After successfully relocating a nest on the festival site last Tuesday, June 26, RBC Bluesfest officials are delighted to announce that three of four eggs have hatched, as of 5:30 p.m. today, at the RBC Bluesfest festival site in Ottawa, Canada.
The relocation allowed the festival to proceed with the enormous set up required for the 10-day event. While festival crews erected the 140-foot main stage—moving in cranes, trailers, and heavy equipment—the Killdeer parents continued to care for the nest, unfazed by the massive undertaking within meters of their new location.
RBC Bluesfest technical director Scott Pollard stated that the birds seemed to come to know and trust him and his crew. Earlier today, Scott contacted festival executive director Mark Monahan to inform him that the birds seemed to be acting in an unusual manner. Within hours, the crew noticed the first chick was breaking through its shell and soon running around, seemingly no worse for wear.
Although some were skeptical, festival organizers were optimistic, even though there are no documented cases of a successful Killdeer nest relocation in Canada that they know of. “This is a great ending to what has been an amazing journey this week,” says Monahan. “We’d like to recognize the efforts of Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary’s Monica Melichar and NCC biologists Camille Tremblay and Alex Stone. I also applaud the efforts of officials at the National Capital Commission and Environment and Climate Change Canada—we could not have gotten through this without them. This has made all our efforts worthwhile, and now . . . the Show must go on!”
The RBC Bluesfest runs from July 5 – 15 and the festival site at LeBreton Flats Park offers a wide variety of food and merchandise concessions and is fully licensed. Check the website for lineup and more: www.ottawabluesfest.ca
