Last piping plover chick returns, yet again, to Montrose Beach

Yet again, the last surviving piping plover chick has returned to Montrose Beach after a few trips this month that had bird watchers bidding farewell.

Nagamo, the only piping plover chick that survived from a full clutch of eggs hatched in June, was spotted at the beach Wednesday, according to Chicago Piping Plovers, a volunteer group dedicated to protecting the endangered birds.

It was first believed that Nagamo, whose sex is still unknown, had flown south for the winter Aug. 8, but the bird returned a few days later.

Then on Aug. 14, Nagamo left the beach again, but, once more, it came back to Montrose Beach three days later — and that time, a cousin from Waukegan was in tow.

After a short stay at Montrose Beach, Nagamo was then spotted Aug. 21 wandering a beach in Racine, Wisconsin. It was believed at the time that Nagamo was preparing to journey south, which still is the case.

It’s not uncommon for piping plover chicks to wander before migrating.

“It is hard to predict when Nagamo will start heading south,” Tamima Itani, lead volunteer for Chicago Piping Plovers, told the Sun-Times last week. “Hatch-year piping plovers like Nagamo take time exploring areas in the Great Lakes before heading south.”

Nagamo’s parents, Imani and Sea Rocket, have already left Montrose Beach to head south for the winter.

Female piping plovers tend to leave the Great Lakes beginning in early July. Males and chicks might stay around as late as the end of August, according to the Great Lakes Piping Plover organization.

Great Lakes piping plovers usually spend the winter along the Atlantic coast in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Some plovers will winter along the Gulf Coast of Texas.

Piping plovers disappeared from Illinois beaches around 1955 and weren’t seen again until chicks hatched in 2019, the Chicago Park District has said.