Ottawa music festival's killdeer eggs moved to safer location

A major Ottawa music festival is a go, thanks to the painstaking work of wildlife experts who successfully transported a pair of protective birds and their four eggs out of harm’s way.

The two killdeer birds had selected a spot to make a nest for their eggs on a cobblestone path that would normally be directly under the Ottawa Bluesfest main stage. Workers spotted the plovers and the nest during setup on Friday and put up yellow caution tape around the nest. The National Capital Commission even paid for 24-hour security for the increasingly agitated birds and their nest.

After receiving permission from Environment Canada, concert officials hatched a plan to move the protected birds’ eggs to a “suitable habitat” nearby.

Monika Melichar, from the Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary in Minden, Ont., was enlisted to help with the lengthy process, which consisted of placing the eggs in an imitation nest and moving it one metre, every 15 to 20 minutes.

Throughout the move, the killdeer returned to the eggs to tend to them, just as officials had hoped.

After 10 hours of meticulous work, Melichar and her team were finally able to relocate the delicate eggs approximately 25 metres away from their original location to an area backstage.

The process was completed by Wednesday morning and by the afternoon it appeared the birds had adjusted to their new digs. Melichar said they were worried the plovers might abandon the nest in all of the commotion. She brought an incubator for the eggs to bring them to a sanctuary if that happened.

Now that the birds and their eggs are safe and sound, construction can begin on the main stage that artists such as Bryan Adams, Beck, Shawn Mendes and the Foo Fighters are set to perform on during the popular 11-day music festival.

Ottawa Bluesfest is set to run from July 5 to 15.

With files from CTV Ottawa

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