Newly hatched Ringed Plover presumed dead at Montrose Beach, Chicago

CHICAGO– A few days before the name was due to be announced, one of the four ringed plover chicks was pronounced dead on Montrose Beach on Wednesday.

Three chicks were confirmed in the nest of ringed plovers Imani and Sea Rocket, but the fourth chick was missing under “unknown circumstances,” according to the Chicago Piping Plovers, a volunteer organization dedicated to protecting the endangered birds.

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“Although it was not a pet, this ringed plover chick was very loved and will be missed. We will remember this ringed plover chick,” the organization said in a statement.

The chick disappeared after 6 p.m. Tuesday and was presumed dead “as it cannot survive without its parents,” said Tamima Itani, senior volunteer coordinator at Chicago Piping Plovers. The other three chicks “are doing well,” she added.

Imani and Sea Rocket’s four eggs hatched on June 30 and July 1, about a month after their first egg was found in a protected area of ​​Montrose Beach.

The four chicks cannot be distinguished from one another and their gender will not be known until they return in the spring, Itani said.

The Chicago Bird Alliance is holding a naming contest for the new ringed plover chicks. Name suggestions will be accepted through Thursday on the Chicago Piping Plovers’ social media platforms.

Imani was hatched on Montrose Beach in 2021 to ringed plovers Monty and Rose. Sea Rocket was a captive-raised chick released on the beach in July 2023.

Montrose Beach was declared a nature reserve in 2019. That same year, Illinois saw the first ringed plover chicks hatch since they disappeared from the state in 1955.

The Great Lakes ringed plovers are considered endangered. According to the US National Park Service, there are currently 75 to 80 breeding pairs in the Great Lakes region.

“Their numbers dropped to 12 to 17 breeding pairs in the 1980s,” Itani said. “Strong measures were taken to support recovery.”

According to Great Lakes Piping Plovers, the disappearance and decline of ringed plovers is attributed to nest disturbance, predation, and habitat degradation.

To ensure the safety of the nests, people are asked to respect the boundaries of the cordoned off area, keep dogs on a leash and take their garbage with them.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire – Copyright Chicago Sun-Times 2024.)