Last December 2020, WTTW reported that Rose was spotted in Florida with her offspring named Nish. The other two, Hazel and Esperanza, turned up on the islands off the Georgia coast. In January 2021, Monty was confirmed to be in Texas.
Who are Monty and Rose? They are two lovebirds, endangered species of piping plovers, sandy grayish brown birds with white underparts and a narrow, often broken collar. Their names were derived from the word “Montrose,” the name of the beach where they started their family.
They became a headline in 2019 after they broke a record as the first pair of piping plovers to nest successfully in Chicago since 1955. Nish, Hazel, and Esperanza are three of four surviving offsprings. The names were the result of a contest organized by the Chicago Audubon Society, the Chicago Ornithological Society, and the Illinois Ornithological Society.
In the summer of 2019, Monty and Rose were the main reasons behind the cancellation of a major music festival at the Montrose beach and Gov. J. B. Pritzker’s declaration of Nov. 18 as the “Piping Plover Day” in the state of Illinois. They also became the main stars in a documentary movie, “Monty and Rose.”
During winter, it is typical for a pair of plovers to go their separate ways and come back to the same breeding site. After going their separate ways in the winter of 2019, they went back to the beach in spring 2020.
Will the lovebirds go back to Montrose Beach this spring?
The Chicago Ornithological Society is hopeful. That’s why they invite volunteers to do spring cleaning to welcome them.
On their website they wrote, “To prepare their summer home and help give this year’s chicks the best chance at survival, we’re going to do some spring cleaning. On Sunday, April 11th, 2021, join us for a beach clean up at Montrose Beach. All are welcome and no prior experience or equipment necessary but RSVP is required.”
Montrose Beach is located at 4400 N. Lake Shore Drive near the Uptown neighborhood. During the cold war, it was lined with Nike anti-aircraft missiles. Now, as reported by WTTW, it is the best place in the entire state of Illinois to see birds during their spring migration. According to Openlands, as of January 2017, over 320 species of birds have been identified.
Besides birds, the Montrose Beach will also soon welcome monarchs and other pollinators. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the work is being completed to create 1.5 acres of pollinator habitat on park land at the Chicago Park District’s Montrose Point.
This is all great news for nature lovers in Chicago. Let’s make Montrose Beach the best place to visit!
