Bemidji Photographer Snaps Photo Of Mama Duck With 76 Babies

CBS Minnesota ^ | July 25, 2018

[EdnaMode]

A mama duck in Minnesota has captured hearts across the nation after a Bemidji photographer snapped an image of her leading an astonishing 76 ducklings across a lake.

Amateur wildlife photographer Brent Cizek noticed the exceptional common merganser, which he now calls Mama Merganser, late last month during a photo session on Lake Bemidji

Brent Cizek @brentcizekphoto I'm so proud of Mama Merganser. ❤️

While it’s not uncommon to see a troupe of 20 or so ducklings lining up behind a single hen, 76 of them is another story.

“It was mind blowing,” Cizek told The New York Times. “I didn’t know a duck could care for that many chicks.”

An earlier photo of the same bird was featured by the National Audubon Society, in a July 13 story that explained that ducks sometimes put their eggs in others’ nests and that separated duckling sometimes cling to ducks that look like their mothers.

Still, it’s not quite sure how Mama Merganser amassed such an impressive brood.

“Everybody keeps saying, ‘Mom of the Year,’” Cizek told the newspaper.

A typical common merganser usually has a small flock of about 10 ducklings. The species is found in all season near lakes in parts of northern Minnesota.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Not to sound defensive...but no way a half dozen mallards could either. But there were no mallards in the pic. So...

[dangus]

Are you saying he’s ducking his responsibility? I think he spent too much time on the low down. As in nether-feathers.

[dangus]

Sorry, I totally didn’t understand, “eider.”

[Ezekiel]

Mama Merganser

A literal "Mother Goose"!

Common merganser

The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (Mergus merganser) is a large duck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, northern and central Asia, and North America.

>>>

The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird, and merganser is derived from mergus and anser, Latin for "goose"[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_merganser

The figure of Mother Goose is the imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes[1] often published as Old Mother Goose's Rhymes, as illustrated by Arthur Rackham in 1913.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Goose

Marjorie Ainsworth Decker published a Christian version of the rhyme in her The Christian Mother Goose Book published in 1978:

There was an old woman
Who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children,
And loved them all, too.
She said, "Thank you Lord Jesus,
For sending them bread."
Then kissed them all gladly
and sent them to bed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_was_an_Old_Woman_Who_Lived_in_a_Shoe

an image of her leading an astonishing 76 ducklings across a lake

Spirit of America ('76):

Lumberjack Legends and American folklore, folktales

In the urban legends Bunyan is described as a Lumberjack of gigantic stature and size with titanic power and strength. In American folklore he and his blue Ox named Babe are said to be responsible for the creation of several American landscapes, landmarks and natural wonders.[15] For example they are said to have created the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota[16] by their footprints,[17] including Lake Bemidji[18][19][20], which indeed has the shape of a giant footprint resembling it when viewed from high above. Further Bunyan is said to have created the Grand Canyon by pulling his ax behind him,[21] and Mount Hood by putting stones on his campfire.[22] <P>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bunyan

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are the names of a pair of large statues of the American folk hero Paul Bunyan and his ox, located in Bemidji, Minnesota.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bunyan_and_Babe_the_Blue_Ox

Paul Bunyan and Babe created Minnestota's 10,000 lakes by their footprints, and there was an old woman who lived in a shoe [that made the imprint of Lake Bemidji]...

She said, "Thank you Lord Jesus,
For sending them bread."
Then kissed them all gladly
and sent them to bed.

***

Love this stuff! Thanks for the ping!

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Our best year/box in Bemidji was 18. Half woodies, half Goldeneyes.

[minnesota_bound]

She was loose as a goose in fooling around.

[left that other site]

Well some fowl reason, anyway!

[left that other site]

Neider, nider, eider Ider...let’s call the whole thing off! :-)

[Daffynition]

[Daffynition]

[Daffynition]

What a lot of research you put into your lovely post. :D

[Daffynition]

[HandyDandy]

That’s just plain loon-ey.

[Daffynition]

[kalee]

I wonder what breed of duck that is. We had one in our small flock of supposedly purebred khaki Campbell ducks that had the feather topknot like that one. She was the proper color for kc ducks but had the topknot and her eggs were Army drab green. She was definitely different than the rest we had.

[leaning conservative]

: )

[JoeProBono]

Crested Harlequin Drake

[Ezekiel]

What a lot of research you put into your lovely post.

Ha, about 10 minutes worth.

All I did was look up this type of bird and then I saw that it was a "goose" and well... Mother Goose! It all connected itself. And it was fun too, lol.

Birds. They sure inspire, don't they?

[TruthWillWin]

She must be exhausted.....................

Yep, killed the father.

[Fightin Whitey]

The baby-daddy is nowhere to be found,and must have ducked social services. He is eider in hiding, or on the low down.

Probably ducking the bill.