Return of the Beach Bird

Piping plover photographed by John Cassady.

Piping plover is the only federally endangered bird for which critical habitat has been designated in the Chicago region. That habitat is the open beach areas from Waukegan north to the Wisconsin line. A hundred years ago a number of plover nested on these sandy areas as well as those of northwest Indiana. Here is what Frank Woodruff said about the piping plover in his 1907 book, Birds of the Chicago Area:

Species was formerly a common but now rare summer resident. On Aug 1, 1897 while collecting along the shore at Miller, IN. I obtained adults and young in down. On June 13, 1902 I obtained a set of 4 eggs and the parent birds at Miller. I do not doubt that there are other pairs nesting in the same vicinity, and I sincerely hope that h te nests and eggs of these rare residents are never found by unscrupulous collectors.”

(I am sure the birds would have been pleased to know that they had been killed by a scrupulous collector.)

Waukegan beach was the last place in Illinois to harbor nesting piping plover, one pair in 1973 and another in 1979. At that time the north end of the beach held a shallow pond near the power plant and inland from the lake. In addition, it was sheltered from those walking from the south by a thick growth of willows that extended into the lake. The only practical way to get beyond this barrier was to wade farther off shore, usually at depths that reached the shins or higher.But the willows and ponds have been gone for decades.

After the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formally declared portions of the lakefront as critical habitat for the plover, I was commissioned to monitor the area for two years in the hopes of locating nesting plover. I recruited helpers, and special permission was obtained to enter the Zion Nuclear plant. Guards armed with automatic rifles escorted me as I conducted my surveys. But although piping plover clearly use the Lake County beaches during migration, none lingered, let alone nested.

I always thought that the best breeding habitat was at Waukegan- unfortunately it was heavily used by people and their pets. People let their packs of dogs run free, which alone would prevent any plover from putting down roots. On the other hand, the isolated sections, like the nuke and most of the Johns Mansville property just south of Illinois Beach State Park, have very narrow beaches that provide little habitat. I thought it was unlikely that plover would ever nest here again.

Well, guess what? An Illinois Department of Natural Resources biologist discovered a pair of nesting plover this July in the one remote section that has extensive open sand. The minimalist nest held four eggs. Federal protocol kicked in and the birds were observed for the next several days. On the final day, after the requisite number of hours passed without the adults having returned, the eggs were collected and brought to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Three hatched and were flown to northern Michigan, where virtually the entire Great Lakes population summers. It was felt that the young birds would have a better chance of survival if released in proximity to other plover.

At best, we will never have more that a few plover nesting in these parts, but even one successful pair helps heal old wounds.

Adult and chick piping plovers (charcoal drawing by Sulli Gibson).

          

Tags: piping plover, Waukegan Beach