Little bird holds up Canada’s biggest music festival

Killdeer, Albert Head Lagoon, Metchosin, Near Victoria, British Columbia; Wikimedia-Commons

Preparations for Bluesfest, one of Canada’s biggest music festivals, have been put on hold to protect one special spectator, her four eggs and nest.

Workers were setting up the main stage for the grand event in Ottawa when they discovered a bird guarding her nest. They had to stop the work as the breed, a killdeer, is protected by the Canadian government and cannot be moved without federal permission.

“I have to say this is one of the most challenging problems that we’ve been presented with recently,” said Bluesfest Executive Director Mark Monahan according to CNN.

The workers cordoned off the nest with a warning tape and organisers hired a security guard to ensure the bird and her nest is protected.

The report added, according to Carleton University naturalist Michael Runtz, a parent killdeer will abandon its nest if the eggs are tampered with or moved.

Killdeer eggs have a gestation period of 24-28 days, excluding the time it takes for the chicks to mature. As the festival is set to begin from July 5, organisers have identified multiple re-nesting sites and are waiting for a decision from federal authorities and environmental experts to move the brid.

Bluesfest has an average attendance of more than 300,000 people and this year’s lineup includes the Foo Fighters and the Dave Matthews Band.