Science & Nature
2 of Monty and Rose’s Chicks to be Named at Ceremony Friday
(Courtesy Judy Cheske / Ann Gunkel)
Two of Monty and Rose’s four chicks that hatched earlier this month at Montrose Beach will soon have names.
The other two chicks appear to have not survived, according to Edward Warden, president of the Chicago Ornithological Society.
“Unfortunately, we are down to two surviving chicks,” Warden said. “We’ll never know for sure, but it’s more than likely predators.”
Warden said it’s been several days since the two other chicks were spotted.
The big reveal for the remaining chicks will take place at a beachside ceremony at 5 p.m. Friday with representatives from the Chicago Piping Plovers Team and members of its name-selection committee.
The public is invited to watch the ceremony via Facebook Live.
Earlier this summer, names for the chicks were solicited from area residents with the caveat that they reflect the history, culture and diversity of the city.
More than 100 names were submitted, according to Warden.
“The range and quantity of submissions we received speaks volumes about our city's deep and diverse history as well as your creativity and pride in our plover family,” organizers wrote on the Facebook Live event page.
Great Lakes piping plovers are an endangered shorebird, with just 70 or fewer breeding pairs remaining. In 2019, Monty and Rose successfully reared two chicks at Montrose beach, the first in Chicago and Cook County since 1948.
The pair returned to the city’s lakefront in 2020 and reunited again in April of this year.
Contact Kristen Thometz: @kristenthometz | (773) 509-5452 | [email protected]
