Talk about leaving the nest with a leap of faith. I recently spotted this female wood duck and her recently fledged ducklings - two are visible and 2 more are hiding behind her. They were swimming in the pond behind our house. Wood ducks are beautiful creatures - the males more flamboyantly so (look one up and see) and the females with more understated charm and beauty. I didn’t realize they nest in trees - that’s UP in trees. They are one of the few ducks with strong claws to grip the bark and branches around their tree house. But that’s not all. How brave are these young ducklings? Well, at one day of age, they each march to the edge of their nest and jump. Mind you, they are not flying yet, so they plummet as much as 50 feet. Often the nests are in trees over water, but some unfortunate nestlings land with a thump not a splash. Amazingly, without injury. Their mother then calls them to join her in the water but offers no assistance. Once in the water (remember, this is still on Day 1), they are able to swim and find food. Try to imagine the childhood memories of a wood duck - not exactly long, slow, and leisurely.