At an urban river weir, several Spot-billed Duck families crossed paths in a complex and unusually crowded scene: very young ducklings hesitated at the drop, older juveniles appeared as unexpected “models,” and one large family reached an impressive milestone of 60 days old.
This article is based on my daily field footage recorded on July 8, 2025, under the filming record code 0708F. I am not a professional ornithologist, but a long-term observer who records wild duck families almost every day. Because these videos are kept as continuous field records, they can also serve as date-linked supporting evidence when comparing behavior across different days.
The full explanation of my filming date codes and duck family identification codes is available here:
https://okasinaikimono.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-wild-duck-diaries.html
On this day, the early part of the observation focused on the family coded エf6-14. These ducklings had reached about two weeks old, yet the weir still presented a serious challenge. At the beginning, the mother duck appeared to be approaching another descent, and several ducklings became separated by vegetation. Importantly, the mother noticed and returned. This kind of response may look simple, but in fast-changing river environments, such small corrections can determine whether a young duckling remains with the family.
Around the weir, the ducklings repeatedly approached dangerous edges, slipped, recovered, or stopped just before falling. They also seemed intensely focused on feeding in the shallow, wet surfaces around the structure. From a non-specialist perspective, this suggested that the weir was not only an obstacle but also a feeding site rich enough to keep the young birds returning despite the risk.
The most chaotic moment occurred when another family, Gf7-54, suddenly arrived from behind. The size difference between the two groups was striking. The older juveniles moved over the weir with far more confidence, almost as if they were demonstrating the route. At the same time, the mother ducks came into conflict, and one young duckling from エf6 was already below the weir. Soon after, a second duckling descended, followed by more movement from the adults. The scene was difficult to interpret as simple cooperation, but it did show how multiple families using the same river structure can influence one another’s behavior.
Then, another family appeared: Ff, around 50 days old. Five juveniles climbed the weir skillfully, although this family should have had six young. One juvenile may have been temporarily separated. Since they were already large and mobile, the immediate concern was lower than it would be for newly hatched ducklings, but the separation was still worth recording.
Later, the エf6 family continued downstream. The ducklings often spread out rather than moving in a tight group. This family has shown similar spacing on other days, so this may be part of their usual movement pattern rather than a sign of unusual distress. I followed them until they settled into a resting area, where the young ducklings showed charming rock-hopping behavior and then began to nap.
Other families were also present nearby, including Xf5-28, アf3-20, Df5-52, and others around the weir area. A female Common Kingfisher was observed hunting small fish near the sloped part of the weir, repeatedly targeting the water flowing over the structure. This was especially interesting because it showed that the same artificial river feature was being used not only by ducks but also by fish-hunting birds.
One of the most meaningful discoveries of the day was Of2-37. This family had not been seen for about a month, since June 9, 2025. Based on the location and timing, it is possible that they had spent the missing period around nearby rice fields before returning to the river. This is only an observation-based hypothesis, but it fits patterns seen in past years.
The main milestone of the day was Af13-60. This family began earlier in the season with 14 ducklings and had retained 13 by 60 days old. Seeing all 13 juveniles together at two months old was an impressive moment. At this stage, the young birds were large, strong, and increasingly independent. A brief conflict between the mother and one juvenile even gave the impression that the young bird was beginning to challenge or surpass the mother physically.
When the 13 juveniles swam together, the sight was overwhelming. For my own observation record, this felt like a major turning point. I may see them again, and I hope to record them flying if possible, but reaching 60 days with 13 young surviving is already a remarkable result in an urban river environment.
This record also included other wildlife moments: a Great Cormorant resting near the Af family, a Brown-eared Bulbul bathing, a Grey Heron near the area where a small duck family had been seen, and pigeons struggling to bathe on a small island occupied by a turtle. These side observations are important because the river is not only a duck habitat. It is a shared space where many species use the same small structures in different ways.
Species observed in this record:
- カルガモ / Eastern Spot-billed Duck / Anas zonorhyncha
The main subject of this observation. Several wild duck families used the weir, including very young ducklings, older juveniles, and a large family reaching 60 days old.
- カワセミ / Common Kingfisher / Alcedo atthis
A female was observed catching small fish near the sloped flow of the weir, suggesting that this artificial structure may create useful hunting conditions.
- カワウ / Great Cormorant / Phalacrocorax carbo
Seen resting near the large duck family. Its presence added another layer to the mixed-species river scene.
- ヒヨドリ / Brown-eared Bulbul / Hypsipetes amaurotis
Recorded bathing in the river area, showing how even small urban water edges are used by many bird species.
- アオサギ / Grey Heron / Ardea cinerea
Observed near an area where a small duck family had been present. As a large waterbird and potential predator of small animals, its position was worth noting.
