Pictured: The tired little duckling that jumped on mum's back for a ride across the river

And luckily for him, she was on hand to give him a lift back to the nest.

The goosander chick, who is only two or three weeks old, gingerly hopped on her back and sat there, secure and contented, for the arduous paddle upstream.

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His brothers and sisters, clearly impressed with the idea of a parental taxi service, later followed suit.

The amazing pictures were captured by photographer Nick Leslie on the River Dart in Devon.

He said: "When I came across the birds I tried to capture them on camera, but the light was not good and the goosanders were soon gone.

"I followed them up river for a mile. It was great to see the chicks putting on spurts of speed and then being taken back by the current.

"When they got tired, they all climbed on the back of their mother."

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The dappled chick and his distinctively plumed mother are members of one of Britain's largest duck species.

Female goosanders have a tuft of feathers at the back of their heads, and the males have striking green, black and white plumage.

The breed, which feeds on fish, was brought into the country in 1871.

Goosanders can now be found in lakes and reservoirs from Scotland to the south of England.