Bizarre Trail Camera Footage Sees Ducklings Falling From the Sky
Trail cameras are the gift that keeps on giving capturing moments that only very patient wildlife photographers can capture.
A remote camera set up by Minnesota Fish and Wildlife captured a group of wood ducklings crashing to the floor before shrugging their slam off and walking away with mom.
Initially, it is difficult to understand what is happening in the video, the slow shutter speed blurs the ducks who are falling at a thunderous speed.
There are a series of bumps in the wood, as the foliage shimmers with each crashing duck. It is impossible to tell what they are until the dazed ducks stand up and find their mom.
“Wood ducks nest in hollow trees and when the eggs hatch, the ducklings must jump to join their mother on the journey to the pond,” explains Minnesota Fish and Wildlife on Facebook.
According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), ducklings are typically just one day old when they make that leap, although some late bloomers might not leave the nest for several days.
Wood ducks can nest up to 65 feet in the air, but the brave ducklings will line up to make the jump. But according to the NWF, the big fall doesn’t harm them because they are so light.
“Department of Natural Resource wildlife biologists are researching what types of trees and cavities female wood ducks prefer, which wetlands they bring their broods to, and how successful hens are at nesting and rearing broods year after year,” adds Minnesota Fish and Wildlife.
“This information will be helpful for forest and wildlife management decision-making across the forested region of Minnesota.
“The wood duck hen featured in this video is outfitted with telemetry equipment so we can find her and her ducklings for research purposes.”
Essentially, the conservation group is using cutting-edge technology to learn more about the wild animals that make Minnesota their home.
It’s not the first time the State has used trail cameras to discover the behaviors of its animals. In June, PetaPixel reported on the Voyageurs Wolf Project which captured a video of wolves catching and eating fish out of a small stream revealing that the canines go fishing more than researchers realized.
