Monty and Rose's fourth piping plover chick, hatched at Lincoln Park Zoo. (Courtesy of Lincoln Park Zoo)

Two days after welcoming three healthy chicks, Chicago’s beloved piping plovers added a fourth hatchling to their growing family, thanks to a little help from wildlife officials.

Piping plover eggs at Montrose beach in 2021. (Courtesy of Chicago Park District)

Surveillance cameras recently captured images of a mylar balloon bumping up against the nesting site of Chicago’s beloved pair of piping plovers. Wildlife advocates have long been critical of such inflatables and the dangers they pose to birds and other animals.