Monty and Rose explained

Monty (June 2017 – May 13, 2022)[1] and Rose were a pair of piping plovers, who gained local fame in 2019[2] for being the first pair to successfully breed in Chicago in decades.[3] They belonged to the critically endangered Great Lakes population of piping plovers, which has approximately 70 breeding pairs in total.[4] They annually nested at Montrose Beach in the summer and nested separately in the winter, with Monty in Galveston, Texas, and Rose in Anclote Key, Florida.[5] The pair, who had previously tried and failed to nest in a Waukegan parking lot, later moved to Montrose beach in Lincoln Park. The discovery generated much excitement in the local birding community, with a concert planned to be held on the beach cancelled[6] and over 150 people volunteering to monitor the pair.[7] Monty and Rose successfully fledged chicks in 2019, 2020, and 2021. They successfully fledged a pair of chicks in 2019, but the chicks were not banded, so their subsequent whereabouts, and whether they successfully nested, is unknown.[8] The following year, they had a clutch of four with three named Hazel, Esperanza and Nish successfully fledging, and the year after that, a clutch of four, losing two chicks while the survivors, named Imani and Siewka successfully fledged.[9] Nish garnered its own fame when it and its partner, named Nellie, became the first piping plover pair to successfully nest in Ohio in 83 years, having their own successful clutch.[10] Shortly after arriving back in Chicago on May 13, Monty was found stumbling and short of breath,[11] and died that evening of a respiratory infection.[12] [13] The whereabouts and well-being of Rose are currently unknown.[14] Rose did not return to Montrose in 2022, though her offspring Imani was sighted there in late April 2023.[15] Imani returned to Montrose Point in 2024.[16]

Influence

In honor of the pair, November 18 was declared piping plover day in Illinois by state governor J.B. Pritzker.[17]

A 2-part documentary about the pair, titled Monty and Rose and Monty and Rose 2: The World of Monty and Rose respectively, was produced and released by local filmmaker Bob Dolgan, originally for piping plover day.[18]

In 2024, an expansion to the Montrose Dune Natural Area, where Monty and Rose nested, was named the Monty and Rose Wildlife Habitat in their honor.[19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2022-05-13 . Beloved Piping Plover Monty Has Died At Montrose Beach: 'He Was The King Of Montrose' . 2022-05-14 . Block Club Chicago . en.
  2. Web site: Help wanted: 20 volunteers to watch Piping Plovers at Montrose Beach . 2022-05-14 . CBS News . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2019-06-28 . Piping Plovers Nest in Chicago for the First Time in Over Half a Century . 2022-05-14 . Audubon . en.
  4. Web site: Rare Great Lakes Piping Plovers at Montrose Beach .
  5. Web site: 2021-08-27 . Rose comes in for a landing in Florida, wintering without Monty, her mate . 2022-05-14 . WBBM News Radio . en.
  6. Web site: Mamby on the Beach festival canceled amid bird flap . 2022-05-14 . Chicago Tribune . en.
  7. Web site: 2019-07-22 . Piping Plovers: Conservation in Action . 2022-05-14 . Illinois Science Council . en-US.
  8. Web site: The little plovers that could . Tamima . Itani . 2022-05-15 . Chicago Piping Plovers .
  9. Web site: Another plover summer comes to a close in Chicago as Monty and Rose fly south for the winter . 2022-05-14 . Chicago Tribune . en.
  10. Web site: New Twist to Piping Plover Saga: The Chick That Wouldn't Migrate . 2022-05-14 . WTTW News . en.
  11. Web site: Chicago Park District: Beloved piping plover Monty dies . 2022-05-14 . Daily Herald.
  12. Web site: 2022-05-13 . Monty the piping plover has died . 2022-05-14 . Chicago Sun-Times . en.
  13. Web site: Block Club Chicago. Monty The Piping Plover Died From A Severe Respiratory Infection, Experts Announce. 31 May 2022. 2023-04-29.
  14. Web site: 2022-05-11 . Where's Rose? Monty's Back, But Bird Watchers Still Await Plover's Return To Montrose Beach . 2022-05-14 . Block Club Chicago . en.
  15. Web site: Block Club Chicago. Is Plover Mania Back? More Piping Plovers Spotted At Montrose Beach After Imani's Return. 27 April 2023. 2023-04-29.
  16. Web site: Piping plover Imani returns to Chicago beach . Jeramie . Bizzle . 2024-04-25 .
  17. Web site: Montrose Beach's Monty and Rose flew south for the winter, but governor declares Nov. 18 as Piping Plover Day . 2022-05-14 . Chicago Tribune . en.
  18. Web site: 2021-08-30 . Watch Monty And Rose On The Big Screen In New Documentary About Their Chicago Journey . 2022-05-14 . Block Club Chicago . en.
  19. Web site: Park District names wildlife area after piping plover couple, ensuring Monty and Rose live on in history . Phyllis . Cha . 2024-02-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240221003906/https://chicago.suntimes.com/environment/2024/02/20/chicago-park-district-great-lakes-piping-plover-monty-and-rose-endangered-birds . 2024-02-21 . Chicago Sun-Times .

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