Ottawa Bluesfest organizers are waiting on word from Environment Canada, before deciding whether or not to move a Killdeer nest.

The main stage for the music festival is set to be built on Tuesday, in the spot where the bird’s nest was found Monday.

The agency is expected to give Bluesfest officials its advice on either Monday afternoon or Tuesday.

A Naturalist and lecturer at Carleton University Michael Runtz told 1310 NEWS’ Ottawa Today with Mark Sutcliffe, moving the nest could result in the parents abandoning the eggs.

The eggs have supposedly been on the site for the last couple of weeks, so he said there is a chance they could just hatch in the next couple of days. Although, Runtz added, Killdeer eggs typically take three weeks to hatch.

The bird 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 Bluesfest stage.

Eggs generally take between 24 and 26 days to hatch, and it is unusual for them not to hatch by mid-June.

If the eggs don’t hatch by end of day, the festival’s executive director says setup work on the stages will be thrown off and have to be rejigged to make sure everything is ready in time for the festival’s scheduled start July 5.

Killdeer young are able to fly away soon after they are hatched.

In the meantime, organizers are keeping yellow caution tape in place around the nest site, and the National Capital Commission is paying for 24-hour security.

 

 

The Canadian Press

Filed under: Music, ottawa