FUN! It's a primal force.

[von Baur]

Saw this on Yahoo. These baby ducks walk...make that run...up a very steep incline just to slide back down, just like children at a playground. There's no reward of food, only the pure enjoyment of the slide. And interestingly enough, for the most part they seem to wait their turn, also, pushing in front of only those reluctant to take the plunge.

[Fubar512]

Cool video.

 

I own a Budgerigar, who in his younger days, used to climb up a venetian blind sash cord, gripping it with his beak and claws. When he reached the top, he'd loosen the grip that he had on the cord with his beak, and slide down as if he were a commando repelling down the side of a building.

 

Currently, his bag of tricks include the use of weapons....when his cage mate beats him to a treat, he'll grab hold of a toy suspended from the cage-top, and swing it like a wrecking-ball or battering ram at her

[UK_Widowmaker]

For far too long, we have underestimated animals...they don't just 'survive'...they live!...and enjoy life too...just like these ducklings.

[Bullethead]

Around here, our most common duck is the wood duck. IMHO, it's one of the prettiest types of duck and it's rather unique in that it nests up in hollow trees instead of on the ground. As soon as the eggs hatch, the mother duck literally kicks all the babies out of the nest so that they plummet 6-8 feet to the ground. Once the last duckling is out, mother jumps down herself and leads them out into the water.

 

The bizarre thing is, this rather brutal fall is essential in the ducklings' lives. If you hatch wood duck eggs in an incubator, you have to pick the hatchlings up and drop them that high or they will never eat a bite of food and will starve to death.

[Olham]

Seriously??? Sounds like an "instant ZEN" wake-up proceedure!

Edited November 15, 2011 by Olham

[von Baur]

Seriously??? Sounds like an "instant ZEN" wake-up proceedure!

 

 

Wow! Forty years on and I finally realize that my sergeant at basic was really a Zen master. Who would have thought?

[Olham]

Things are not always what they seem to be, von Baur! Same for drill sergeants.