Quacking effort: Mother and ducklings rescued from balcony

A mother and her 12 ducklings reached new heights on the third floor balcony of a building in Edinburgh.

The homeowner hadn’t noticed the duck nesting on their balcony until the fledglings hatched last month.

The Scottish SPCA mounted a rescue to make sure the family made it safely to water.

However before the animal rescue officers arrived, one of the ducklings injured itself on the way down from the building.

It is now being cared for at the Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Clackmannanshire.

The rest of the ducks – who were found hiding under bins on the ground – were released safely into the wild.

Meanwhile in Glasgow, another family of ducks were captured jumping from a balcony.

In the video, the mum and her ducklings made it safely to the ground.

Aileen Maybury, Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer, said: “Ducks do often nest on balconies and other high places and normally we’d leave them to make their own way down.

“When my colleague, animal rescue officer Darren Malcolm, and I arrived, all of the birds had managed to make their way down to ground level and were hiding under the bins.

“However, as one duckling had already been injured in the descent, and there was no clear route to a safe waterway for the others, we decided to give them a helping hand.

“Thankfully, I was able to safely contain the mother and the uninjured babies and release them safely nearby.

“The injured duckling has been taken to our centre at Fishcross where it is receiving the care it needs.”

The rescue comes off the back of the Scottish SPCA’s #WildlifeWise campaign, which educates the public on when to leave baby animals alone in the wild and when to phone its helpline.

The parents of fledglings are often nearby and still caring for them, even if the bird is on the ground.

The Scottish SPCA is asking that people monitor any baby birds found to avoid creating an orphan, but to call the charity’s helpline if they’re unsure whether it may need help.

For more information, call 03000 999 999 or go to scottishspca.org/wildlifewise.