- ハト / Feral Pigeon / Columba livia domestica
Several pigeons attempted to use a small island for bathing but were disturbed by the presence of a turtle.
- カメ類 / Turtle species / Testudines sp.
A turtle occupied the bathing spot used by pigeons. The exact species was not confirmed in this record.
This observation is part of a continuous daily archive of urban wildlife footage. The video is not heavily edited, and not every moment is visually dramatic. However, by preserving the sequence of events, including quiet scenes, uncertain identifications, and date-linked comparisons, the record may help reveal patterns that are easy to miss in short highlights alone.
Timestamp Notes
00:00 Highlights (not in chronological order)
03:01 エf6-14 — Happy 2-week milestone! 
※ Oh no… starting from another “about to go down the weir” situation 
Lately, it feels like エf6 keeps giving me scenes like this m(_ _)m
03:54 エf mother slipped
04:19 Two ducklings were isolated by the grass. エf mother noticed and came back
09:40 A duckling slipped down and recovered. What are they eating here...? They are completely absorbed
12:54 Almost fell, but held on
13:22 Almost fell, but held on ②
20:58 エf mother went down! Will the ducklings follow?
21:26 Feint!
24:13 Feint! ②
※ エf mother was also calmly foraging below... It is rare to see both sides so stable
26:14 Whoa!? Gf7-54 came from behind The size difference between the ducklings is huge
26:26 Only one エf duckling went down, but...
26:51 ★ Chaos Gf ducklings demonstrate the slide. Gf mother and エf mother fight Only one エf duckling is below!
27:09 A second エf duckling went down! Sibling bond! The mothers follow too
27:34 The last エf duckling has trouble going down...
28:39 エf mother came back... and it finally went down or so I thought...
29:10 Whoa!? The Ff family, day 50, is climbing up There are 5 ducklings...
29:52 Ff5 climbed the weir beautifully! There should be 6 ducklings, but one is missing...
※ While filming, エf6, Gf7, and Ff5 appeared one after another, and I panicked. At first, with 5 ducklings, I wondered if it was the Df family or if the Gf family had come back, but after seeing the mother duck, I identified them as Ff. Probably one duckling is separated somewhere. Since they are already large, I am less worried, but still...
32:02 Gf7 took a nap right after going down
33:21 エf6 — step and tunnel → weir (the place where the ducklings split into two groups yesterday)
37:49 ★ エf6 goes down the weir... one duckling stops halfway
38:39 There is a kingfisher. At 2 weeks old, the ducklings are already a little bigger than the kingfisher!
40:49 エf6 moves downstream at a fast pace while spreading out
※ This is around where I first met エf4. I usually watch from the opposite bank, so this is an angle I rarely get to see. エf6 tends to spread out, but this seems to be their normal movement style. Yesterday, I saw them sleeping on the rocks ahead, so I decided to follow them until their nap.
※ The Large-billed Crow family was also nearby today and was very cute, so I wanted to film them... but in the end, I could not. Regretful... Anyway, this is エf6 while the Large-billed Crow family was nearby.
45:33 エf mother drives away another duck... It is a juvenile duck! Probably the missing Ff duckling (6 confirmed)
47:32 エf mother bathes! Nap time begins!!
49:52 ★ Too cute — little rock-hopping ducklings
52:36 Close-ups of each one 
Every duckling is adorable!
55:44 The missing Ff duckling, day 50, calling. It seems to be waiting here
57:15 Gf7 is napping (they had moved to the opposite bank from earlier)
58:46 The 5 Ff ducklings above are also napping. I hope they can reunite with the missing one, but the juveniles may also be starting to become independent soon
59:29 Xf5-28 — just waking up
1:00:11 Uf father and アf3 are here too
1:01:12 アf3-20 and Uf father... アf3 had a big conflict with Uf mother in the past, but maybe the father does not know...
1:02:33 Df5-52 is also below the weir
※ For this Df5, the mother’s wing pattern was hard to see from the angle, so I could not get decisive proof. I had already seen Ff and Gf, and it could technically be Ef6, though I could not see Ef6 today. Based on the usual location, I think it is Df.
1:04:06 Brown-eared Bulbul bathing — gradually zooming in
1:06:02 Xf5 comes ashore at the sleeping spot! The duckling going into the shade is cute
1:07:40 Position relationship: Xf5 → アf3 → Df5
1:08:36 Ah A kingfisher is watching Df5 napping
※ Meanwhile, アf3 was coming to the weir, so I was torn
1:11:06 Female kingfisher catches a small fish
※ She caught it on the sloped part of the weir. I thought it might be shrimp, but there are fish there too!
