A new breeding season has begun for the Eastern Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha). On May 8, 2026, I found my first duck family of the year along an urban river in Japan: a mother accompanied by ten very young ducklings.
The ducklings appeared to be around one day old. During several hours of continuous observation, I recorded resting behavior, climbing attempts, swimming in rough water, temporary separation from the mother, interactions with adult male ducks, and repeated attempts to negotiate small river structures.
One duckling was particularly noticeable. It frequently preened while the others slept, sometimes remained apart from the brood, hesitated before entering the water, and occasionally struggled to keep up. These observations raised the possibility of an injury or developmental difference, although this could not be confirmed from the footage alone.
This long-form wildlife record documents the family with minimal editing, preserving the sequence and context of their behavior rather than presenting only selected highlights.
Species Observed
Eastern Spot-billed Duck
Scientific name: Anas zonorhyncha
Japanese name: カルガモ (Karugamo)
The Eastern Spot-billed Duck is a dabbling duck native to East and Southeast Asia. It is widespread in Japan and can be found in rivers, ponds, wetlands, agricultural areas, and urban waterways.
Unlike many migratory ducks seen in Japan during winter, Eastern Spot-billed Ducks are commonly resident and breed locally. Females raise the ducklings without assistance from the male. Soon after hatching, the precocial ducklings are capable of walking, swimming, and feeding for themselves, but they remain dependent on their mother for protection, guidance, and access to suitable resting and feeding sites.
Urban river environments can present unusual challenges for young ducklings. Concrete banks, weirs, drops, artificial channels, strong currents, and other structures may become significant obstacles even when they are easily crossed by adult ducks.
Observation Record
00:00 — Three-Minute Highlights
The video begins with a short edited overview of notable moments from the day's observation. The main footage that follows is presented as a long-form observational record.
03:04 — First Observation of the Duck Family: Ag10-1
I finally found the first Eastern Spot-billed Duck family of my 2026 season.
The family consisted of one mother and ten ducklings. I had been checking the river almost every day while carrying my camera equipment in preparation for the first brood of the year.
For my observation records, a newly discovered family on the river is often conservatively estimated to be around three days old when the exact hatching date is unknown. However, these ducklings moved relatively slowly and showed several behaviors that made them appear exceptionally young. In particular, they repeatedly lost their balance and tumbled from their resting place.
For these reasons, I recorded them as approximately one day old and assigned the family code Ag10-1: mother Ag, ten ducklings, approximately one day old.
08:28 — Bathing Before a Rest
The mother bathed while the ducklings prepared to rest.
Bathing and preening are common maintenance behaviors in waterfowl. For a mother with newly hatched ducklings, periods of activity are frequently interrupted by resting, allowing the young birds to conserve energy.
10:02 — The Mother Leaves the Water
The mother climbed onto the resting area, and the ducklings gathered nearby.
11:38 — Ducklings Repeatedly Tumble from the Resting Site
Several ducklings repeatedly slipped or rolled from the resting area.
At this very young age, even small differences in height can create challenges. Watching them repeatedly climb, lose their balance, and return also provided useful behavioral clues when estimating their developmental stage.
18:19 — A Duckling Rides on Its Mother's Back
One of the most memorable behaviors of the day was a duckling climbing onto the mother's back.
Back-riding is an especially interesting form of close contact between a mother duck and her young. I was fortunate to observe it several times during this recording.
26:45 — Sudden Disturbance and Temporary Separation
A sudden disturbance caused the mother to leave, temporarily leaving the ducklings without her.
For newly hatched ducklings, the mother's presence is extremely important. When separated, young ducklings may remain together and wait until she returns.
28:07 — The Mother Returns
The mother returned to her brood. An adult male duck was still nearby.
Interactions with unrelated adult ducks are an important part of the social environment encountered by a female raising young on an urban river.
46:04 — Another Back-Riding Duckling
Another close view of a duckling riding on the mother's back.
Because this behavior occurred repeatedly during the day, the recording provides several examples rather than a single isolated moment.
48:46 — The Mother Departs, but Most Ducklings Do Not Follow
The mother began moving away, but initially only one duckling followed her.
This is a useful example of how brood movement is not always perfectly synchronized. Even very young ducklings can respond differently to the mother's movements.
49:28 — Another Disturbance
Another disturbance caused the mother to fly away.
50:11 — Mother and Duckling Return
The mother returned, and the duckling that had moved away also rejoined the group.
