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<\/p>\nA mother duck jabbed her bill through the narrow iron slots of a suburban street drain, calling down into the darkness. Below the heavy metal grate, tiny yellow heads bobbed up toward the light, chirping in response.<\/p>\n
The mother stepped back onto the concrete sidewalk, pacing in tight circles around the perimeter. She returned to the opening repeatedly, peering through the iron bars and shifting her orange feet against the rough curb.
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Her ducklings were trapped deep inside the concrete catch basin beneath the street level. Unable to reach them on her own, she kept her position beside the opening, vocalizing continuously.<\/p>\n
Two men walking down the residential street noticed the commotion and walked over to investigate the noise. One man knelt down on the asphalt and placed both hands on the edge of the rusty iron cover.<\/p>\n
He gripped the metal bars and hauled the heavy grate upward, tilting it back away from the opening. The mother duck darted back a few feet onto the grass, keeping her eyes fixed on the open hole.<\/p>\n
Inside the deep concrete square, several ducklings huddled together against the damp floor. The second man stepped to the curb, peering straight down into the shadow of the drain.<\/p>\n
The first man leaned over the edge and extended both arms deep into the concrete shaft. He cupped his hands beneath the first duckling, carefully wrapping his fingers around its body.<\/p>\n
He lifted the bird up into daylight and passed it to the second man standing beside the curb. The duckling flapped its tiny wings as it was transferred safely upward.<\/p>\n
The rescuer reached down repeatedly, pulling out the remaining chicks one by one and two by two. The mother duck edged closer along the concrete, watching every hand movement as her brood was brought to the surface.<\/p>\n
Within moments, eight fluffy ducklings were gathered safely on the curb near their mother\u2019s feet. The men slid the heavy iron grate back into its slot with a loud thud.<\/p>\n
The mother duck gathered her ducklings close against her side right along the edge of the street. She turned and began walking briskly along the sidewalk, her offspring trailing behind in a tight line.<\/p>\n
They hopped off the curb together and marched across the green lawn toward a neighborhood house. The two men stood back on the grass, watching the family waddle away across the yard.<\/p>\n