1:11:19 The kingfisher catches prey at the weir again
1:12:27 The kingfisher aims at the sloped area again (it looks like she caught something)
1:17:22 Close-up of water flowing over the weir
※ I really wanted to record evidence that the kingfisher was targeting this sloped part of the weir, and since アf3 and Df5 were above and below the weir, I waited for a while. But after three successful hunts, the kingfisher did not fly again, and neither アf3 nor Df5 changed position. Normally I would wait longer, but the エf6 festival has been happening every day, and today I really wanted to find Af13, so I headed downstream.
1:21:30 What!? Of2-37 — unexpectedly alive! First time in a month! Since 0609F
※ In the duck-raising area, I did not see any duck families and was sadly filming a “no ducks here” record when I spotted a familiar mallard-faced mother with two ducklings!! It was Of2! Judging from the situation, they may have stayed in the rice fields since 0609F (there was a past example with Ac8), and now they seem to have come back down to the river. A very happy reunion.
1:24:42 I found Af13, but... a Great Cormorant was with them, and they were napping...
※ Today Af13 reached day 60, so I absolutely wanted to see them. I filmed a lot because the situation was unusual, but there was no movement... so I left them for later
1:30:18 The Great Cormorant makes an interesting movement
1:32:11 The Great Cormorant looks sleepy and hot
※ Since there was no movement, I searched downstream for a while, checked the cormorant spot, saw nothing, and then returned...
1:34:56 Ah! ウf1-14 is alive! The duckling is tucked completely under the mother
1:39:24 Af is still sleeping, and one juvenile duck sets off
※ This was feeding by a person... After this, a strong fight broke out between ducks
1:39:50 Af family is startled by the fight
※ The person throwing food was the same person who fed エf6 yesterday, which made me sad. Yesterday they said they had never seen a fight, but today they kept feeding even during a fight loud enough for the ducks to cry out. When they noticed me, they stopped, but it was sad that they continued even after seeing that feeding caused fighting.
1:40:50 A duck with an injured wing
1:42:36 Af juveniles wake up occasionally, but mostly keep sleeping. I can still identify the mother duck
1:45:13 A juvenile uses its long neck well (in the bushes on the right)
1:48:51 Grey Heron... this is where ウf1 was earlier...
1:49:41 ウf1 relaxes in the fast current, then climbs up
1:51:15 The Great Cormorant that was with Af flies away
※ I have waited quite a while, but they still will not wake up. Today, I will wait until they do!!
1:53:18 The Af family wakes up! They come out slowly... all 13 are together!!
1:56:41 Af13-60 — 2 months old! They have grown so strong!! Congratulations!!! I watch them for a while
1:59:17 Af mother duck moves as if watching over them
※ Af mother, thank you for raising them They decreased from 14 to 13 early on, but keeping 13 is still amazing!
2:00:59 ★ Af parent-child fight! The mother seemed to have the advantage, but in the end the juvenile won!
※ It was a fight, but... it also felt like a moment when the juvenile surpassed the mother
2:02:39 Af13 swim together! Impressive!
2:04:05 I watched the full Af13 group as if this might be the last time seeing them all together
※ They go downstream. I feel like I will probably see them again, but this feels like one milestone! I am happy. Every year I think I should stop following families until day 60, but I really wanted to do it for Af, so I am satisfied. Now I hope I can see them fly someday ★
2:07:05 Mf1 was napping, with Of2 nearby
2:08:48 Df abandoned 4-52
2:09:36 Tf8-32 is safe!
2:10:23 Sibling fight
2:11:46 ★ Pigeons cannot bathe because of a turtle
※ The pigeons tried to challenge the small island several times, so I recorded this for quite a while
2:16:42 One pigeon managed to perch, but another pigeon stepped on it and it retreated
※ I kept waiting after this too, but this was the only successful moment...
2:19:45 イf4-36
▲▲▲ End of timestamps.
※ I did not see Yb3 today either... Maybe, like Of2, they may be staying in the rice fields.
So, in the first half, エf6 was once again in a worrying situation... The three-family weir descent collaboration was amazing, but because I had to film from a wide angle, the birds ended up looking small on video. アf3 was also above the weir for the first time, and lately there have been so many situations that I am concerned about. Today, I especially wanted to find Af13 no matter what, so I felt impatient too... but I did find Af13, and although I had to wait quite a while, I was happy to watch them swimming. This year’s observation record, which began with Af14 on 0512F, now feels like it has reached one milestone.
※ Since there are too many duck families, I identify the mother ducks by the pattern of their tertial feathers and by their codes.
List:
https://okasinaikimono.blogspot.com/2025/07/0708f.html
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