This afternoon while out for a run I noticed a lot of people gathering to look at something in the Kamo River. When I got near, I could see it was a family of ducks. The ducklings, must have hatched in the last day or so as they were absolutely tiny. I knew I wanted to come back and take photos but I doubted they would be there when I returned. I returned about an hour later, on my way to a picnic farther downstream. To my surprise, the duck family was in the same place, and doing the same thing, which I found surprising. The mother was just above a little dam and her babies, with no way to jump or fly up and join mommy just gathered in the rushing water at the foot of the dam, crying and scurrying about. I couldn’t figure out why the mother duck would do this. Then it occurred to me that she was trying to keep the ducklings away from open calm water where the circling hawks above might be able to pick them off. But, the Kamo River hawks now earn their livelihoods by swooping down and taking bread, sandwiches, onigiri and so on right out of the hands of picnickers! They are truly amazing. I don’t think they eat their natural food any longer. So, I guess, even these tiniest of ducklings would still be safe. But, maybe that is not what the mama ducks instinct tells her.
