American banker rescues ducklings left high and dry in Washington State

A quick-thinking banker has endeared himself to the people of Washington State by rescuing a family of ducks stranded on the second floor of a building.

The mother duck built her nest outside Joel Armstrong's window in the centre of Spokane city, near the river and, for the next 35 days, Mr Armstrong watched events unfold with interest.

But he soon discovered he was in for another surprise when he realised the duck needed to take her babies to fresh water. The mother flew off, leaving her frightened ducklings high and dry, dangerously close to the edge of the building.



Realising what was wrong, Mr Armstrong ran downstairs and took up his position on the pavement below, next to the mother duck who was quacking encouragement to her babies.

The banker kept his eyes on the ducklings while chatting reassuringly to their mum. Then the ducklings moved, two jumping right into his hands. Gradually, the other ducklings followed and each was caught safely and passed over to mother duck.

By the time the feathered family was successfully reunited, a crowd had gathered and, with the help of some new-found friends, Mr Armstrong was able to move the ducks to a new home better suited to their needs, the local river.