Amazing Duck Story: Everyone's "Just Ducky" Thanks to Spokane Hero

I learned about this delightful duck story in an email from a friend (thanks, sis) and then found it online (read full, original version of the story here). Here I have paraphrased the tale and give you the "Reader's Digest" version.

A bank officer in downtown Spokane, Washington has a second-story office overlooking a busy avenue. He watched in fascination this spring as a mallard duck built a nest in the corner of the window planter and laid her eggs. Weeks later the eggs hatched and there were ten cute ducklings. The challenge then was how the mother duck was going to get her babies safely 10 feet down to the ground, across the busy avenue, and down two blocks to the nearby river.

The mother duck flew below the nest and started quacking, encouraging the babies to jump down. After watching the first baby crash land on the cement below the banker ran outside and, when the second baby took the plunge, he instinctively reached out, caught it, and delivered it gently to the sidewalk. This process was repeated until all the babies were with mama and ready for the trek to the river.

Other staff members sprang into action and came down with a cardboard box that they used to corral all the ducklings inside. They hand carried the box and the mother duck waddled alongside as they carefully made their journey to the water's edge. The baby ducks were tipped out of the box and they and mama all took their first swim to the delight and cheers of all the spectators.