Ducks living in cities often breed in flower pots on balconies and roof terraces, as these offer a sheltered spot. The challenge lies in safely transporting their young to a nearby lake or river after they hatch. “You might have a duck who breeds on the 16th floor of a tower block in Spandau. But how to get to the water afterwards with the chicks – unfortunately it doesn’t think that far ahead,” says Marc Engler, head of the NABU Berlin wild bird centre. Engler and his colleagues have been helping mallard ducks move for several years, because once the chicks have hatched, the journey to the wa…