We have ducklings
pretty regularly.
Had a batch the other day (weird time of year for them, but anyway). Mother Duck took them all down to the creek. I follow them usually when this happens because, whilst Mother Duck definitely knows where she's going, she doesn't have that much awareness of, you know, cars driving by.
On the way to the creek, Mother Duck lost one of the ducklings. And so did I. It couldn't jump up a little step the rest of the ducklings could, and then ran off into some shrubbery. Mother Duck waited for minutes and minutes waiting for it to re-join the group, but it didn't. I couldn't see the runaway duckling anywhere. And so after what felt like ages, Mother Duck pushed on and took the rest to the creek. This is the first time I haven't seen Mother Duck be successful in getting all of her ducklings to the creek safely.
So, I was kinda sad about that.
And then, later that day, who do I see in the garden somehow? Mother Duck with the runaway duckling! I think Father Duck must have been with the other ducklings. Mother Duck then took runaway duckling to join the rest.
I don't know how it happened, but very cute!