Mother duck made a wrong turning somewhere and it's making me anxious

A bunch are trapped down here, that's why mother duck won't leave

There were three trapped down, there, we got them all out

Oh God, FOUR. We somehow squeezed all four out. Lots of passersby now helping.

OK, now what - still a way from the canal.

Someone fetched a box. We're putting the ducklings in. Mother duck is quacking very loudly.

So we're walking all the ducklings to the nearest canal, trying to stop mother duck wandering off or into the road. It's pretty nervewracking but I think we're on the home stetch

Almost there...

You're free, little buddies

Have to go home now. Mother duck finally stopped quacking - she quietened right down once she was with them all in the water.

This is how it actually played out. I initially walked past them all for 100 yards before thinking "Wait, how ate they getting home?" and returned. After a couple of minutes trying to hustle them along the road alone, others started helping. We moved them a bit before...

...the mother just refused to go any further. Then a passing postman somehow noticed the other chicks trapped on the grating. We realised THAT was why the mother was distressed and hadn't wanted to leave. I spent 10 mins on the phone to the Canal Trust, who said "Try the RSPCA".

...so I gave up on that and we just concentrated on getting the chicks out. Attempts to lift the grating failed so we used a long plastic spoon and our hands. A male duck flew in and joined the others before flying off again. Once all chicks were rescued we boxed them up.

The mother duck got distressed again, understandably, but boxing her up with them seemed a bad idea. Eventually she got the picture and followed us to the canal. Anyway, six hours later I checked on them and they were all still happily swimming in the canal
End