Piping plover egg found at Montrose Beach, giving rise to 'possibility of new hatchlings'

CHICAGO -- The Chicago birding community is hopeful another generation of piping plovers will hatch on Montrose Beach after a new egg was found.

Imani and Searocket have paired up and produced the egg, which was found in the protected area of the beach, the Chicago Park District jointly announced Friday with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Chicago Piping Plovers volunteer group.

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"Yes indeed, Searocket and Imani have paired up and Searocket has laid an egg. We are very happy for them," said Tamima Itani, lead volunteer coordinator of the Chicago Piping Plover group.

"The Chicago Park District is excited about the possibility of new hatchlings at the newly named Monty and Rose Wildlife Habitat," Matthew Freer, Chicago Park District assistant director of landscape, natural resources and cultural resources, said in a news release.

Imani was hatched at Montrose Beach in 2021, an offspring of the piping plovers Monty and Rose. Searocket, a captive-reared chick, was released at Montrose Beach in July 2023.

"This grand experiment in trying to recover the iconic symbol of the Great Lakes shoreline has come full circle with the return of both wild-hatched and captive-reared young," said Brad Semel, an Illinois Department of Natural Resources endangered species recovery specialist.

Itani thanked the Park District and partner agencies for making the beach a nesting location for piping plovers and other shorebirds.

To keep the nest and egg safe, people are urged to respect the closed area boundaries, keep dogs on leashes and take trash with them at the end of their beach visit.