Family Of Ducks Rescued From Second-Floor Balcony At CCAC

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A mama duck and eleven ducklings caught the attention of prospective students touring the CCAC cafeteria on the North Side on Wednesday morning.

The birds were stranded on a second-floor balcony.

"Someone happened to mention that there was a mama duck up there with baby ducklings," said Tricia Timmons, a high school transition counselor. "And all of us went into mama mode, trying to figure out how we could save those baby ducklings."

A window blocked the birds on one side, a gap of five or six feet on the other. The mother duck was thinking ahead, sort of. She laid her eggs in a place that's safe from predators. On the other hand, what about food and water for the ducklings?

Ducklings who fell from the balcony were tossed back up to their mother, without injury, by an employee known as the "bird man." But there's nothing else he can do for them

"They need water," John Kosakowsky said. "So I have no idea what to do with them, other than give them to someone who can put them in a pond, and then keep them at night so no raccoons can get them."

Soggy bread tossed up by employees can only go so far.

"They're hungry," Tricia Timmons added. "They're stressed. They're thirsty. Hopefully, they can be rescued and taken to a nearby lake."

When it comes to duck rescue, Animal Care and Control fits the bill. The little peeps are easy to catch, but the mama ducks out, acting as a decoy. But she's caught in her own web when officers use the ducklings to lure her to the green grass of West Park, at which point she takes the lead.

Next stop: the river. A story with a nervous beginning will have an ending that's... just ducky.

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