Three eggs of piping plovers Imani and Sea Rocket hatched as of Friday at Montrose Beach, according to monitoring group Chicago Piping Plovers.

Father's Day took on extra meaning this year for Lake County's piping plover papa Pepper — he's a dad again, at least three times over.

According to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort, 2025 has been a year for the record books, with 82 breeding pairs counted.

Blaze and Pepper — the piping plover momma and papa who raised three chicks on a Waukegan beach in 2024 — are back on the nest with a full clutch of four eggs.

Chicago's piping plover pair, Imani and Sea Rocket, are officially expecting.

Sea Rocket, who mated with Imani in 2024, has landed at Montrose Beach. Blaze and Pepper, who raised three chicks last summer, are also back on a Waukegan beach.

Imani hatched at Montrose Beach in 2021. He has faithfully returned every year since, and last year he finally made a love connection.

The wait is on to see whether at least one, or possibly two, pairs of plovers will nest at Montrose Beach this year.

“Failure to thrive” was determined as the official cause of death for three piping plover chicks at Montrose Beach, likely due to a stretch of bad weather that kept the chicks from foraging for food.

While all eyes have been on next week’s presidential election, another important local race has flown under the radar. We’re talking about the vote for Chicago’s official bird.

“I fell hard for Monty and Rose, the first piping plovers I ever met, and I can now bring my love and passion to their offspring and kind,” Tamima Itani told WTTW News.

The piping plover hatchling is prepping for their first migration south.

Say hello to Nagamo (Na-GA-mo), the sole surviving piping plover hatchling at Montrose Beach.

The chicks have seemed healthy, but then become lethargic. Necropsies have been performed to help determine the cause.

Less than two weeks after celebrating the hatching of four endangered piping plover chicks at Montrose Beach, Chicago is mourning the loss of two of the little ones.

Chicago’s piping plover monitors are mourning the loss of one of the recently hatched chicks at Montrose Beach. Parents Imani and Searocket are watching over the remaining three.