National Post (National Edition)
Plover gives Ottawa the blues
OTTAWA • The plover sits still and seemingly unperturbed on its nest. Yellow caution tape keeps the curious at a distance. A security guard, hired by the National Capital Commission, stands 24/7 watch over the nest.
The mother and the four eggs — both of which enjoy protected status in Canada — are nestled on a cobblestone patch that would normally be directly underneath the main stage of the biggest musical festival in Ottawa.
Workers made the discovery Friday when they arrived to begin the setup for the 11-day Bluesfest event that is scheduled to start July 5. “Someone noticed there was a very agitated bird,” Mike Monahan, Bluesfest executive director, told reporters at a Monday morning briefing. Now Bluesfest, like the mother kildeer herself, is on pause, waiting for the eggs to hatch. “Our goal is to resolve this in the next 24 hours,” said Monahan. “If we can’t move in our infrastructure starting tomorrow, then we’re faced with some delays that could start to snowball.”
The bird, which is common and widespread in North America, nests on the ground in May or June and incubates its eggs for four to six weeks. The birds are nomadic and leave the nesting area as soon as the young birds fledge.
It’s not known when this bird laid her eggs or when they will hatch.
Some research has shown the eggs can be successfully relocated and Monahan said the eggs might be moved to a spot about 50 metres away.
One thing is certain, the nest can’t stay where it is.
The main stage set up is to begin Tuesday, which will include a loading dock where eight to 10 tractor trailers will arrive every day to load and unload equipment.
Options include relocating the nest or gathering the eggs and having experts such as those at the Wild Bird Care Centre incubate them until they hatch, Monahan said.
If neither of those options is approved, the festival will find some way to accommodate the bird, but Monahan offered his assurance that the festival will go on as planned.
“This is one of the most challenging problems we’ve been presented with, but we feel we can work through this,” he said.
“Most of the people we’re working with, including the environmentalist at the (National Capital Commission), are looking for a positive solution. There is no one saying that the festival can’t go on.”
Bluesfest runs July 5-15 and features top music acts, including Bryan Adams, Foo Fighters, Shawn Mendes and rapper Ghostface Killah.
The festival attracts more than 250,000 fans and contributes $31 million to the local economy, according to its facts and figures page.
“If it were a simple situation where we had a small tent, it would be possible to relocate that,” Monahan said.
“But we also know that within a week or so, there’s going to be several hundred thousand people congregating on this site. It may seem calm right now. It’s highly unlikely that that activity level … will be conducive for the eggs or the birds to continue to be here.”