Something really interesting happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. Is an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second  story office.  Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning outside his window as the unlikely place tobuild a nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.

Michael  worried all night how the momma duck was going  to get those babies safely off their perch in a  busy, downtown, urban environment to take to  water, which typically happens in the first 48  hours of a duck hatching.   Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of  the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off.  Office work came to a standstill as everyone gathered to watch.

The mother  flew down below and started quacking to her  babies above. In disbelief Michael watched as  the first fuzzy newborn trustingly toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin  air, crashing onto the cement below. Michael  couldn’t stand to watch this risky effort nine more times!  He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its mother, was resting in a stupor after the near-fatal fall.   Michael stood out of sight under the  awning-planter, ready to  help.

As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the concrete. Knowing the little one was safe and sound, he set it down it by its momma and the  other stunned sibling, who was still recovering from that painful leap.  (The momma must have sensed that Michael was trying to help her babies.)

One by one the babies continued to jump. Each time Michael hid under the awning just to reach out in the  nick of time as the duckling made its free fall.  At the scene the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a  standstill.  Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining eight and set them by their approving  mother.

At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk across traffic,  crosswalks, curbs and past pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the San Antonio River, site of the famed “River Walk.”  The onlooking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers joined in.  An empty copy-paper box was brought to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother’s  approval, and loaded them in the container.  Michael held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the  San Antonio River.  The mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight, all the way.

As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping in the river and quacking loudly. At the water’s edge, Michael tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to their waiting mother after their adventurous ride.

All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma. Michael said the  mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly  quacking.

At last, all  present and accounted for: “We’re all together  again.  We’re here! We’re  here!”

And here’s a family portrait before they head out to further adventures…

Like all  of us in the big times of our life, they never could have made it alone without lots of helping  hands.  I think it gives the name of San  Antonio’s famous “River Walk” a whole new  meaning!  Maybe you will want to share this story with others.