Man Helps Save 10 Ducklings from Storm Drain

— -- These are some lucky ducks.

Gary Bartoszewski was in the right place at the right time to help rescue 10 ducklings that fell in a storm drain on June 19.

The salesman decided to take a break from work in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, and get some fresh air when he saw the mother duck distressed in the distance.

“When I looked down the drain, I counted 10 of them plus a dead rat. At first she was very defensive but once she could see I was trying to help she just waddled to one side and let me try to help her,” the 47-year-old told ABC News today.

Bartoszewski said he went into rescue-mode and found an iron bar to try and lift the grate, which was rusted shut. The bar didn’t provide enough leverage, so he moved on to enlisting nearby workers to use a forklift and rope to try to lift the grate.

That didn't work, so he resorted to scooping the ducklings from the drain.

“The last chance was the children’s fishing nets. Luckily they worked, but it took over an hour of trying,” he said.

The green plastic nets helped Bartoszewski and two others save all 10 ducklings at the bottom of the drain.

“They ran to their mother as fast as their little legs could take them,” he said. “She counted them, gave a quack and toddled off.”