Science & Nature
Piping Plovers Are on the Nest, With a Major Couple Shake-Up
New couple alert: Pippin (l) and Blaze are on the nest in Waukegan. A protective cage protects their eggs from predators. (Courtesy of Christian Deme)
Illinois’ piping plovers are on the nest.
Over the weekend, monitors with both Chicago Piping Plovers and Lake County Audubon Society reported eggs laid at Montrose Beach and the Waukegan shoreline, respectively.
For the third year running, Imani and Sea Rocket are expectant parents at Montrose, but there’s been a twist in Waukegan. Perennial third-wheel Pippin is no longer an also-ran. His persistence has paid off and this bachelor is now a father-to-be, having wooed Blaze away from her previous partner, Pepper.
While Chicago’s original plover pair, Monty and Rose, are forever linked in people’s hearts and minds, it’s not uncommon for plovers to switch mates, according to Lake County Audubon.
After two years of unsuccessful courtship attempts and the loss of a foot, Pippin’s success is “especially meaningful,” Lake County monitors said on social media.
Plovers generally lay up to four eggs and parents share incubation duties. Hatching is expected in 25 to 28 days.
Plover eggs, seen on a Waukegan beach, are well camouflaged. (Courtesy Sharing Our Shore-Waukegan)
This year’s nesting season got off to a slow start due to chilly temperatures, but across the Great Lakes, the number of breeding pairs is running on par with 2025’s record-setting year, according to Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort.
Once down to a dozen breeding pairs, the Great Lakes piping plover population has rebounded to roughly 170 mature adults, but that’s still well short of recovery targets for this endangered species.
Chicago Piping Plovers is asking people to give Imani and Sea Rocket space to feed and scan their environment, and to refrain from sharing photos or video of the nest location or the parents on the nest. (The Waukegan plovers nest on property with restricted access.)
“With fortune and care, we will again experience the bliss and magic of piping plover chicks at Montrose Beach,” monitors said.
Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]
