Against all odds, a fourth chick hatches
Fourth chick, hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo, shortly after release at Montrose Beach Dunes (Photo credit: Tamima Itani)
Rose and Monty were clearly conflicted after their first three chicks hatched but the fourth egg did not. Continuing to incubate the one egg meant spending less time overseeing the chicks forage and grow. We witnessed them consulting with each other more than once on Thursday, July 8th, in the afternoon, then they split up duties. Monty took the two chicks that had hatched on Wednesday to feed and brood about 20 ft from the exclosure, while Rose stayed on the nest, incubating the remaining egg and brooding the one chick that had hatched earlier in the day.
When I arrived on Friday morning, at 5:50 am, I fully expected the plover parents to have left the nest, as it was now almost 2 days from when the first chick had hatched. Instead, Rose was on the nest, incubating the egg and brooding all three chicks. Monty patrolled the area nearby.
Friday July 9, 2021, 6:00 am. Rose is incubating the unhatched egg and brooding two chicks, while the third roams the exclosure. (Photo credit: Tamima Itani)
At 6:27 am, I observed Rose standing up and gently dragging the three chicks with her, then settling just about a foot from the nest. Her eyes stayed fixed egg. Suddenly, at 6:46 am, she got up and left the exclosure, while the chicks dispersed. Incubation was over; neither adult returned to the nest.
Friday, July 9, 2021, 6:27 am. Rose has moved a short distance from the egg, with her chicks and is staring at the egg. (Photo credit: Tamima Itani)
Maggie Jones and Ian Sarmiento were with me, on monitoring duty. We continued to watch, but frantic texting started with Louise Clemency, USFWS, Brad Semel, IDNR and Cassi Saari, Chicago Park District. Unattended, the egg would remain viable (if indeed it was) for only two hours. The decision was made to attempt to recover the egg and take it to the Lincoln Park Zoo, where staff had been alerted and was on the ready. Brad Semel had had the foresight to ask them to have the incubator ready, in case an egg was brought in.
Cassi Saari from the Chicago Park District and Claire Raver, of Cardno, broke the zip ties holding the walls of the exclosure to the stakes and Cassi reached for the egg and retrieved it, placing it in an egg carton I had been keeping in my car “just in case”. This CBS 2 Chicago news video beautifully captures the effort to collect the egg. Louise Clemency arrived shortly thereafter and transported the egg to the Lincoln Park Zoo.
It was a Hale Mary move. The first chick had hatched 41 hrs earlier; eggs in a clutch typically hatch within 24 hrs of each other. I put the chances of the egg hatching at 10%. We then heard from the zoo that the egg had pipped (cracked by the chick), indicating the chick had made it to that important stage. The zoo placed the chick in their hatcher and the wait started.
I woke up on Saturday morning realizing that we had not heard any bad news. No news good news, right? I was at Montrose, enjoying the little family when the news came that the fourth chick had hatched in the early Saturday hours, sometime between 3 and 6 am. Sunny Nelson, Curator of Birds, would be bringing the chick to Montrose for release. This press release by the Lincoln Park Zoo beautifully describes the events taking place at the facility and includes the most adorable photos of the precious little chick.
The chick arrived, sheltered in a carrier, piping vigorously for such a tiny being! They certainly had the will to live!
Sunny Nelson, Lincoln Park Zoo, arrives with the zoo-hatched chick. (Photo credit: Louise Clemency)
Sunny, accompanied by Louise, carried the chick into the protected area. Then Sunny went forth to where the Piping Plover family had been hanging out. Monty and Rose hurried to meet her, worried about this foreign presence into their midst and piping loudly. As soon as Sunny took the chick out of the carrier, placed it gently onto the sand and walked carefully away, the parents’ presence shifted to the tiny chick besides them.
Lincoln Park Zoo hatched chick has been released on the sand by Sunny Nelson. (Photo credit: William Santus)
Monty (left) and Rose rushing to see the chick that magically appeared on the beach. (Photo credit: William Santus)
It took Rose seconds to start brooding and preening her chick, while Monty ran back and forth, maybe trying to compute what had just happened (“Hey! Where did this chick come from? Did you have it all along, Rose?”).
Monty and Rose left the chick soon after and went by their three other chicks. I was surprised and worried at first, until I realized that they were encouraging the new arrival to move and join them. The little one did not disappoint. They got up, and only a few hours old, scurried in the sand towards them, not making it the whole way but closing the distance significantly.
It’s never too early to flap one’s wings! (Photo credit: William Santus)
Monty rushed towards them, stopped a couple feet away and the chick went up to Dad and sheltered underneath him.
“You can make it, baby, you can make it!” Monty encouraging his chick to walk over. (Photo credit: William Santus)
The remainder of the day was spent cuddling under Mom and Dad, and roaming and feeding in the sand dunes.
Nothing like being under the heated tent (Dad). (Photo credit: William Santus)
Monitors Maggie Jones, Ian Sarmiento, Brenda Janish, Betsy Brill and Leslie Whittet were all there to witness this event. Photographer William Santus was there as well and contributed wonderful photos, included in this post. Collectively, we felt deep joy and a sense of wonderment. We hugged and high-fived each other, still in disbelief that this had happened.
I will take small miracles any day! Thank you Sunny Nelson and the Lincoln Park Zoo, thank you Brad Semel, thank you Louise Clemency, thank you Cassi Saari, thank you Claire Raver!
Rose and four chicks enjoy the sand and sun at Montrose Beach Dunes. (Photo Credit: Tamima Itani)