The mother and her kids rest on a bridge. [Photo/IC]

West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, welcomed its first mandarin duck nest of the year on April 30.

The new inhabitants, 15 baby mandarin ducks, were spotted at the Yue Fei Temple in West Lake scenic spot. They walked behind their mother before jumping into West Lake to enjoy a leisure swim.

As soon as the ducklings got into water, staff at West Lake started to build “l(fā)ove bridges” on the encircling net around the lotus area to help the baby birds get in and out of the area freely. The tradition began in 2017, and the sight of the ducklings crossing the bridge with their mother has been commonplace ever since.

These days, bird watchers come to the lake every day to wait for the newborn mandarin ducks, and the first nest of this year was one week later than last year. In the coming days, there will be more baby ducks born to greet tourists.

The tourists are advised not to feed the ducks, as the action can be detrimental to their health. All tourists should also keep their distance so as to ensure the ducklings remain happy and healthy.

The mother plays with her kids. [Photo/IC]