01x07 - Washington

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Washington,

the Evergreen State.

Home to vast landscapes

with mountain skylines.

But in a small town,

hidden amongst the trees,

life is flourishing

but not as you might expect.

Every two weeks,

this village hall is transformed

into a marketplace

for people to buy and sell

their local, hard-earned produce.

With a vast selection on offer,

some things can't help but draw attention.

[ducklings cheep]

One stall, in particular, is playing host

to something very special

Pekin ducklings.

A domestic farm breed

derived from wild mallard ducks.

The stall owner proudly displays

his latest hatchlings.

By late afternoon,

the marketplace draws to a close,

and all that's left

is the less desirable task of cleaning up.

Over at the stall,

one of the eggs remains unhatched,

but it has not been overlooked

by everyone.

A young boy watches curiously.

Why hasn't that one hatched?

All the others broke free

from their shells, all but one.

In the cleaning process, the stall owner

hasn't realized their terrible mistake,

and the fate of the unhatched egg

is sealed.

If it falls below a certain temperature,

the unborn duckling won't survive.

He finds the abandoned egg.

Luckily, it's unbroken and still warm.

Carefully, he makes it safe.

His body heat should keep it

warm enough for now.

[keypad beeping]i

Having helped raise the chickens

here at his family home,

he knows what the egg requires.

There's not a moment to lose.

The egg needs heat, and fast.

Improvising, he hastily gets to work.

This homemade nest

will work nicely for now.

And now, to add some warmth.

Illuminated by the light,

it reveals there's something inside.

A dark mass fills the egg.

To prevent the egg from drying out,

he adds a little water.

That extra bit of moisture

should help the duckling hatch.

Called downstairs,

he reluctantly leaves the room.

The hours pass by

but there's still no signs of life

from within.

The boy patiently waits

and waits some more.

Two days have passed, but still nothing.

A camping trip

is taking the boy away from his egg.

[door opens]

He hasn't given up hope yet.

Some eggs hatch later than others.

As night falls,

everything is not what it seems.

A strange creature

lurks outside the house.

[creature snarls]

But the outside world is far away

from the sanctuary of the boy's bedroom.

For now, the egg is safe indoors.

Dawn, and the streaming sunlight

helps to warm the bedroom.

All alone in the quiet of the room

at last, a small crack appears.

The duckling pips through the shell

to take its first breath.

To help it break free,

a tiny, horn-like projection,

known as the egg tooth,

sits on the end of the duckling's beak.

Hitting the egg with its tooth,

it cracks the shell from within.

The wild hatchling doesn't

receive assistance from its mother.

It must find the strength

to hatch out on its own.

From start to finish,

the hatching process can play out

over 24 hours.

[duckling cheeps]

A scruffy, female duckling is emerging.

Having absorbed the yolk

from inside the egg,

she won't need to eat for a day or two,

but having used much of her energy

to break free from the eggshell,

she must now rest to regain her strength.

Within a couple of hours after hatching,

her feathers have dried out,

and she's able to walk.

Yet her legs are still soft and delicate,

making her a little unsteady on her feet.

She clumsily sets about

exploring these new surroundings,

blissfully unaware

of the potential hazards around her.

[cheeping]

Thankfully, it's a soft landing.

[cheeps frantically]

Her instincts tell her

there's safety in numbers,

and so she sets out

to find others like her.

Under the bed,

it's a land of forgotten toys,

once loved and adored.

These old objects now lie untouched,

gathering dust.

However, it only takes one action

to trigger a reaction.

[cheeping]

Looking out over the bedroom floor,

she spots somewhere to hide.

This sweater is the perfect place

to find cover and keep warm.

She snuggles down to rest.

Returning after his night away,

the boy's excited to see the egg.

He knows the duckling

is due to hatch at any moment.

He's too late

but the hatchling couldn't have gone far.

Unknowingly in his haste,

he's overlooking the one location

where the duckling is hidden.

The longer he looks,

the greater his concern.

He knows a duckling

won't live long on its own.

[cheeping]

[squeaking]

Quacking in protest, the duckling's calls

are muffled by the clothing.

Although the duckling

is instinctively drawn to water,

she is in serious trouble.

She'll drown inside the washing machine.

[machine whirring]

[cheeping]

A narrow escape.

But without any parental guidance,

the jeopardy for the naive duckling

is far from over.

[door opens and closes]

[cheeps]

She enters through an open door,

straight into the kitchen,

but this is one of

the most dangerous rooms in any household.

