The Virginian-Pilot
©
PORTSMOUTH
It's not a majestic fountain or a funky piece of public art, but the city's much-talked about traffic circle has a centerpiece.
"Our friend, the bird," City Engineer Richard Hartman called it.
It's a killdeer, to be specific, and it picked the grassy interior of the 3-year-old roundabout by nTelos Wireless Pavilion to lay its four eggs. The bird's fame spread Wednesday as it sat on its work, surrounded by a triangle of yellow tape.
"Everybody's interested in how the bird's doing," Hartman said.
He didn't know who put up the tape, but on Tuesday night he worried the shin-high cordon might not be enough. Seven thousand people were listening to Phish play at the pavilion, and he thought some might not see the tape when they left the show.
Hartman added a section of movable fence. He heard that a mounted police officer stood guard, too.
When the eggs hatch, maybe in the next couple of weeks, the offspring will look like little cotton balls on sticks, said Meg Pittenger, the city's parks manager.
The bird fans its feathers and squeaks when someone steps near the tape.
Best go around.
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Build a statue of Mayor
Build a statue of Mayor Holley on the circle and let the birds have at it!
Very Cute..... BUT....
I thoroughly enjoyed the concert, and I think this is a great human interest story, especially with what has recently happened with the oil spill...however, I think the mounted patrol officer was at the concert for crowd control, NOT for bird control! I must admit it was very heartwarming to think that the City of Portsmouth cared enough about the wildlife to put up a fence to keep people from walking on the nest, but we must give the PD a big round of applause for also thinking about the 6500 people who attendeed the concert and kept all of us SAFE! Thanks again to Portsmouth Police for stepping it up for all of us who attended!
Why not construct a statue
Why not construct a statue of Mayor Holley and let the birds have at it?
All the circle needs now is
All the circle needs now is a statue of Mayor Holley so the birds can have a field day!
Nice to know the traffic
Nice to know the traffic circle wasn't constructed for naught.
It's always a good idea for City Hall to report to the populace when land is being developed.
It looks as though our reputation is finally taking hold.
Portsmouth is absolutely going to the birds!
Anachronism
This is the only noteworthy "person' in portsmouth that actually knows what she is doing! Would that ALL mothers were as protective!
Love it!
With so much media stir displaying how humans have screwed up life for so many species with the oil spill, it's fantastic to see a story of humans going out of their way to protect wildlife. I love it!
Can't wait til the little "cotton balls on sticks" hatch!
My aunt & uncle had a
My aunt & uncle had a Killdeer bird build a nest on the edge of their driveway one year, thankfully in a rural area. They did the same thing by putting up a barrier so no one would drive over the next. All the eggs hatched. We had a wonderful time watching the babies develop and disappear one by one as they took off into the world.
I love it too!
This is a wonderful story and what a cute little bird. LOL
Portsmouth
It doesn't take much to entertain the people of Portsmouth!