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Rare Great Lakes Piping Plovers at Montrose Beach
A pair of Great Lakes Piping Plovers (Monty & Rose) began nesting at the Montrose public beach in Chicago, IL in 2019, fledging 2 chicks. They returned in 2020, and several local bird conservation organizations teamed up to help educate the public on this exciting development for this federally endangered species, and to help monitor the plovers to ensure their safety during their stay in Chicago. Three chicks were fledged in 2020.
The 2022 season is already underway with the arrival of Monty in late April, and other Piping Plovers on Montrose and other local beaches as they migrate to nesting grounds.
Nearly extinct from the Great Lakes region, the pair represents one of approximately 70 Great Lakes Piping Plovers. Since they are just one of 70 pairs, the Piping Plovers at Montrose Beach are an an extremely rare treat! It’s important to provide them with the space they need to survive, reproduce, nest and raise their young chicks at this special Chicago site.
As a migratory species, Great Lakes Piping Plovers spend their nesting season in one area (the Great Lakes) where they breed and raise their young, and they winter in warmer areas (southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts in the United States, as well as in the Bahamas.) Learn more at the Great Lakes Piping Plovers website.
Banner photo: Raed Mansour
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In the News
The story of Monty & Rose has grabbed the attention of major media outlets.
“It’s a comeback story because they went way down in population and then they came back. It’s a great story of conservation,” O’Donnell said. “But I got to tell you — it’s a love story.”
Rose photo by Jamie Burning
Banding Information
