Photographer Steve Furcich, of Lake Bavaria, Minnesota, just happened to catch a mother duck and her chicks the moment the adorable fluffy chicks lept into the water to swim with their mother for the first time since hatching. Hooded merganser ducklings dive into the water within 24 hours of hatching, but only after their mother deems it safe. The chicks dive for small fish to survive and will jump more than 50 feet from the nest to be with their mother. In some cases, they will even walk over half a mile to the nearest body of water. It’s unclear how far the ducks Furcich observed traveled or how deep their jump was. The 66-year-old did, however, say that the sight never ceases to amaze him. “These ducks have muscles that can change the shape of their eyeballs so that they have perfect vision underwater,” he added. He went on to explain that birds can be harder to photograph because their movements are often faster and less predictable than most subjects. “A good photographer is like a football player,” he said. “They anticipate where the ball will be going instead of reacting to and chasing after it.”
