May 9, 2010 - Baby Mallards

On Ocracoke Island in North Carolina, my wife Diana and I saw this mother Mallard bring her flock of 18 babies to the water. They were so tiny it seemed like they must have been only a day or two old. The first day we saw them, the babies stayed in a tight group right around their mother. It was fun to watch the ducklings over the next several days. By the second day they were asserting their independence and exploring their new surroundings away from Mom.

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Here’s a close up of one of the babies. You can’t get much cuter than that!

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This is an appropriate photo for Mother’s Day. The adoring offspring gazing up at Mom.

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One of the ducklings is having fun playing with Mom’s bill.

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This is another family of mallard ducks that I saw at South Point on Ocracoke Island.

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