A visit with "the other plovers"
A standout summer for Piping Plovers in Illinois--from Chicago to Waukegan.
Illinois is home to just 63 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline yet two pairs of Piping Plovers nested here this summer.
One pair—Imani and Sea Rocket—are fairly well-chronicled especially since Imani was hatched to the famed Monty and Rose. The other pair—Pepper and Blaze—are possibly lesser-known, in part due to their location about 30 miles north of downtown Chicago along the shore of Waukegan. The site is strictly closed to the public, on property that is accessed through a retired coal power plant. The plovers nested on beachfront associated with private industrial lands. It is a sharp contrast to the public beach in Chicago and the hordes of people close to the plovers there.
The Waukegan beach, though, is idyllic and a bit wilder feeling than Chicago’s. There’s solitude and quiet here. When I arrived on a morning this June, Pepper was on the nest incubating the eggs. Then Pepper left and Blaze came on the nest at 8:21. The birds switched places again at 9:10. And again at 9:42. I learned that Blaze likes to go to the shore after a nest exchange. Pepper to a fluddle.
Two American Kestrels were hanging around, sometimes landing on posts quite near the plovers’ nest exclosure. Kestrels are less of a threat to adults than that other Great Lakes falcon—the Merlin—but they still posed a possible distraction from incubating duties.
Plovers do have a history here. Careful TWiB readers and viewers of “Monty and Rose 2: The World of Monty and Rose” will recall that Monty and Rose even attempted to nest nearby in 2018. This season started with Waukegan naming the Piping Plover the official city bird and ended with nesting success (read: three fledglings) for resident plovers Pepper and Blaze.
In a clever human intervention, Pepper and Blaze were among a group of young plovers released at Waukegan in 2023. They paired up this May after spending the winter in Florida and North Carolina, respectively. Blaze laid four eggs, three of which hatched on June 27. Though plover chicks always face many obstacles, all three made it to fledgling—Blue Dot, Green Dot, and Red Dot (named for markings on their leg bands).
The breeding season goes by quickly and fall migration arrives early. Pepper and Blaze have long since left Waukegan. In fact, both already have been seen on the wintering grounds by keen-eyed observers. Red Dot made a stop at Montrose last week and briefly interacted with Imani and Sea Rocket’s offspring, Nagamo. Then Nagamo flew past Waukegan and landed for a time in Racine, Wisconsin. Oh the wanderings of first-year plovers.
Both Waukegan and Chicago demonstrate the resilience of Piping Plovers and birds generally. Both locales have been highly disturbed by humanity but in very different ways. In a twist, the big-city site is perhaps less hazardous environmentally than the one in an industrial suburb. But the plovers are hanging on in both places and reclaiming these beaches against the longest of odds.
Save the date: Urban Birding Festival
Registration is now open for the inaugural Urban Birding Festival, taking place September 13 through 15 in Chicago. Organized by several grassroots organizations, the festival will take advantage of the city’s unique location along the Mississippi and Great Lakes flyways and highlight the talents of numerous local birders who will serve as guides. The festival was a long time coming and an idea that’s been discussed in local birding circles for a few years.
“It really began when Matt Igleski [of Chicago Bird Alliance] and I independently started putting pieces in place for a festival concept,” said Edward Warden, President of Chicago Ornithological Society. “After we caught wind of each other's efforts, we met up, discussed, and then started assembling a team from across the birding spectrum.”
Other partners include Chicago BIPOC Birders, Feminist Bird Club Chicago, Red Hill Birding, and the #citybirds project.
A press release for the festival goes on:
Experienced birders and the bird-curious alike will find something for them at the festival from keynote speakers, to presentations, workshops, field trips, and get-togethers. Join us for this inaugural birding festival as we highlight and celebrate the extraordinary diversity of birds and birders in Chicago.
One of the more enticing and easily accessed events may be the Big Sit taking place at Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary. Vinod Babu will be staking out a location on the point from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 14, attempting to see and hear as many species as possible in a single sitting.
Several events will be in and around Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, with outings spanning the city itself and the suburbs.
A surprising find
In combing through some archival material recently, I discovered this 1915 guide to landscape gardening. It appears it was way ahead of its time, suggesting that people tap into native plants for their landscaping. If only people had heeded this concept so many decades ago. Rather, we see so many ornamental plants from other continents that remain a bastion of our neighborhoods. The above image is from a circular produced by the University of Illinois’ agricultural experiment station. The subhead is ‘What the people of Illinois can do toward designing and planting public and private grounds for efficiency and beauty.’ Words of wisdom as our natives require less water than other plants while spreading readily in our clay and loam soils.
On deck
📅 September 2 - Welcome to birding, James Hetfield
📅 September 9 - The Niagara Escarpment really is underrated
If you liked this post, you also might like these from 2024:
Piping Plover, 15, sets mark for longevity
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Hi… I came across an old article that said you had Monty and Rose 2 dvds for sale. Are they still available ??
Even the ordinary can be special. Outside the Malheur Bird Refuge my daughter and I followed a young albino robin for two seasons among the more noteworthy birds.