mom ducks bad location choice!

Question

we have about 12 eggs in a planter, high on a wall of on our terrace. The planter is 30 feet above the water by flying, or plunging down a cement wall into the water - or mud, depending on the tide. On the other side is our terrace which is concrete, 7 feet below the nest, and has no access to the water.

She has been incubating them diligently for about 18 days now. How will she ever get them safely out of the planter and into the water? Can I help her get them safely to water without interfering with her natural mothering instincts? Once in the water, she will have walls on every side with just a few duck rafts here and there to climb up onto.

Do I just wait and see? Any suggestions? I can send photos...


Answer
Well ducks do make very strange nesting choices. This isn't the first one I have heard about. Amazingly, baby ducks are pretty resilient and usually make it to the water okay. However, if you move them down there for her she will pick up where she left off and take over. They squawk a lot and loudly while you are near them but once in the water she will gather them up and take off.
Many people do this so I know it works. I would watch and see what happens when they hatch. Be ready with a bucket to carry them down to the water if need be but stay away until it is absolutely necessary.