Science & Nature
Piping Plovers Set New Record for Nesting Couples, Illinois Chicks Due Any Day
Pippin (l) and Blaze are on the nest in Waukegan. A protective cage protects their eggs from predators. (Courtesy of Christian Deme)
After a slow start to nesting season, piping plover couples made up for lost time.
The Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort is reporting a record-setting 90 pairs on the nest in 2026, topping last year’s record of 88.
It’s the most pairs since the Great Lakes plover population was placed on the endangered species list in 1985. (Great Plains and Atlantic Coast piping plover groups are listed as threatened.)
Illinois has played a role in that success, with two nests again this year: one at Montrose Beach in Chicago and another along the Waukegan shoreline. Monitors are eagerly anticipating the arrival of chicks any day.
The first plover chicks hatched in Wisconsin and Michigan at the end of May. So far, 34 broods have hatched and 46 nests are still being incubated. Another 11 nests were lost, the recovery effort said.
The Great Lakes piping plover population was once down to roughly a dozen breeding pairs. While current numbers are still well short of the recovery target, there’s been positive momentum in recent years, with increased awareness, vigilant monitoring and the successful release of captive-reared chicks into the wild.
Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]
