Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Plans are in hand to move the nesting Ottawa killdeer

The Canadian media has been all over the nesting killdeer that is holding up an Ottawa blues festival.
A killdeer is a reasonably common species of plover that likes to nest in rocky open ground. This particular one chose a cobblestone path near the Canadian War Museum in downtown Ottawa, which also happens to be the location the main stage of the annual 11-day Ottawa Bluesfest, which is due to kick off next week. Rather than just move the bird, organizers starting on the set-up for the festival have cordoned the bird off, and the National Capital Commission is providing round-the-clock security for the bird and its eggs. An Environment and Climate Change Canada license to move the bird had been arranged, and volunteers from he Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary are due any day now to move the bird to a more suitable spot about 50 metres away. Contingency plans are also in hand to deal with the hatching eggs, just in case the move freaks out the mother and leads her to abandon her brood.
It's all kind of ridiculous, but also rather heart-warming. The Bluesfest is expected to go ahead on schedule next week, although it might be a little noisy for the nesting mother. Maybe there should be a volume cap too?

UPDATE
The move seems to have gone well. It was llned with military precision, and involved a painstaking campaign of gradual moves of one metre each. Each time, there is a breathless wait to see whether the mother will come back to the nest in its new location. It's looking good so far.

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