The onset of hunger is creeping in,

and so she searches for some food.

Unaware of his son's secret,

the father hasn't noticed the duckling.

Lifted onto the counter,

she notices something.

For the first time,

she has a glimpse of the outside world.

To her amazement,

it's a vast and breathtaking sight.

She's overwhelmed with the urge

to explore the great outdoors,

but she doesn't know how to get there.

Distracted for a moment,

she notices another enticing sight.

Like all ducks, she's drawn to water

and the kitchen sink

is filled to the brim.

Naturally, ducks are excellent swimmers

but newly-hatched duckling feathers

are not waterproof.

They rely on their mother to do this,

using the oil glands found

near the base of her tail.

For this tiny duckling,

it's like a swimming pool,

and she's in serious danger of drowning.

The more water her feathers absorb,

the heavier she becomes.

Her own body feels like a lead weight.

Unlike in the wild, this pond is slippery.

Using every ounce of energy she has,

she just makes it out,

but she still isn't out of danger yet.

To avoid hypothermia,

the young duckling

needs to dry off, and fast.

[ticking]

[cheeping]

Drawn to the warmth,

she dries her feathers

but the flames present a new danger.

Time to move.

She must find a way down

from the kitchen counter.

Her impulse is to fly,

but her wings are too small.

So, she takes a leap of faith.

She's one lucky duck.

A little shaken, but unscathed,

she spots an exit.

[rings and vibrates]

[cheeping]

Finally, the duckling has made it outside.

[crow cawing]

[various birds chirping]

She's overwhelmed

by the mixture of sights and sounds,

and eager to investigate.

Yet she barely has time to reflect.

An American white pelican

spots the duckling.

But this aquatic bird is better suited

to scooping up fish from the water,

so it takes little interest

in the duckling.

While they enjoy a better way of life

than those born in factories,

hand-raised animals require a lot of care

and attention from humans,

and a chicken coop is the perfect place

to maintain

their well-being and protection.

[cheeping]

[chickens clucking]

Looking for somewhere to rest,

the duckling finds a quiet corner

and settles down for the night.

For the first time, she feels safe.

But tonight, someone's forgotten

to secure the coop door

and a thief is breaking in.

An opossum,

North America's only marsupial.

For this rather peculiar creature,

almost anything is on the menu

including birds.

But opossums rarely k*ll chickens.

They're too big and feisty to handle.

Eggs, however, are a far easier target.

[chickens clucking]

[cheeping frantically]

But the opossum has spotted something

better than eggs.

There's seemingly no escape

for this duckling.

[snarls]

She narrowly escapes harm once again,

but she cannot stay out in the cold.

She must quickly find

somewhere warm to sleep until morning.

Spotting a warm glow from the house,

she waddles over.

A small flap in the door

is a perfect entrance.

Walking towards the warmth,

she finds a fire inside the living room.

An appealing sight

for a cold, tired duckling.

And in front of the fire,

a soft, fluffy nest.

This room is perfect.

But unbeknown to the duckling,

this bed is breathing.

[cat whines softly]

Laying deadly still,

the cat allows the duck

to walk within striking distance.

It's a trap.

The duckling is an easy meal

for such a ferocious hunter.

[cat snarls and hisses]

[cat snarls]

Thankfully, the boy arrives just in time

and prevents disaster.

[cat yowls]

Within an instant, these two are bonded.

Thanks to a unique structure

in their brain,

ducks are genetically programmed

to recognize and follow the first thing

they encounter upon hatching,

a process known as imprinting.

Usually, that's their mother,

but on this occasion,

the boy has taken that role.

However, not all is well.

Upon discovering his secret,

the boy's father takes a firm stance.

The boy took the egg

without the owner's consent,

and it must be returned.

Returning to the farmers market

isn't easy,

but the stall owner is thankful.

[duckling cheeps]

The duckling rejoins her siblings.

The boy is heartbroken

at losing his feathered friend,

but he knows it's the right thing to do.

It's a long and lonely journey back home.

[crows cawing in distance]

[door opens and closes]

[cheeping excitedly]

[chuckles]

The boy's father delivers

the ultimate surprise

and gives the entire duck family

a new home.

What a sight to behold.

Both the boy and the duck have had

an emotional journey.

Life revolves around growth, growing up,

growing wiser, and growing stronger.

Their trials and tribulations

have enabled this duckling's family

to have a new life,

and with that, new opportunities.

And now, together, they will be ready

to take on the outside world.