A mother mandarin duck peeps her head out of tree branches before leading her children to jump from the 6-meter-high sycamore tree near West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, June 7. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

At about 8 am June 7, a mother mandarin duck led her four babies on a one-minute  stroll on Beishan Street, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, before heading to West Lake and disappearing into nature.

The once busy and crowded street was as if frozen, with all pedestrians and vehicles stopping and quietly waiting for the birds to go through.

Some people even helped the baby mandarin ducks to climb steps so they could jump into the lake.

The birds were from the 18th nest of mandarin ducks conceived near West Lake this year, a new record as the city has been improving its natural environment.