DVD | Color 11 min | Full Screen. Directed by Steve Furman
ISBN 978-0-8026-0513-9
Price:$14.95*Home Video includes Public Library Circulation rights.
ISBN 978-0-8026-0514-6
Price:$199.95**Academic and Institutional price including Public Performance rights for non-paying audiences.
Consumers Reviews
John Hsays... Fascinating look at somethign that humans usually never see. This short documentary incorporates equal parts of fact, humor, and suspense - what a wonderful job of storytelling!
Critics Reviews
"3 Stars! Steve Furman’s film festival award-winning nature music video Ride of the Mergansers, filmed in northern Minnesota in 2003 using cameras hidden in and around a nesting box, follows the hatching and initial flight of a broad of baby merganser ducks. While there is no narration, onscreen titles provide factual information about the ducklings’ gestation period and hatching, after which they make their way out of the nesting box within a 24-hour period, taking a dramatic plunge as the soundtrack serves up Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” (imagine ducking after little ducking leaping from the nest box and sailing down to the water, accompanied by the crashing cymbals that punctuate the piece – it made me laugh out loud). Recommended."
-R. Reagan, Video Librarian
"This wonderful little documentary tells the story of the thrilling coming-out rite of day-old hooded Merganser ducklings, a rarely observed duck species found in the Great Lakes region. To leave the nest and join the outside world, the ducklings jump from a very high tree into the bay water far below. Ingenious camera positions and precisely times editing contribute to a sense of drama as each duckling emerges and scrutinizes new surroundings before jumping. The leaping sequences are exciting and even comical. The DVD includes two background segments about hooded Mergansers. Viewers of varied ages and diverse interests will find this short, beautifully produced film both educational and enjoyable."
-Ed Counts - Booklist
SummaryThe Hooded Merganser is a rare and reclusive duck found only in North America. Every spring, in the Great Lakes region, the wary hen lays and incubates her eggs in a nest high in the trees. Just 24 hours after hatching, the tiny ducklings must make the perilous leap to the ground below to begin life in the wild. This age-old rite is rarely observed by humans.
Ride of the Mergansers brings this hidden drama to the screen. Filmed entirely in northern Minnesota, this brief film is a heartwarming blend of natural history, humor, and suspense. You’ll be entertained, educated, and inspired--and left with a newfound appreciation of the phrase "leap of faith."
