{"id":33214,"date":"2018-07-27T09:11:50","date_gmt":"2018-07-27T16:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=33214"},"modified":"2018-07-27T09:11:50","modified_gmt":"2018-07-27T16:11:50","slug":"friday-fun-mother-of-the-year-award-goes-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2018\/07\/27\/friday-fun-mother-of-the-year-award-goes-to\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fun: “Mother of the Year Award” Goes to …"},"content":{"rendered":"

By unanimous acclamation we can now declare the \u201cMother of The Year Award\u201d<\/em><\/strong> goes to \u2026 a Common Merganser Duck<\/strong> on Lake Bemidji in Minnesota \u2013 who takes care of SEVENTY-SIX ducklings<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Brent Cizek<\/strong>, a wildlife photographer, was blown away when he snapped his first photo on June 27 on Lake Bemidji in Minnesota showing a Momma taking care of 56 ducklings.\u00a0 It shows how a truly successful family daycare center can be run.<\/p>\n

Here’s his story:<\/p>\n

Then, as he motored toward the boat slip,\u00a0Cizek saw\u00a0something remarkable: a\u00a0female Common Merganser surrounded by more than 50 little ducklings. While\u00a0Cizek watched, the little mergansers\u00a0formed a long, orderly line behind their mom\u00a0and began swimming away. The scene was too good to pass up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably shot 50 pictures,\u00a0and I was just praying that one was going to turn out sharp because the waves were so strong it was nearly impossible to even keep them in the frame,\u201d\u00a0Cizek says. To further complicate\u00a0things, he had to alternate between maneuvering his little trolling motor and quickly snapping pictures. \u201cLuckily enough, just one picture turned out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cizek says he has been photographing wildlife in his spare time for about two years and only\u00a0recently became\u00a0interested in birds. Last year, he saw a Common Goldeneye\u00a0with 20 ducklings in tow and thought that was extraordinary. He had no idea ducks could care\u00a0for so many ducklings\u2014much less 50.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

https:\/\/www.audubon.org\/news\/heres-why-mama-merganser-has-more-50-ducklings<\/a><\/p>\n

Actually, she\u2019s more likely to be \u201cGrandmother of the Year\u201d<\/em> or even \u201cGreat-Grandmother\u201d<\/em> as this species of ducks, the Common Merganser, frequently have an older, more experienced mom take care of their duckling in what is called a\u00a0cr\u00e8che<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But a week or so later he went back and spotted her caring for 76 ducklings!\u00a0 And Cizek\u2019s Tweet of July 16th<\/sup> showing a photo of the 76 has been retweeted over three-thousand times.<\/p>\n

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MAMA MERGANSER! I was able to track down the now famous Lake Bemidji Common Merganser that has an adopted brood of over 76 babies! I love the story that these photos tell.<\/p>\n

Full gallery: https:\/\/t.co\/wg8xioJBIG<\/a>#audubonsociety<\/a> #minnesota<\/a> #bemidji<\/a> #duck<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/c0Jycct4HX<\/a><\/p>\n

— Brent Cizek (@brentcizekphoto) July 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n