slopes, and drops.
Second, mother ducks may move ahead even when the ducklings are not ready. This can look risky from a human point of view, but in repeated observations, such behavior often seems connected to encouraging movement, choosing routes, or maintaining a larger travel pattern.
Third, the fact that Ef5-5 sometimes had a duckling slightly separated from the group may help explain why the family count appeared inconsistent on earlier days. In a complex river environment with weirs, side channels, vegetation, and current, temporary separation may occur more often than expected.
Conclusion
The June 29, 2025 record shows a vivid example of early duckling development in an urban river. The Ef5-5 family’s repeated attempts at a steep weir descent created a valuable observation of hesitation, risk, recovery, and eventual success.
This was not a controlled scientific study, but a continuous amateur field record built from daily filming. By preserving the footage with date codes, family codes, and timestamps, each day becomes part of a larger chain of evidence.
For people searching for Eastern Spot-billed Duck behavior, duckling development, urban river wildlife, mother duck behavior, or rare scenes of ducklings descending a weir, this observation may offer a useful real-world example of how young wild ducks learn to move through difficult human-made waterways.
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