In this observation record, a day that began with the search for a lost duckling gradually unfolded into a complex series of small but meaningful events: an unusually independent duckling leading its mother, a large family of thirteen juveniles moving through the river, scattered young ducks resting without their mothers, and one tiny duckling appearing from an unexpected place above a concrete wall.
This article is based on daily field footage recorded on July 2, 2025, under the filming record code 0702F. The observations are not presented as expert conclusions, but as careful notes from a long-term amateur observer who records wild duck families almost every day. Because these videos are published close to the filming date, they also serve as chronological evidence that can be compared across different days.
The footage includes several Eastern Spot-billed Duck families and independent young ducks. Some individuals were easy to identify, while others remained uncertain. That uncertainty is important. In wildlife observation, especially in an urban river where many families overlap, not every event can be neatly explained.
One of the most striking scenes involved the Mf1 family. The single duckling, about 34 days old, behaved in a remarkably independent way. It entered small pools among the concrete blocks of a weir and stayed there for a long time, while the mother remained nearby. When the duckling finally moved, it did not simply follow the mother. Instead, it climbed upward on its own, and the mother flew after it.
This was especially interesting because a similar pattern had been observed on another day, when the same duckling appeared to lead the mother during a descent. Together, these records suggest that in this family, the young duck may sometimes choose the route first, while the mother adjusts her movement afterward. This is only an observation, not a scientific conclusion, but it is a valuable behavioral note.
Another important family in this record was Af13, a large group of thirteen young ducks around 54 days old. All thirteen were confirmed. The family moved close to the camera and climbed over concrete blocks from an unusual angle, providing a clear view of how a large group navigates an artificial river environment.
Later, the mother of Af13 appeared separated from the juveniles. She flew between familiar resting places and called repeatedly, while the young ducks had moved downstream. From the observer’s perspective, it looked as if she may have been searching for them, although it is also possible that she was checking the next resting or feeding area. The repeated movements and calls make this scene an important piece of behavioral evidence.
The most uncertain and emotionally difficult part of the day involved a very young lost duckling, probably connected to the ウf family. A young voice was heard repeatedly, but the duckling could not be found at first. Later, one duckling was seen falling down from the top of a concrete wall. According to another person nearby, the duckling had been running along the upper side of the wall after people tried to help or catch it for safety near the road.
This creates a complicated situation. Human intervention may sometimes protect a duckling from immediate danger, but it may also unintentionally change the duckling’s route or separate it further from its family. In this case, the mother was seen downstream with one duckling, while another lost duckling was confirmed separately. A possible third duckling was also heard or seen later, but its identity remained uncertain.
Such uncertainty is part of the value of daily observation. A single video may not explain everything, but when compared with records from previous and following days, it may become part of a larger chain of evidence.
The record also included several other young ducks without clear family connections. Bf abandoned duckling 1 was found resting calmly, while another lone juvenile of about 30 days old appeared in a place often used by abandoned or separated young ducks. Its family could not be identified. This kind of record may be useful later if the same individual appears again.
In the later part of the footage, Tf8 provided a different kind of observation. At first, only seven ducklings seemed to be visible, but one duckling had been sleeping separately. After waking, it called loudly and eventually rejoined the family. Even after the reunion, the eight ducklings remained scattered rather than forming a neat group. The mother appeared to watch over them, but the family continued moving unpredictably.
One memorable moment came when the Tf8 family reached a rapid. Places that were difficult obstacles when the ducklings were younger now seemed to function more like feeding or resting areas. This change is one of the quiet rewards of long-term observation: the same river structure can shift from danger, to training ground, to ordinary habitat as the ducklings grow.
These records were filmed with Nikon P1100 and P950 super-telephoto cameras. The footage is kept close to raw observation data, with minimal editing or explanation. This makes the video less polished, but it preserves the uncertainty, waiting time, missed chances, and real sequence of events that are often lost in edited wildlife content.
