Patients at the University of Rochester Thompson Health hospital are treated to the adorable parade every year

Mother Duck Parades Her Babies Through a New York Hospital Which She Does Once a Year, Every Year

One surefire way to bring a smile to anyone’s face?

Two words: Duck Parade.

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Patients in the continuing care wing of the University of Rochester‘s Thompson Health hospital in Canandaigua, New York, were treated to just that last week. According to the hospital’s Facebook page, a mother duck parades her new ducklings through the hospital every year.

“Every year, without fail, a mama duck chooses one of the enclosed courtyards at our M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center to lay her eggs and take care of her babies,” staff shared to the Facebook page. “She lets us know when she’s ready to go by tapping on the glass, and this morning, it was time for this annual rite of spring.”

Image zoom Thompson Health

The little ducks can be seen following their mom throughout the hospital’s hallways, out the door, and into a grassy area behind the facility. The Facebook post also includes a photo of a CNA and patient delighted by the springtime parade.

The duck follows the same path every year, and facility services staff use old signage to gently guide her and the ducklings through the halls.

Image zoom

Image zoom Thompson Health

“She has us trained,” one associate joked in a photo caption posted to Facebook.

This spring, the mother duck led 13 ducklings on her annual route.