Duck brings her newborn ducklings to see nursing home residents each spring
The mother duck arrives each year to lay her eggs in the safety of the care center's courtyard, then marches her newly-hatched ducklings through the building, giving staff and residents a chance to enjoy her new family
A reliable mother duck brings her newly-hatched ducklings to visit the residents of a nursing home each spring without fail.
The duck lays her eggs in the safety of the courtyard at the MM Ewing Continuing Care Center in Canandaigua, upstate New York every year.
After they hatch, the protective bird cares for her babies until they are old enough to walk – then marches them through the inside of the center to a park on the other side.
She will even tap her bill on the glass to alert staff to her presence, so they let her through, with workers holding old signs to help guide the adorable family through the corridors.
Staff decided to share this year’s visit on Facebook, complete with adorable photos of the 13 baby ducklings.
They wrote: ‘Every year, mama follows the same path.
‘Facility Services associates – one of whom said “She has us trained” – have old signage to gently guide her and her babies in case they look like they’re about to get sidetracked.
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‘They head to the light from an open door at the end of the corridor.’
One woman whose mother lives at the center hailed the ducks’ visit as a huge mood booster for residents.
She wrote: ‘Thank you to all the wonderful staff who included my mom…it made her day. thank you.’