India, March 3 -- It is a sight any bird enthusiast would consider themselves lucky to behold: A pair of ruddy shelducks, beckoning their young fledglings to follow them to the river. One adult leads the group, while the other follows. Both have flame-hued feathers and creamy white heads, though the male can be distinguished through a dark ring around its neck. The small, precocial chicks, covered in white and black mottled down, walk in the middle.

This journey occurs in the Mudh valley in Ladakh, from where the ducks go down to the Indus river. The entire journey takes three to six hours but is sometimes shorter if the fledglings are grown adequately and are able to walk easily. However, it is extremely challenging to witness-just as C...