Newborn gosling leaps from an I-5 offramp into the Willamette River

Watch an adorable, fluffy newborn gosling take its first leap, and what a leap it is. This brave little chick jumped from an I-5 offramp high above Portland's Eastbank Esplanade and the Willamette River, falling toward its parents and siblings waiting below. What an extraordinary thing to have caught on video.

It happened on Sunday, April 26. Melissa Riordan filmed the last gosling as it paced under the bridge, gathered its courage, and jumped. The gosling hit the water, popped back up unharmed, and paddled toward its family. They swam away together once reunited. The reunion looks routine, like the chick has been at it for years.

Canada geese sometimes nest on bridges, ledges, and rooftops, and the goslings have to make these high jumps to follow their parents down to the water. Their light, fluffy bodies handle the impact surprisingly well, and these aerial debuts are not as rare as you might think. Watching one of them is its own kind of nature documentary, with high stakes, no edits, and the whole family back together at the end.

Previously:

• A cute nerdy gosling hears its family having fun while its stuck trying to hop a curb (video)
• Goose family struggles to make it up this river bank
• Baby goose with homemade leg brace