Monty and Rose are back.
And, no, I am not talking about the next season of some Netflix romantic comedy series you've never heard of. I am talking about the two Great Lakes Piping Plovers that have now returned to Chicago's lakefront for a third time.
This is a remarkable success. The plovers, which had not nested in the Chicago region for close to 70 years, have called Montrose Beach home for the last two summers. The first year, their efforts produced two chicks. The second year, there were three. Now they're back. And like previous years, there is an army of dedicated human volunteers standing ready to watch over the birds -- helping to protect them from predators, off-leash dogs and stray volleyballs.