They’re back!
Two male piping plovers were spotted Friday at Montrose Beach, according to Chicago Piping Plovers, an organization dedicated to protecting local plovers.
The two banded birds were identified as Pippin, a plover that hatched in Wisconsin in 2023, and Uncle Larry, who hatched in Michigan in 2023.
Pippin and Uncle Larry are confirmed present on the Montrose Protected Beach. Thanks for respecting the plovers' space as they rest and recover from their long journeys.
— Chicago Piping Plovers (@ChicagoPiping) April 12, 2025
📸: Amy Lardner (Uncle Larry and Pippin, April 11, 2025) pic.twitter.com/WQGHp44vat
The two small, sand-colored shorebirds are the first to fly into a Chicago beach this year, with “hopefully” a few more on the way.
Pippin and Uncle Larry’s arrival was a bit earlier than in past years. Nesting season typically runs from May until August.
Bird watchers are still awaiting the return of Chicago’s most-loved plover family.
Local
Piping plovers had disappeared from Chicago for more than 70 years, until in 2019, when a pair of plovers, dubbed Monty and Rose, began nesting at Montrose. The pair hatched several birds, but the majority died.
Monty and Rose died in 2022.
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Their son Imani mated with Sea Rocket last year and hatched four chicks — but three of the chicks didn’t survive.
The only surviving chick and newest member of the family was named Nagamo, which means “he/she sings” in the Ojibwe language.
Volunteers with Chicago Piping Plovers said they hoped for at least one nest at Montrose this summer.
Piping plovers became a protected species under the Endangered Species Act in1986.