50:55 — The Family Sets Off Together
The family finally departed as a group.
52:23 — Extended Resting Observation
This section contains a long, relatively stationary observation of the family resting.
Although such footage may appear uneventful compared with dramatic wildlife scenes, extended observations can reveal differences among individual ducklings, including posture, preening frequency, position within the brood, and responses to the mother.
1:44:28 — Back-Riding While Swimming
A duckling could be seen riding on its mother's back while she was in the water.
Seeing this behavior during swimming was one of the highlights of the observation.
1:45:01 — One Duckling Appears Reluctant to Continue
One duckling seemed to want to rest rather than continue moving.
At this point, I began paying closer attention to differences between this individual and the rest of the brood.
1:48:27 — One Duckling Falls Behind
One duckling did not immediately follow the others and was temporarily separated from the family.
After a delay, it successfully rejoined them.
1:53:34 — Another Rest Period
The mother bathed again, and the family appeared to prepare for another rest.
One duckling continued to attract my attention because it spent considerably more time preening than the others. I wondered whether it might have been experiencing discomfort or an injury.
This remained an observational hypothesis only. The footage does not provide enough evidence to diagnose the cause of the behavior.
2:10:51 — The Family Moves Again
The mother and ducklings departed from the resting area.
2:43:37 — Swimming Downstream Through Rough Water
The tiny ducklings traveled downstream through relatively turbulent water.
For very young waterfowl, river currents create a very different environment from the calm surface of a pond. This section documents how the brood responds collectively while moving through flowing water.
2:50:39 — Adult Male Approaches
An adult male approached, and the ducklings waited while the mother was away.
Their behavior suggested heightened attention while they remained together.
2:51:47 — The Mother Returns
The mother returned while the other adult duck remained nearby.
Later, three males were present. Their behavior appeared consistent with courtship interest toward the female, suggesting that they were males without an accompanying mate or brood.
3:07:39 — Encounter with Another Pair of Ducks
The family encountered an adult pair of Eastern Spot-billed Ducks.
Despite the close interaction, the mother and her ten ducklings were eventually able to pass.
3:14:28 — Third Rest Period
The family stopped for another rest.
One duckling remained noticeably separated from the others. It appeared to be the same individual that had concerned me earlier.
3:16:45 — The Mother Moves Toward the Isolated Duckling
The mother changed position in apparent response to the separated duckling.
This was a particularly interesting moment because her movement appeared specifically associated with the location of the isolated young bird.
However, the duckling still did not immediately return to the brood.
3:20:56 — A Second Attempt by the Mother
The mother moved again, but the duckling remained apart.
I continued recording in the hope of documenting the entire brood reunited, but the individual remained separated for an extended period.
3:40:27 — The Family Leaves Without the Isolated Duckling
The mother finally departed with the brood while one duckling remained behind.
This created one of the most concerning moments of the observation.
3:47:48 — The Duckling Finally Rejoins the Family
The separated duckling had apparently hesitated to enter the water, but eventually followed and successfully rejoined its mother and siblings.
I wondered whether its reluctance to swim was related to the unusual behavior observed earlier.
During rest periods, this individual also appeared to spend more time preening instead of sleeping, and it seemed slightly smaller than some of its siblings. Injury was one possibility, but developmental differences or simply being a less mature duckling could not be ruled out.
4:44:29 — A Duckling Is Swept Down a Drop
The family encountered another difficult section of the river.
One duckling was swept down a small drop and then struggled considerably with the terrain.
Artificial and modified river structures can create complex movement problems for duck broods. A drop that is trivial for an adult may effectively become a one-way barrier for a newly hatched duckling.
4:48:41 — The Last Duckling Refuses to Descend
One duckling remained above while the others had already moved down.
For several minutes, the family was divided by the difference in elevation.
4:52:15 — Reunion
The final duckling eventually descended and rejoined the family.
4:59:17 — Another Rest
After the difficult movement through the river structure, the family settled down to rest again.
5:14:30 — Failed Attempt to Climb the Drop
The family later attempted to move upward again, but the climb was unsuccessful.
I had expected another climbing attempt, although the family became active sooner than anticipated.
5:23:48 — Attempting to Climb the Weir
The mother and ducklings began another attempt to ascend the river structure.
This developed into a complicated sequence in which different ducklings made different decisions about which direction to travel.
5:30:21 — Mother Returns for a Duckling That Cannot Climb
The mother returned toward a duckling that was unable to negotiate the obstacle.
