Last piping plover at Montrose Beach returns after appearing to head south Thursday
Nagamo, the last surviving piping plover chick at Montrose Beach, has returned to the lakefront after appearing to have flown the coop Thursday.
The chick was the only piping plover chick who survived from a full clutch of eggs that spawned at Montrose Beach by Imani and Sea Rocket, two adult plovers that already left Montrose Beach to fly south.
Nagamo, whose sex is still unknown, seemed to have left for the same voyage on Thursday, but volunteers for the Chicago Piping Plovers group reported Friday in a post on X that the chick had returned.
"This isn't uncommon, especially for a first-year bird, to explore a little before their southern migration," said Matt Igleski, creative director of the Chicago Bird Alliance, which also helps monitor the plovers. "It's possible Nagamo is exploring the larger area, trying to figure out if there are other beaches or habitats nearby that look good to come back to."
One example of this is Monty and Rose, the beloved plover couple that died last summer after giving birth to one of Nagamo's parents. The birds spent time in Waukegan the year they hatched and returned to that area the following spring, Igleski said.
"We often think that birds just come back, breed and leave, but there's an exploratory phase once the breeding season is kind of done, and that's where we're at now with a lot of birds," Igleski said.
Terrific articles were produced between Nagamo's departure Thursday and unexpected but not totally surprising return Friday morning. Great reads for new and long-time supporters! And the pix are wonderful! ???? https://t.co/lYgjAaW4IN
— Chicago Piping Plovers (@ChicagoPiping) August 9, 2024
Known for their "pip-lo" song, piping plovers have been an endangered species since 1984. The clutch of eggs that Nagamo was born from offered a promising start to the species' breeding season in Chicago until the deaths of the three other chicks.
The birds grow to around 7 inches long with a wingspan of 15 inches, and they live on average about five or six years, but some have been documented to live up to 11 years, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Igleski previously told the Sun-Times seeing chicks leave for the winter brings a sense of relief and a lot of hope.
"It's fingers crossed because you’re hoping that they make it to wherever they’re going,” Igleski said. “You’re hoping for them to come back next year and hope that you get to do it again."