Rescuers fish ducklings out of storm drain

East Fork firefighters came to the rescue of a duck brood after nine ducklings fell into a storm drain in the Monterra neighborhood of Minden on Friday afternoon.

Resident Debbie Nye said she came on the scene just before firefighters arrived and was told that about an hour earlier a mama duck was crossing the street at Azure and Montecito trailed by nine ducklings.

Mom crossed the storm drain grate but the ducklings following her fell through the grates as they crossed.

“The mother became frantic, and the spectators called for help,” Nye said. “She was still clucking loudly when I got there, and everyone could hear little peeps in the drain.”

East Fork personnel scooped up the first four ducklings fairly quickly, and the mom waddled off with them in spite of the fact that there were still five others trapped, Nye said. She ended up in Winhaven but was tracked down.

“It took a lot longer to get the last five out, since they had moved in the storm drain from being directly underneath the grate to somewhere under the street,” she said. “The East Fork folks used water, foam and the hose itself to try to nudge them back to where they fell in (they also removed a manhole cover). Eventually, they were able to lower a small crate and scoop up the five ducklings, now covered in foam and filth.”

They were cleaned up and most reunited with mama duck.