Who doesn’t love to see a group of ducklings swimming with their mother? In most instances, these mothers would be followed by a dozen ducklings at best. However, the mother in this story is definitely going above and beyond. She was recently photographed with a whopping 56 “children” and we cannot get enough of these pictures. They are simply too cute for words!
Brent Cizek is the man who is responsible for the photos. As a wildlife photographer, he has seen a lot over the course of his career. However, he has never come across a sight like this one. He purchased a small boat with the objective of getting closer to animals like these. It is safe to say that this man has achieved his goal.
He went out to Lake Bemidji once summer came and the results are marvelous. Brent did not think that he would actually see anything on this fateful day. The winds were tossing the little boat around. He figured that the winds would also scare the animals away. It can be tough to take pictures when the waters are choppy, that is for sure. He caught a glimpse of the Common Merganser, though.
This is one of the more commonly known breeds. The mother had a series of ducklings traveling behind her. Little did he know how long this line extended for. Once he saw the mother duckling, he knew that he was going to have a once in a lifetime chance to snap some incredible photos. He was not about to pass up this opportunity and we are grateful for that.
According to Brent’s count, she had at least 76 ducklings along for the trip. This mother was in the process of migrating and had been picking up new babies along the way. Brent was sad to think about the day that these babies would have to go off on their own. This is actually a common behavior for this breed of duck, as they are often willing to take ducklings with them that are not actually related.
What do you think of this mother’s childcare skills? If you are anything like us, you are rather impressed. We cannot get enough of the photos and if you would like to learn more about the Common Merganser, be sure to check out the video below. This mother has gone above and beyond to assist these babies and we are absolutely swooning!