Across Pennsylvania breeding birds are hatching eggs and feeding young. As the nestlings grow the nests become crowded, a sure sign that the babies will leave soon.
Baby birds in hollow trees have an amazing way of leaving the nest: they climb up the inside of the hole and jump! This is true of chickadees, screech-owls, woodpeckers and wood ducks. But ducklings have no flight feathers and they jump away. That’s OK, they’re built for it.
This 3.5 minute PBS NATURE video shows a family of common mergansers (Mergus merganser) taking the plunge.
Though the video doesn’t show it, the ducklings waddle to the water where their mother calls and waits for them.
Amazing.