Another Rescue

Got an unusual phone call from the opticians today. A mother duck and large brood walked past the opticians on the high street brae and I was asked for advice on what to do. I told the lady in question just to escort the duck and brood down to the riverside keeping behind and not to rush it.
Anyway I thought I better go down to make sure all was well, and found that the duck had taken a quick detour into an allyway but still heading for the river. The allyway passed several houses and eventually came to a dead end. The mother duck had jumped over the wall and flew down to the river about 20 feet below.

As luck would have it Murdo Mcleod  the painter was working in the ally way and quickly lowered a ladder down to the riverside. We gathered up the ducklings into a box supplied by a neighbour, and Murdo climbed down to the riverside where the mother duck was quacking furiously for her ducklings to follow.
Murdo released them into the river and mother duck happily took them downstream. It was a joyous finale to an exciting rescue.

                       I later met up with the mother and her brood in the evening. I counted 15 ducklings but I think one or two belonged to another mother close by.