The identification codes for duck families and filming dates are explained in detail here:
https://okasinaikimono.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-wild-duck-diaries.html
Species observed in this record:
- カルガモ / Eastern Spot-billed Duck / Anas zonorhyncha
The main species in this observation. Multiple mothers, ducklings, juveniles, and possibly abandoned young ducks appeared in the same urban river area.
- コイ / Common Carp / Cyprinus carpio
Many carp were present near the Mf1 duckling. The duckling mostly tolerated them, though it sometimes reacted with surprise.
- スズメ / Eurasian Tree Sparrow / Passer montanus
A sparrow was observed bathing cautiously, adding a small but charming urban bird behavior record to the day.
- アオサギ / Grey Heron / Ardea cinerea
A Grey Heron flew over the Af13 juveniles while calling. Although no direct interaction occurred, its presence is notable because herons are large birds sharing the same river environment.
This day did not produce a simple story. Instead, it showed what daily wildlife observation often really looks like: partial evidence, difficult choices about what to film, missed moments, unexpected behavior, and small discoveries that may only become meaningful when connected with records from other days.
Timestamp Notes (For Personal Use)
00:00 Highlights
03:03 Df捨4-46 (Duck family Df, 4 abandoned ducklings, around 46 days old)
It’s always a joy when Df捨4 stays together. These abandoned ducklings often go their separate ways, but this group has stuck together for a long time (and one of them is an Hf duckling, making them half-siblings).
05:03 Cf3-51 Resting in scattered positions.
05:55 Mf1-34 Found below the dam. Mf ducklings are still free and independent as always.
07:03 Even with many koi nearby, Mf1 is unfazed (though occasionally surprised).
08:15 Mf1 gets worried when the ducklings get startled, and the mother duck comes over to check on them.
08:55 The mother duck climbs the dam’s block, and the ducklings enjoy the pool beneath it.
Mf ducklings were clearly enjoying their time here. I stayed to capture it, but they stayed in the hole without moving. I found Af13 further down the river but went back to film these ducklings.
12:43 After a while, Mf1 finally leaves the hole and moves to another one.
17:16 Mf1 finally emerges! Moving downward.
18:31 Mf Mother tries to lead the ducklings down, but they don’t listen.
20:32 Mf1 climbs the dam by itself! The mother flies up to catch up.
This time, it was remarkable to capture Mf1 leading the mother both uphill and downhill, providing great footage.
22:08 Af13-54 has all 13 ducklings present!
An oddly-shaped block appeared. It’s too big to be carried by humans, and I can’t imagine it just floating here. It’s a mystery.
26:19 Af13 gets closer, and I manage to capture them from a very close distance.
27:49 One duckling is left behind and realizes it.
28:41 Af13’s family climbs up the block.
I managed to capture this from a rare angle and very close.
30:12 I hear a lost duckling calling, but I can’t find it…
The voice sounds young, so it’s likely ウf Family’s 8-day-old ducklings (similar situation to last year’s エe family). They often make noise when they’re in open places, but I just can’t seem to find it.
In fact, I’ve spotted Bf捨1, but the priority is searching for the lost ducklings.
31:14 Ducks arrive and start fighting. I hear the lost duckling’s call but can’t find it.
31:39 Found ウf Mother! She’s carrying only one duckling downstream… (It’s my 3rd time encountering them after seeing 9 on the first day and 5 the next).
31:55 I find the lost duckling! It’s on top of a wall, and I capture the moment it falls off.
I saw it running on top of the wall and rushed to film it, but it jumped off. A person approached me from the other side of the river to try to catch it, but it ran away, and they chased it for about 50 meters. They eventually caught up to it, but the duckling kept coming back and forth. I was on the opposite side, and I didn’t realize what was happening on top of the wall.
Ducklings that climb walls often face interference from humans, and this can lead to abandonment by the mother or difficulty in moving.
33:28 Bf捨1 has been leisurely staying around the area.
34:02 Sparrow bathing. They were so cautious; it was adorable.
While I was trying to find the lost ducklings, I heard more calls from the bushes and kept looking for them.
37:16 A resting duck. Likely a female.
Although I couldn’t capture the earlier scenes with the lost ducklings, I recorded this female duck as she made familiar sounds. After that, she stayed resting at the same spot.