Her movements illustrate the difficult decisions involved when a brood becomes divided by an artificial river structure.
5:31:26 — One Duckling Goes the Opposite Way
Unexpectedly, one duckling refused to follow the descending group and began climbing upward by itself.
Rather than moving in the same direction as its mother and siblings, it continued independently.
5:34:05 — The Mother Descends While the Lone Duckling Remains Above
The mother and most of the brood traveled downstream, while the independently climbing duckling remained visible above them.
The family was separated once again.
5:37:57 — The Family Reunites
Eventually, the separated duckling managed to rejoin the family.
I initially wondered whether the duckling that had refused to descend was the same individual I had suspected of being injured earlier, but the day's footage did not provide enough evidence to determine this confidently.
Notes at the End of the Observation
This was my first Eastern Spot-billed Duck family observation of the 2026 breeding season, and it became a much longer recording than I had originally intended.
The brood began the day with ten ducklings. Because mortality among young wild birds can occur quickly, I recorded extensively while all ten were still present.
One individual remained a concern throughout the observation. It appeared slightly smaller, frequently preened while its siblings slept, sometimes stayed away from the brood, and hesitated during certain movements. An injury was possible, but there are other explanations. I have previously observed ducklings that initially appeared injured or weak and later recovered. It is also possible that this individual was simply less developed than its siblings.
The important distinction is that these are field observations, not a veterinary diagnosis. Long continuous footage is valuable precisely because it allows unusual behavior to be reviewed in its wider context rather than judging an animal from a few seconds of selected video.
I had already confirmed an incubating Eastern Spot-billed Duck on April 19, as well as a nest containing six eggs, so additional broods were expected to appear soon.
The 2026 breeding season had begun.
About the Duck Family Identification Code
Because I observe many Eastern Spot-billed Duck families in the same river system, individual broods can easily be confused.
I identify mothers primarily by differences in their wing plumage, especially the pattern of the tertial feathers, and assign each family an identification code.
For this family:
Ag10-1
Ag = individual mother identification
10 = number of ducklings
1 = estimated age of the ducklings in days
These codes are observational identifiers used to follow particular families and compare their development and movements over time.
Why I Keep Long, Unedited Wildlife Records
On YouTube Shorts, I mainly introduce memorable moments from Eastern Spot-billed Duck families and other examples of urban wildlife. Short videos are useful for showing remarkable behavior to a wide audience, but they are necessarily selective. They often include music, sound effects, cuts, captions, and other editing that makes it difficult to judge the full context of what actually happened.
I am personally cautious about drawing conclusions from heavily edited wildlife footage for exactly this reason.
The short videos I publish, however, are extracted from long recordings like this one. Before a dramatic moment becomes a short video, I have usually spent hours patiently following and documenting the animals. These minimally edited recordings preserve what happened before and after the selected scene and therefore serve as supporting observational evidence.
I have accumulated more than 1,000 days of date-based wildlife recordings. Individually, many contain long periods in which very little appears to happen. Collectively, however, I believe they form a valuable chronological record of animal behavior, brood development, seasonal change, urban river ecology, and interactions between wildlife and human-modified environments.
I know that recordings of this length are not convenient for casual viewing. Their purpose is different from that of a conventional wildlife video. They are intended as field records: continuous visual documentation that can be revisited, compared across dates, and used to examine behaviors that might otherwise disappear unnoticed.
If these records are useful to other birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts, researchers, students, or anyone interested in urban ecology and animal behavior, then keeping and sharing them has been worthwhile.
🦆 Raw Bird & Wildlife Footage | No BGM 🌍️
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7dTQKKqrPzZpmfSA98tn9tXWfkp1jBB
Timestamps / Notes
First Eastern Spot-billed Duck family of 2026! Daily observations start again this year!
00:00 3-minute highlights
03:04 Ag10-1 — Duck family Ag, 10 ducklings, around 1 day old
※Found them! I had been checking the river every day waiting for the first family. I was already carrying my camera and everything I needed, so the 2026 observations begin!
※When I first find a family on the river, I usually estimate the ducklings to be around 3 days old. But this was the first family of the year, they were moving quite slowly, and they kept tumbling off their resting spot, so I estimated them to be around 1 day old.
