Chicago’s endangered piping plover pair, Sea Rocket and Imani, are now caring for chicks on Montrose Beach.
There are three chicks on the beach now.
A fourth egg did not hatch.
It is not thought to be viable.
We talked with Tamima Itani, the lead coordinator of the volunteers watching over the birds, as she was on the beach.
We asked, “is it like three little cotton balls already running around and feeding on the beach?”
“They’re not very visible right now because they’re in the vegetation and I think that’s smart of the parents,” Itani said, “because it’s a hot day and they’re going to find more shade within the vegetation and they’re going to find plenty of food and hopefully be fine.”
She said the parents have been chasing other birds off the beach, protecting the vulnerable chicks.
North of Montrose beach, on a private beach in Waukegan, there are also three chicks.
A fourth that hatched did not survive.
And around the Great Lakes, there are a record 82 known nesting pairs.
There were 81 last year.
When Monty and Rose first nested at Montrose in 2019, making headlines, it was a first in Chicago in more than 70 years.
In 1990 there were just 12 pairs. All in Michigan.
It’s a success story due, in large part, to the efforts of dedicated volunteers, creating safe spaces for the birds and protecting them.
“I’m just amazed by our volunteers, their passion, their commitment,” Itani said.
She said everyone was planning to show up for their shifts today, despite temperatures approaching 100 degrees.
That’s what’s happening elsewhere on the Great Lakes.