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burdi:
Fourth killdeer egg hatches Canada Day, but parents fly the coop
by Kelly Egan, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: July 1, 2018
Hours late but perfectly timed for Canada Day, the fourth killdeer egg hatched at Bluesfest on Sunday morning at the city’s most-watched bird’s nest.
Festival technical director Scott Pollard said the last egg hatched at about 10:30, a few hours after the other three had fled and the parents had scattered.
He said National Capital Commission staff were immediately notified and, within an hour, a representative from the local wildlife centre was on hand to take the wee “orphan” into care to ensure its wellbeing.
The parents were nearby for the other three hatchings, which occurred at about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, but the fourth chick stubbornly stayed in its shell. There was some speculation the egg might not be viable but, sure enough, it began to crack open Sunday morning.
“I think it turned out extremely well, for everybody,” said Pollard, of the ever-evolving killdeer drama. He said he had noticed the adult birds were in an especially animated mood Saturday morning and staff wondered whether news was imminent.
Then, at about 3:30 p.m., past the signs announcing concerts by Shawn Mendes and Dave Matthews, staff spotted a killdeer chick motoring around the nest, heading for the shade. Within 90 minutes, two more followed.
NCC biologist Alexander Stone, who has been monitoring things all week, was summoned. He showed up with a camera and a bird scope, and did his best to “herd” the young ones together. (They seemed to be camped out in the shade, under a trailer.)
He said killdeer are ready to move about and eat on their own almost from the instant they break through the shell. He expected the six of them — the male is also present — to disperse within about 24 hours, possibly in the direction of the nearby Ottawa River.
“It’s great to see people come together, just for a killdeer nest,” he said of the joint effort, which involved 24-hour security, a visit by expert bird handler Monica Melichar from Minden, Ont., the staged moving of the nest about 30 metres away and some especially careful work by setup crews.
“Every bird is worth saving,” Stone said. “I’ll miss them once they’re gone.”
In a new release, festival executive director Mark Monahan called it a great ending to an amazing journey.
“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.”
And now, says Monahan, “The show must go on.”
Protected by the Migratory Bird Act, the pair of killdeer became internationally famous when television networks like CNN began to follow the killdeer and the eggs, which typically take 26 days to hatch.
The link below includes photos.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/fourth-killdeer-egg-hatches-canada-day-but-parents-fly-the-coop
Thank you to all involved with helping this killdeer nest.
And to know that all four eggs hatched successfully brings an extra nice ending to the story!
burdi:
Well isn't this wonderful news ...
Bluesfest bird officially a mom as 3 eggs hatch
CBC News · Posted: Jun 30, 2018 4:23 PM ET | Last Updated: an hour ago
Three of the bird's four eggs hatched Saturday afternoon, officials with the popular Ottawa music festival confirmed to CBC News.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/bluesfest-bluesnest-killdeer-eggs-hatch-1.4729982
burdi:
Update on the Killdeer situation - courtesy of CBC:
Killdeer move complete: Birds getting used to new digs at Bluesfest
Process of moving the nest metre by metre ended after 8 a.m. Wednesday
CBC News · Posted: Jun 27, 2018 9:00 AM ET | Last Updated: June 27
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/kildeer-nest-final-journey-bluesfest-1.4724128
burdi:
--- Quote from: The Peregrine Chick on June 27, 2018, 03:20 ---
--- Quote from: burdi on June 27, 2018, 02:15 ---Feds help hatch plan to move protected bird, nest from Ottawa Bluesfest site
The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, June 26, 2018 5:12PM EDT
Last Updated Tuesday, June 26, 2018 9:10PM EDT
OTTAWA -- A plan hatched by an Ottawa music festival to relocate a tiny plover and its egg-laden nest has received the go-ahead from federal environmental authorities.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/feds-help-hatch-plan-to-move-protected-bird-nest-from-ottawa-bluesfest-site-1.3989879
--- End quote ---
I’m going to preface this by saying “well-done” moving the killdeer’s nest - takes some planning and patience but it is a great thing to commit to doing. I will roll my eyes however at the media’s use of “tiny plover” - how difficult would it have been to check a bird book if you didn’t know what a killdeer is?! Killdeer are smaller birds compared with say a Greater Canada Goose but they can not be described, on their best days, as a “tiny plover”! Way to go Bluesfest - plover lovers unite!
--- End quote ---
Thank you for your preface, TPC! :)
The Peregrine Chick:
--- Quote from: burdi on June 27, 2018, 02:15 ---Feds help hatch plan to move protected bird, nest from Ottawa Bluesfest site
The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, June 26, 2018 5:12PM EDT
Last Updated Tuesday, June 26, 2018 9:10PM EDT
OTTAWA -- A plan hatched by an Ottawa music festival to relocate a tiny plover and its egg-laden nest has received the go-ahead from federal environmental authorities.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/feds-help-hatch-plan-to-move-protected-bird-nest-from-ottawa-bluesfest-site-1.3989879
--- End quote ---
I’m going to preface this by saying “well-done” moving the killdeer’s nest - takes some planning and patience but it is a great thing to commit to doing. I will roll my eyes however at the media’s use of “tiny plover” - how difficult would it have been to check a bird book if you didn’t know what a killdeer is?! Killdeer are smaller birds compared with say a Greater Canada Goose but they can not be described, on their best days, as a “tiny plover”! Way to go Bluesfest - plover lovers unite!
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