SHARES
Two piping plovers named Monty and Rose decided to nest on Montrose Beach just north of downtown Chicago. (Great Lakes Now Episode 1026)
By Rachel Duckett
Piping plovers, a small white-and-gray shorebird with striking orange legs, are making a comeback this summer – on the beach and at the bar.
The plover has been on the federal endangered species list since 1985, when the Great Lakes plover population dropped to about a dozen pairs.
In 2019, when two plovers were sighted on a busy beach in Chicago, birders worked to create a sanctuary space for them. The two little birds were named Monty and Rose and have since attracted a dedicated following.
Baby piping plover hatched at Lincoln Park Zoo - Chicago Sun-Times
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Monty and Rose Welcome Fourth Plover Chick, With an Assist From Lincoln Park Zoo
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Courtesy of Brad Semel
Piping plovers Monty and Rose get another chance to expand their flock this year.
Brad Semel, an endangered species recovery specialist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said they are hoping for another complete clutch of four eggs.
Though the plovers were not harmed, a skunk reached into a break in the protective wire fence surrounding the nest. Within hours however, bird-watchers had already spotted the plovers courting and scraping a new nest.
A team dedicated to protecting the plovers have installed surveillance cameras and new wire fencing around the nest.
Semel said the exclosure is slightly larger than the previous one, with larger gauge wire to make sure mammalian predators can’t break the welding or reach the nest even if it happened to break again.