You’ve probably noticed that we’ve reached that time of the year when ducklings and goslings require Twin Cities drivers to make critical decisions: Stop for the critters slowly crossing the road and risk the wrath of drivers behind you who don’t know what’s going on? Or plow on through?

It’s also duckling rescue season. The small fowl aren’t real smart when it comes to storm sewers so they tend to fall in with great regularity.

And we’re still a people who will go out of our way to rescue them.

But the people at the Florentine Opera Company in Milwaukee went above and beyond this week when some ducklings got trapped in a catch basin.

The opera team was getting their — avert your eyes, Minneapolitans — Pedal Pub ready for a Ride for the Arts on Sunday when a cyclist — that’s right, a cyclist — saw the disaster unfold and alerted the nearby pubbers, according to the opera’s Facebook page.

“One of the Florentine team members went inverted, and was lowered by his feet eight-and-a-half feet into the isolated sewer column.”

“The group pulled him up over and over again each time with a little 3” duckling in his left hand.”

“They swapped in another rider to take over for the last couple of ducklings–liberating all 10 ducklings.”

They were assisted by a member of the cycling community. You’re paying attention to this, right, Minneapolis?

“The ducklings waddled off, down a boat ramp and into the Milwaukee River, reunited with their mother for a day in the water!”

Their mission complete, it was back to the task of decorating the traveling pub.

“I remember going in there headfirst and just being like, ‘Oh my God, this is an obscene task,'” Nick Yannett tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Stingl. “After each one I’d say, ‘I got one!’ and they’d hoist me up and I’d pass it to them and then I’d go right back down.”

Archive: This St. Paul duck rescue photo has it all (NewsCut)