• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Copyright Report
  • Submit Content
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal Disclaimer

Hasan Jasim

Hasan Jasim is a place where you may get entertainment, viral videos, trending material, and breaking news. For a social generation, we are the largest community on the planet.

Ad example

1 Hen, 76 Ducklings: What’s The Deal With This Photo?

by Stephen King Leave a Comment

ShareTweet

“It was mind blowing,” the photographer, Brent Cizek, said.

Where she goes, they follow. All 76 of them.

A female duck in Minnesota has about six dozen ducklings in her care, a remarkable image that an amateur wildlife photographer captured on a recent trip to Lake Bemidji, about 150 miles northwest of Duluth, Minnesota.

“It was mind blowing,” the photographer, Brent Cizek, said. “I didn’t know that a duck could care for that many chicks.”

It’s not unusual to see many ducklings gathered together. Some 20 or 30 have been reported with a single hen. But 70-plus?

“It’s an extraordinary sighting,” said Richard O. Prum, an ornithologist at Yale University.

Experts say the photo, which has been shared among bird conservationists and featured on the National Audubon Society’s website, offers an extreme example of a somewhat common phenomenon in nature. Here’s a look at the story — and the science — behind the striking image.

What’s going on in that photo?

Cizek said he first stumbled upon the brood in late June, when he headed out to the local lake in an 8-foot plastic boat he bought to fuel his outdoor photography. He said he wasn’t expecting to take many pictures that day — he brought one camera and one lens — but then he saw the duck and her babies.

He began snapping photos while trying to steer in choppy water. He rushed home to look at his camera roll, he said, and found that only one image turned out: the duck, who is being called Mama, blazing the way for the long line of ducklings in her wake.

“It kind of compels you just to look and wonder: How?” Cizek said. “How did this happen? How is this mom taking care of all of these ducklings? She just looks really proud and stoic in the photo.”

He estimated then that there were more than 50 ducklings in the group. On another trip to the lake this month, he said, he counted as many as 76.

Could all of those babies be hers?

No. Mama is a common merganser, a duck found on freshwater lakes. Females can lay up to a dozen or so eggs, according to the National Audubon Society.

But, in a twist, common mergansers don’t incubate only their own eggs. Experts say females often “dump” their eggs in the nests of other birds in an effort to spread out their offspring and increase the chances of survival.

Still, even if Mama had other birds’ eggs dumped in her nest, Prum said she could not have managed to sit on so many eggs.

“It’s impossible for this individual to have incubated, you know, 50 eggs,” he said. “That is really too much.”

Why is she caring for so many ducklings?

Some birds, including common mergansers and ostriches, raise their babies in a day care system that’s called a crèche, experts say.

In a crèche, females leave their ducklings in the care of one female — often an older female who is experienced at raising babies, said David Rave, an area wildlife manager who oversees the Bemidji region for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The females at Lake Bemidji, many of which are related, lay eggs that hatch around the same time, he said. Afterward, he said, the adult ducks go off to molt their feathers, leaving their broods in the care of a matriarchal female.

“She’d be kind of like the great-grandmother,” Rave said.

While the practice is common for this species, Rave said, the size of the crèche in the photo is exceptional. “That’s a lot,” he said. “I’ve seen crèches up to 35 and 50 often, but 70 — that would be a very big crèche.”

Cizek, the photographer, has gone back to the lake several times to photograph the ducklings as they grow. He said he had seen other adult ducks around the brood, but when Mama swims away, the ducklings follow her.

“Everybody is really just amazed,” Cizek said. “Everybody keeps saying, ‘Mom of the Year.’”

Filed Under: Trends Worldwide Tagged With: deal, ducklings,, hen,, Photo, this, trends, what’s, with, worldwide

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

More to See

In Guatemala’s jungle, laser mapping has unearthed 60,000 ancient Maya structures

By Stephen King

Drone footage captures incredibly rare images of uncontacted people who are cut off from entire world

By Stephen King

When a Dog is Struck By a Car, a Young Boy Runs into The Road to Save It

By Stephen King

Astonishing Agave: The 7-Year Bloom Wonder

By Stephen King

A Monkey From a Zoo in California is Suspected of Dialing 911

By Stephen King

Man wants break-up after girlfriend objects to dog sleeping in their bed — internet reacts

By Stephen King

A Stray Cat Follows A Man Home From The Café And Decides That He Is Now Her Father

By Stephen King

Footer

Home and Garden: Timeless Beauty and Smart Investment

Your home and garden reflect your personality and values, offering both emotional and financial worth. A well-maintained space enhances your life and withstands market changes.

Hasan Jasim emphasizes the lasting value of homes and gardens, from beautiful gardens that boost curb appeal to interiors that create sanctuary. These spaces are more than assets—they are legacies.

Incorporating health-boosting elements like dates, known for their energy, heart health, and gut benefits, supports your well-being. Whether for diabetes, weight loss, or skin health, dates are a smart, natural choice.

By prioritizing quality materials and timeless design, your home and garden remain valuable investments for years to come.

Recent

  • Vet issues warning over dog walks on hot days
  • Tearjerking update on Obie, the abandoned dog who was found tied up to tree
  • Great white sharks will never be held captive in aquariums – sad reason why
  • Heartbreaking reason your dog looks at you while having a poo
  • The Last Time NASA’s Voyager “Looked Back” At Our Solar System, This Is What It Saw
  • The world has just experienced its hottest decade
  • Maniacs cover him in superglue – then moments before puppy dies, animal rescuers find him

Search

Contact us

Hasan Jasim LLC is proudly based in the United States, delivering professional and reliable services. You can reach us by phone at +1 (914) 575-5957 or visit our office at 1234 Block Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94120. We are always here to assist you with any inquiries and provide the support you need promptly and efficiently.

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in