It’s May, and nature is hard at work. Living near Lake Champlain gives me front row seats to the waterfowl breeding season. For three years, I have had the pleasure of watching a female Common Merganser raise her family. One magnificent day each spring, I spot a duck (one who looks a little different from our usual Mallards) with a fluffy trail of ducklings. This year’s clutch seemed to have ten babies. I saw them from a distance and didn’t have my trusty binoculars in hand. They scooted by before I could get a good look. Shortly after they passed I jumped into my kayak to search for the group down the shoreline. I was excited to find the mother and her 10 fluffy babies hadn’t made it too far. A baby Merganser isn’t yellow or black. They have a rich rusty colored  head and their body has a crazy black and buff pattern. They are beautiful, adorable and striking all at once. The mama duck had jumped out of the water onto a rock to sun herself. The babies were trying their best to join her but didn’t have much luck. Eventually a few little ones were able to succeed, but the rest gave up and paddled happily nearby.  

I see them swim by quite often. In the morning they head south, and in the evening they return north. Each day I count and am excited to see that there are still ten. I watch as some fall behind the pack and seem to run across the water playfully to catch up. I observe how quickly they grow. In just a week they look much bigger, and by two weeks they lose their fluffy appearance. Today I saw them looking like teenagers. All ten are still together, but they’re eating fish and joining their mom on the shore. 

Last year there were 13 little ones. I’m always amazed at how often the whole clutch seems to survive to maturity. This phenomenon is a real treat for me each year. Nature is so fascinating and joyful. Some days I can’t help but draw comparisons between the mama Merganser raising her little ones and my experience raising my own daughter.  

I give baby Common Mergansers five stars.