37:46 Another lost duckling… not the same as the previous one.
While I was hearing the calls from the duckling that fell earlier, I also heard more calls from downstream. It seemed like this was the third duckling, and it might be one of ウf Mother’s kids.
38:43 The duckling keeps calling, and after a while, it disappears into the bushes.
I kept hearing the calls and kept searching around, walking in circles but still couldn’t find ウf Mother or the ducklings. Looking back, I believe ウf Mother may have flown off after leaving two ducklings behind.
41:12 Bf捨1-51
I lost sight of Bf捨1 but found it again.
42:12 One duckling is alone without its mother.
This duckling is about the size of a 30-day-old duckling, but I can’t figure out which family it belongs to. It could be from Of2, Qf1, or Rf1—all families I haven’t seen in about a month.
As I searched for the lost ducklings and ウf Mother, I felt mentally exhausted from dealing with the unknown.
44:19 Af13 moved further down, but Mother Duck was absent.
45:03 I thought this was Af Mother, looking for the ducklings from the earlier spot.
I thought she had abandoned them, but after some searching, I found that they had moved downstream.
46:13 Af Mother flew, likely to check the next resting spot.
47:15 Af Mother flies again, heading upstream with the ducklings still far downstream.
47:45 Af13 Ducklings are flying under the Heron’s call.
48:19 A duck arrives, but it’s not Af Mother.
I thought it was a group of other ducks, but it’s not her.
50:19 Af Ducklings move further downstream, with other ducks following.
Af Mother had been upstream, but now she’s gone, and I can’t see her anymore.
52:39 Af Mother! She flies from the dam to downstream. Will the ducklings return? I quickly chase after her.
53:06 Af Mother flies again, going in the opposite direction with the ducklings.
This was one of my best shots of the day.
53:24 Cf3 crosses the river.
53:44 Af Mother flies and meets the ducklings again.
I captured this shot as Af Mother seemed to be searching for the ducklings.
54:28 Af Mother chases off another group of ducks that mixed with the ducklings.
It’s tempting to chase ウf ducklings while still trying to find Af Mother, but I decided to focus on the duckling families around.
56:14 Df捨4
56:26 Lf4-33
This is clearly Lf4, though lately, イf4-30 has also been around, which makes things a bit confusing.
57:33 Two duck families under the bridge! One is Tf8, and the other is likely イf4.
I could only see one family from the front angle.
59:37 Tf Mother starts moving, but only 7 ducklings are present.
I was trying to get a good shot of Tf8, but one duckling seemed to be missing.
1:01:15 There’s a mystery duckling family.
It seems uncertain whether it’s a true family or not, as they seem a bit distant.
1:01:55 The lost duckling wakes up, and Tf Mother realizes it’s missing!
1:02:54 Tf Mother notices and waits for the duckling.
1:04:46 They finally reunite! Tf8 is there, but the ducklings are still scattered.
1:05:46 Tf8 gets reunited but remains scattered.
I was hoping to capture a shot with them all together, but it didn’t quite work out.
1:07:49 イf4-30 Safe and sound!
1:11:54 イf4 left before Tf8 arrived.
1:14:04 Tf Mother arrives at the resting spot, but the ducklings won’t stop moving.
1:15:56 Tf8 looks like it’s complete, but again, the ducklings scatter.
I wanted to capture them together, but they kept moving apart.
1:17:41 Tf Mother watches over the ducklings.
1:20:52 Tf8 ascends the current—looks like it’s heading to a feeding area.
It’s always touching to see the places where these ducklings once struggled now becoming feeding grounds. However, I wanted to see Tf8 swimming beautifully from a lower perspective.
1:23:04 Tf Mother sleeps while halfway through the current.
Tf Mother’s unexpected nap in the middle of a task was a cute moment.
Duck Family Identification System
Since there are too many families, I identify the mother ducks by their wing markings (three flight feathers) and symbols.
Duck Families List:
https://okasinaikimono.blogspot.com/2025/07/0702f.html
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