With new nest, Monty and Rose provide comfort in a time when comfort is needed

Photo of plover monitors from 2019, provided by Amy Lardner

This is the 34th in our 50 Days of Chicago Nature. Read previous posts here.

Friendships were forged. Bonds were made. A shared purpose emerged, and a new community formed. The story of "Monty" and "Rose," Chicago's endangered piping plovers, has always been a human story as much as a wildlife story. All that time on the beach last summer brought people together in a spontaneous way, and in a way that would be impossible a year later. The fact is that Great Lakes piping plovers require human assistance if their population is to continue to expand. And the outpouring of support--190 volunteers in all last summer--is what made it possible for a pair of this fragile species to nest at crowded Montrose Beach and to fledge two chicks.

Today is a day to look back at one of Chicago's mightiest recent volunteer efforts as news arrives that Monty and Rose have a new nest and have laid three eggs. With the beach closed, and Monty and Rose alone on the dunes, this year's circumstances are wildly different in so many ways. Park district staff and other wildlife officials are monitoring the nest. A wire exclosure is in place again with a game camera to track the presence of predators. Coyotes and Caspian Terns are in close proximity. We know that Monty and Rose are in the good hands of professionals, but our parental instincts sometimes kick in and we worry on occasion.

Last year's volunteers miss being out at the beach, in many ways as much for the camaraderie and idyllic scenery as for the time spent with the beloved plovers. But there's a satisfaction in knowing that what started last year continues this year. That even though we are behind barricades, that somewhere down Montrose Avenue and out past the Beach House, Monty and Rose have picked up right where they left off. The thought's a comforting one in a time when comfort is sorely needed.