Last piping plover chick returns, again, to Montrose Beach — but this time with a cousin

The last surviving piping plover chick has returned to Montrose Beach, again, and this time with a cousin.Nagamo, the only piping plover chick that was seen flying away from the area on Wednesday, according to volunteers with the Chicago Piping Plovers organization.But the chick returned Saturday, along with another young plover — a cousin from Waukegan.Nagamo stretches its wings at Montrose Beach on Aug. 5. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times file“Piping plover chicks, especially, are very social, so it was great for Nagamo to actually meet someone else,” Tamima Itani, lead volunteer for the Chicago Piping Plovers, told the Sun-Times on Sunday.“What was really cute is that they were both feeding together on the pier yesterday and constantly chatting back and forth, so you heard them piping at each other the entire time.”Seeing DoubleSaturday was a day of twos with 2 Great Lakes Piping Plovers and a double rainbow in glorious view from the Montrose pier.Before today, Nagamo was last observed at Montrose...1/3📸: Chicago Piping Plovers (Nagamo, Red Dot 2024 Waukegan fledge, August 17, 2024) It’s unknown whether Nagamo ventured north to retrieve the cousin, as they were not spotted in that area. By Sunday morning, Nagamo and the cousin were gone again, perhaps to head south or off on another day trip.Nagamo went on a similar excursion earlier this month, Nagamo’s parents, Imani and Sea Rocket, have already left Montrose Beach to begin their journey south.It’s common for chicks to wander before migrating, while adult plovers go straight south after nesting, Itani said.“They leave, and three to four days later, they’re seen at their wintering location,” Itani said. “They don’t wander, but chicks go visit other locations not far from their breeding sites.”Known for their piping plovers have been designated as an endangered species since 1984. The clutch of eggs Nagamo was born from offered a promising start to the species’ breeding season in Chicago until the three other chicks died.The birds grow to around 7 inches long with a wingspan of 15 inches. They live, on average, five to six years, but some have been documented to live up to 11 years, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.Nagamo could leave the city at any time, but the bird has already had a big impact on its residents.“A lot of people had a chance to meet Nagamo and observe Nagamo on the pier and on the beach,” Itani said. “So it’s just been an outstanding educational opportunity for a lot of people to meet piping plovers, maybe for the first time, or just to get reacquainted with them.”