Baby Ducks

On the last of our four laps around Lake Louise on Friday, there was a family of people admiring this mother and her babies -

The admirers seemed to be at least two or three generations who were happy to tell us they'd been watching this particular duck all season.  They said she is the only remaining muscovy duck on the lake (the other two disappeared).  Here's a cropped view of her and her brood.

The ducklings appear very small - since this family have been keeping an eye on her, I'm guessing they were just hatched.  We wondered if she might be getting ready to take them in the water.  I have   just read that wild ducks born with their mother will start swimming the first day.  Photos of muscovy ducks at various stages of development can be seen in this wikipedia entry in the paragraph on reproduction.

If you look closely in this photo after clicking on it, you can see them, to the left and under the tree at the edge of the water where we were just admiring them. 

We didn't stay around to bother them, but we might have to stop at the lake in another day or two to see if we can spot them again.