08:28 Ag10 — Mother bathes before nap time
10:02 Ag mother comes ashore
11:38 
Cute! Ducklings keep tumbling off
18:19 Duckling riding on Mom's back!! (Saw this several times)
※They kept tumbling off and climbing onto Mom's back, so I couldn't stop watching
26:45 ★Intruder! Ducklings temporarily left alone
28:07 ★Mother is back! A male is still around...
46:04 ★Adorable duckling riding on Mom's back
48:46 Mother leaves! Only 1 duckling follows...
49:28 Another intruder — mother flies away
50:11 Mother returns, and the 1 duckling comes back too
50:55 They set off again! So cute
52:23 Fixed-camera view of their nap up to this point
1:44:28 ★Duckling riding on Mom's back while swimming! So happy I got to see this!
1:45:01 Is one duckling trying to rest?
1:48:27 One duckling isn't coming... finally catches up!
1:53:34 Mother bathes — looks like another nap
※So they're sleeping here after all.
※One duckling keeps preening much more than the others... possibly injured.
2:10:51 They set off!
2:43:37 Riding the rough current downstream
2:50:39 Male intruder — ducklings wait anxiously
2:51:47 Mother duck returns. The intruder is still there too
※After a while there were 3 males. They were displaying courtship behavior, so they seemed to be males without mates.
3:07:39 Encounter with a duck pair — they manage to get past
3:14:28 Nap time — third nap
※One duckling is resting apart from the others, which worries me (probably the possibly injured one)
3:16:45 ★Mother moves toward the lone duckling — extremely rare!
※But the duckling still doesn't come back. Hard to watch...
3:20:56 ★Mother moves toward it again, but the duckling remains apart
※I really wanted to see all of them together, so I kept waiting, but they never all gathered together
3:40:27 Mother leaves... the lone duckling gets left behind!
3:47:48 The duckling that couldn't jump into the water finally rejoins the family
※Maybe it doesn't want to swim because of an injury? The duckling that seems injured often spends nap time preening instead of sleeping, which makes me worry whether it's getting enough rest. It also seems slightly smaller than the others.
4:44:29 A duckling gets swept off the step! A huge struggle before they all get down!
※Considering the condition of that one duckling, I didn't want them to go down because it might not be able to climb back up...
4:48:41 The last duckling won't come down...
4:52:15 Finally reunited!
4:59:17 Nap time
5:14:30 They tried to climb the step but failed
※I took a short break and missed it... I expected them to try this, but they woke up sooner than I thought. Frustrating! I'm sure they'll try climbing again, so I keep waiting... but I'm nervous because of the duckling I'm worried about.
5:23:48 Attempting to climb the weir... so much is happening. What will they do?
5:30:21 Mother comes back for the 1 duckling that can't climb, but...
5:31:26 One duckling refuses to follow! It climbs up on its own! This is bad...
5:34:05 Mother and the others head downstream... and the duckling that climbed up is still there!!
5:37:57 Somehow they finally reunite...
※I thought the duckling that wouldn't come down earlier was the possibly injured one, but maybe it was this one?
※They'll probably try climbing again and again... but I've already filmed far too much today, so I'm calling it a day.
So... 0508G! The first Eastern Spot-billed Duck family of the year has finally appeared! Every year I get completely addicted to observing them and film far too much, so I had promised myself that I would take it easier this year...
Well, at least today I finally got to enjoy filming again after holding myself back for so long.
I'm worried about that 1 duckling, and if it can't climb, it's difficult to predict where the family will be tomorrow... I hope I can find them again. I filmed a lot today because this might be the last time I see all 10 ducklings together. But I've seen ducklings that appeared injured recover many times before, so I really hope this little one makes it. (I still wasn't sure by the end whether it was actually injured. Could it simply be the last-hatched duckling and less developed than its siblings?)
Oh, I didn't make a video about it, but on 0419 I also confirmed an Eastern Spot-billed Duck incubating at a pond, and there was another nest with 6 eggs. Those should be hatching soon too...
I believe these observation records are valuable, which is why I've continued making them, but they're extremely long and probably too much for many general viewers. Since partway through last year, I've kept most of them members-only. I'll think about what to do with them after this year's observations are over... → As a test, I made this video public on 2026-08-15, when this year's observations had started to settle down a little. (I'm still observing some of this year's duck families.)
※There are too many duck families to keep track of without identification codes, so I identify the mothers by the patterns on their tertial feathers and assign each one a code. Comparison chart ↓
https://okasinaikimono.blogspot.com/2026/05/duck-family-0508fag10-11.html
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