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Melichar made the three-hour drive to Ottawa from Minden, Ont., on Tuesday afternoon after Bluesfest organizers got the OK from Environment Canada to move the nest, which sat right where the main stage was to be erected.

Photo by Julie Oliver / Postmedia

As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, the nest had undergone eight one-metre moves, and the killdeer parents had returned to the eggs each time. Melichar, along with a team of people from Bluesfest and the National Capital Commission, left the killdeer to settle for the night and planned to return at 5 a.m. Wednesday to continue the process.

In the meantime, a security guard stood watch.

Studies have shown that this slow, systemic movement of a nest to a new location can lead parent birds to follow along and adapt to the new nesting place, Melichar said. But if at any point, they abandon the eggs, she’s got a backup plan: She would drive them back to the Minden sanctuary in an incubator.

“They’re good parents,’ she said. “They’re not giving up just yet, so I’m optimistic.

If they pull off the original plan, there’s no reason why the eggs shouldn’t hatch in their new nesting location, nestled among trailers in a southwest area of the park, according to Melichar.

After they hatch, the chicks should leave the area on their own.

The Bluesfest killdeer drew international attention, with stories on CNN, National Public Radio, the Washington Post in the U.S. and The Guardian in the U.K.

The bird even had its own Twitter account, tweeting it was “excited for our new home.”