TWiB Notes: A goose at Wrigley, first plovers, lakefront tour, and a tasty ale
Plovers in Ontario, Michigan, and Chicago are a welcome surprise.
The Old Man: Did you hear about this guy who swallowed a yo-yo?
Mrs. Parker: Swallowed a yo-yo?
The Old Man: On a bet. Some clodhopper down in Griffith, Indiana.
Mrs. Parker: They write the silliest things in the newspapers.
The Old Man: What do you mean, silly? I mean that's real news. That's not like that politics slop.
Now this here is real news! I think the Old Man, the dad from A Christmas Story, would agree.
Word came across two weekends ago that a Canada Goose had taken up residence in the Wrigley Field bleachers. It seems the bird was discovered during a Saturday game against the San Diego Padres. Some fans quickly adopted the Branta species and became honorary “geesekeepers.” Chicago’s Piping Plover monitors (more on them below) can relate to the need to protect a bird that unsuspectingly ends up amid a mass of humanity.
The team cordoned off a section of seating to make some room for the special avian guest. As many criticisms as I might have of the penurious Ricketts Family, the Cubs’ owners, one has to applaud the team for protecting the big waterbird. Though let’s note that the game against the Padres was far from a sellout, so moving people around for the goose was no big deal. Credit is due for an ownership group that has turned once-charming, neighborhood-y Wrigleyville into a baseball version of Downtown Disney.
Geese have been known to nest in some unusual places—high up in trees, on skyscrapers, in mall parking lots, and the like. As with other waterfowl species, goslings can leave the nest and tumble down from quite a height without being injured. Though in one local situation a few years ago, a goose family needed human chaperones to walk the parents and goslings from a big-city high rise to a nearby natural area.
Paul Sullivan had a nice account of the goose in the Chicago Tribune, as well as other animal stories related to the national pastime and speculation that a goose could be the Cubs’ new mascot. (Gosh, I hadn’t thought of the L.A. Angels’ Rally Monkey in ages.)
Seagulls, known to be frequent fliers at Wrigley — especially at the end of afternoon games — would seem to fit the bill. They like to feast on leftover nachos and hot dog buns discarded by bleacher fans, but they’re typically dine-and-dash types, so there never has been a seagull that made the ballpark home.
If your scribe had all the time in the world, he’d create a film about the Ring-billed Gulls at Wrigley. But two films about Piping Plovers will have to suffice.
The Cubs still have their official mascot, Clark the Cub, but he never has been as beloved as the Rat Hole rat, much less Chance the Snapper, the alligator from the Humboldt Park Lagoon, or Monty and Rose, the piping plovers from Montrose Beach.
I haven’t seen a report on the goose for a few days, so she maybe has taken off for a quieter locale. If we were to say, “talk to me, goose,” she’d probably tell us that she didn’t know what she was getting into when landing before Opening Day. Then all these people showed up to cheer on the Cubs. Our urban birds encounter these types of situations a lot.
“It’s on again”
Fresh off last week’s Great Lakes Piping Plover preview edition, pipers have now arrived on the lakes! First it was a bird arriving on April 4 at Kingsville, Ontario, which became the earliest recorded spring arrival. Then there were several birds at Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan last Tuesday.
The real stunner was the return of not one but two Piping Plovers on Friday at Chicago’s Montrose Beach. One of the birds is Pippin, the male who lingered at Montrose last summer without finding a mate. (Perhaps Pippin was racing back from down south to claim the beach.) The other bird is Larry, who hails from Waugoshance Point, Michigan, and also likes to spend time at Pointe-aux-Chenes in the Upper Peninsula. April 11 is an incredibly early return date for Piping Plovers in Cook County and it is still uncertain whether this was the earliest date recorded.
“Chicago’s front yard”
The popular television host Geoffrey Baer has seemingly been everywhere in Chicago through the years, but there still were several discoveries to be made as he put together Touring Chicago’s Lakefront, a new special that makes its debut tonight on WTTW Channel 11 locally and via streaming. Among those discoveries were the Piping Plovers at Montrose Beach. Baer lists the plovers as one of his top five new experiences, which also include snorkeling Lake Michigan, a NASCAR race, a rodeo, and lake fishing.
As part of the program, Baer joined lead plover monitor Tamima Itani for a visit to Montrose Beach, where he got to experience the descendants of the beloved Monty and Rose. If any of the footage in the show appears familiar, that is because some is from my 2021 film, “Monty and Rose 2: The World of Monty and Rose.” Rumor has it that there is a mention of Imperial Oak Brewing’s Piping Plover Pale Ale as well (more on that below).
In addition to Montrose and the plovers, there are also stories about Daniel Burnham, Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, and Aaron Montgomery Ward. It is quite an achievement to see our plovers and monitors in that esteemed company.
It tastes good to do good
Piping Plover Pale Ale is back, thanks to the good people at Imperial Oak Brewing in Brookfield. This tasty beer includes high-quality “El Dorado” hops and the supple flavor of “cactus pear” juice in honor of the Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus that graces our Great Lakes dunes. The latest release takes place on April 27 at noon, at the brewery at 9526 Ogden Avenue in Brookfield. A portion of proceeds benefits the Chicago Ornithological Society. Get there early because this will sell out!
Screenings of Broken Flight
You might recall the documentary short, Broken Flight, that appeared in the Chicago International Film Festival last fall. Now it is an official selection of the One Earth Film Festival and will be showing in Chicago and Oak Park on April 23. The showings—at Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, and at Uncommon Ground, 3800 North Clark Street—will also include a showing of Every Little Thing, a story about rehabilitating injured hummingbirds.
Broken Flight highlights the work of dedicated avian advocates who try to rescue the birds that collide with Chicago’s skyscrapers. The tireless work of these bird lovers underscores our connection to the natural world. Currently, the film is playing in festivals only. Congrats to filmmakers Erika Valenciana and Mitchell Wenkus!