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CHICAGO — Four Great Lakes piping plovers have hatched at Montrose Beach.
The Chicago Piping Plovers group announced early Tuesday the chicks had hatched, sharing a photo of an eggshell at the beach on X. The chicks are the offspring of Sea Rocket and Imani.
The plovers have proven enormously popular across several generations at Montrose. But birding groups have repeatedly warned that observers should keep their distance and make sure to pick up their trash to ensure the birds can stay safe.
For now, the unnamed chicks will “stay close to mom and dad, who will brood them for warmth,” though they will be able to feed themselves and move around, Chicago Piping Plovers wrote on Twitter.
“Giving them space to feed and for their safety is critical,” the group wrote on Twitter.
> 🐣🐣🐣🐣
> The day we have waited for, worked for has come! All 4 chicks have hatched. Our work carries on as we continue to support Sea Rocket and Imani and their chicks. Thank you, as always, for your support.
>
> 📸: Chicago Piping Plovers (June 15, 2026, eggshell flown from nest) pic.twitter.com/cmd0Yxe4pH
>
> — Chicago Piping Plovers (@ChicagoPiping) June 16, 2026
Last summer, Imani and Sea Rocket had three chicks: El, Bean and Ferris. Ferris was killed by a hawk, but the other two survived. In 2024, the two made a nest with four chicks. All their chicks died except one, named Nagamo, despite efforts by local preservationists.
Incubating and raising chicks is “quite demanding” on plovers, and it is important the plovers are given uninterrupted space to eat, care for the nest and look for predators so they can protect themselves and their chicks, the piping plovers group previously posted on X.
Imani is the son of the piping plover couple Monty and Rose, who became Chicago celebrities when they began nesting at Montrose Beach in 2019. Monty died at Montrose Beach from a respiratory infection in 2022, while Rose’s whereabouts are unknown.
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