This brood of ducklings found trapped in a storm drain in Cheshire have been rescued and cared for at RSPCA Stapeley Grange in Nantwich.
The young birds were spotted swimming at the bottom of the drain three feet below the road surface on Mill Lane, at Great Barrow.
Members of the public who had lifted the drain cover contacted the animal charity who provided equipment and expertise to bring the week-old mallards to safety.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Cooper attended the location yesterday (April 22nd) and used YouTube audio clips of duckling calls to coax the young birds into view so she could net them and bring them up to dry land.
Leanne said: “The ducklings were spotted swimming at the bottom of the storm drain which had different outlet pipes and the ducklings kept on disappearing from view.
“I wasn’t able to reach them at first but playing duckling calls off my phone is a method that has worked before.
“When the first one appeared I scooped it up in my net and then went on to the next and the next.
“We didn’t know how many had fallen down there, but knew there were at least five.
“But they kept on coming out into view from the pipes in response to the calls and as soon as they did I scooped them up.”
In all, eight ducklings emerged from the drain and Leanne then took them to RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre on London Road so they could be checked over.
The mother duck, who had tried to reach her ducklings, flew off and while attempts were made to reunite her with her offspring.
Leanne decided the welfare of the baby mallards rested on them being rehabilitated at a wildlife centre before being released back into the wild at a later date.
She added: “Unfortunately the mum got spooked and vanished.
“She was spotted later in the area, but she didn’t appear for long enough for me to feel comfortable releasing the ducklings there.
“They didn’t look like they were more than a week old and fortunately they were all healthy.
“Lots of locals helped out during the rescue and they did the right thing contacting the RSPCA as we were able to bring these ducklings to safety when the access was difficult.”
Ducklings do not normally stray far from their parents and if members of the public see them on the ground the mother will usually be close by.
But if they need to be moved to the nearest body of water or rescued from being trapped, the mother would also need to be caught first which presents the risk of her flying off.
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