Joel Armstrong, the Duckling Catcher

A Washington banker double-duties saving the lives of ducklings. Check out the amazing slideshow.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on September 06 2010

Wikipedia Commons

Joel Armstrong is a bank official in Spokane, Washington. But he’s also got an unofficial title: rescuer of falling ducklings.

The ledge just outside of Armstrong’s office window has proven a remarkably popular place for a mother duck to nest with her eggs. The only problem? It’s 15 feet off the ground—and after they hatch, the baby ducklings could die when they attempt to jump to the rough sidewalk below.

Fortunately, Armstrong’s been looking out for the animals. After the mother duck laid her eggs in the nest in June, he kept an eye on the eggs every day from his office, waiting for them to hatch.

“Once the last one hatches, I know I have about 24 hours before it’s time for them to leave the nest,” he told The Telegraph.

“When mother duck starts looking down, I run out of the office and wait for the ducklings to jump. The mother jumps first, quacks at the ducklings above and they follow.”

All in all, Armstrong caught five ducklings, placing them gently on the ground so that they could follow their mother. Then, he guided them across three busy roads, to a nearby river.

It was quite an accomplishment, but it wasn’t Armstrong’s first rescue mission: this was his third time acting as duckling catcher. Let’s just hope he never leaves that office.

Check out The Telegraph’s incredible slideshow of Armstrong’s duckling rescue.

Filed under: Animals and Pets, Heroes,

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