Science & Nature

Piping Plover Chicks Hatch at Montrose, While Waukegan Is on Second Nest Watch After Series of Dramatic Plot Twists

Piping plover chicks have hatched at Montrose Beach, where parents Imani and Sea Rocket are now keeping close watch over their brood of four as they explore Chicago’s lakefront.

The clutch at Waukegan has also hatched — but in Michigan. The how and why behind that development is a tale full of remarkable plot twists. 

“It’s been the gamut of emotions up here,” said Carolyn Lueck, president of Lake County Audubon Society and chair of Sharing Our Shore-Waukegan.

There was heartbreak on the morning of June 12 when monitors saw that the previous night’s severe storms had pushed waves up onto the shoreline where plovers Blaze and Pippin had established a nest. The pair’s four eggs had washed away.

“Our hearts sank,” Lueck said.

Volunteers scoured the beach and miraculously all four eggs were ultimately recovered, intact, from a channel further up the shore. 

“We went from absolute despair to a little hope,” Lueck said, knowing that the eggs’ lengthy exposure to the elements stacked the odds against the chicks hatching.

And yet hatch they did.

After being taken to Lincoln Park Zoo for stabilization, the eggs were retrieved by a team from the Detroit Zoo, which is a partner in the piping plover recovery effort, and all four chicks successfully hatched. 

Lueck was back on the beach when she received the call that the chicks had survived. “I busted into tears. I couldn’t even help myself,” she said. 

The chicks will be cared for at the University of Michigan Biological Station in northern Michigan, where they will become part of the same captive-rearing program that produced Blaze and Sea Rocket.

That doesn’t mean monitoring season is over for volunteers in Waukegan. In fact, it might just be getting started. Again.

It seems Blaze has renewed her relationship with Pepper, her mate in 2024 and 2025. 

“Blaze and Pepper have been mating non-stop since Saturday,” said Lueck. “We could have a second clutch.”

It’s not unusual for piping plovers to switch partners, she said, and it’s not unheard of for different pairings to occur in the same breeding season. 

Through a human lens, Lueck said she’s experienced all sorts of conflicting emotions this season, questioning “How could Blaze do this to Pepper?” when the plover chose Pippin as this season’s mate, to feeling elated for perennial bachelor Pippin, to now feeling sad for Pippin. 

But if there’s one thing plovers have taught her, it’s to never count them out.

“For those of us so deeply involved, it’s a story of hope, perseverance and resilience,” Lueck said.

Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]

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