Close Menu
  • Home
  • News
    • Local
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Health
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Podcast

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

What's Hot

Trust in Mainstream Media at a New Low, But the Black Press Stands as the Trusted Voice

Pew Finds Just 6% of Journalists Are Black as Crisis Grows with Recent Firings

Republicans Shutdown Government

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
  • Lifestyle
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest Vimeo
The Windy City Word
  • Home
  • News
    1. Local
    2. View All

    Youth curfew vote stalled in Chicago City Council’s public safety committee

    Organizers, CBA Coalition pushback on proposed luxury hotel near Obama Presidential Center

    New petition calls for state oversight and new leadership at Roseland Community Hospital

    UFC Gym to replace shuttered Esporta in Morgan Park

    Unbreakable: Black Women and Mental Health

    A Question of a Government Shutdown?

    Jackson State Dominates Southern on the Road, Wins Boombox Classic

    Conference Commissioners Discuss Name, Image, and Likeness in Washington

  • Opinion

    Capitalize on Slower Car Dealership Sales in 2025

    The High Cost Of Wealth Worship

    What Every Black Child Needs in the World

    Changing the Game: Westside Mom Shares Bally’s Job Experience with Son

    The Subtle Signs of Emotional Abuse: 10 Common Patterns

  • Business

    Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology supplier diversity office to host procurement webinar for vendors

    Crusader Publisher host Ukrainian Tech Businessmen eyeing Gary investment

    Sims applauds $220,000 in local Back to Business grants

    New Hire360 partnership to support diversity in local trades

    Taking your small business to the next level

  • Health

    Unbreakable: Black Women and Mental Health

    A Question of a Government Shutdown?

    Democrats Dig In: Healthcare at the Center of Looming Shutdown Fight

    Democrats Dig In: Healthcare at the Center of Looming Shutdown Fight

    COMMENTARY: Health Care is a Civil Rights Issue

  • Education

    Alabama’s CHOOSE Act: A Promise and a Responsibility

    After Plunge, Black Students Enroll in Harvard

    What Is Montessori Education?

    Nation’s Report Card Shows Drop in Reading, Math, and Science Scores

    The Lasting Impact of Bedtime Stories

  • Sports

    Jackson State Dominates Southern on the Road, Wins Boombox Classic

    Conference Commissioners Discuss Name, Image, and Likeness in Washington

    Week 4 HBCU Football Recap: DeSean Jackson’s Delaware State Wins Big

    Turning the Tide: Unity, History, and the Future of College Football in Mississippi

    Week Three HBCU Football Recap: Grambling Cornerback Tyrell Raby Continues to Shine

  • Podcast
The Windy City Word
Local

Fans celebrate Monty and Rose, the piping plovers who aided conservation and brought Chicagoans together

staffBy staffUpdated:No Comments5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr Email Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest WhatsApp Email

Birders, biologists, conservationists and those who happened to be swept up in the tale of two little birds gathered this week at Montrose Beach to mark the end of one story — while another was just beginning.

The crowd gathered Wednesday night to celebrate the lives of Monty and Rose, the endangered piping plovers who three summers ago became the first pair to nest successfully in Chicago in decades.

Advertisement

Monty died earlier this month at Montrose Beach while waiting on Rose, who never returned.

On Wednesday, the cast of human characters who have become regulars in the Monty and Rose saga was present: the coordinator known as the mother of the monitoring effort, a birder who loved sharing her binoculars with her Latinx community, a conservationist credited with restoration of the dunes that provided a welcoming home.

Advertisement

“With every wing beat, Monty and Rose and their progeny brought people together,” said Tamima Itani, who has led Chicago’s plover effort.

People gather to remember Monty, a Great Lakes piping plover, at Montrose Beach on May 25, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

But there was another return visitor present on the day of the memorial — Imani, one of last summer’s chicks, seen in the sand not far from where his father took his last breaths.

“The end of Monty and Rose’s story here at Montrose is not the end of this series,” said Edward Warden, president of the Chicago Ornithological Society. “It’s just one book.”

[ How the ‘love story’ between Monty and Rose unfolded at Montrose Beach ]

Monty and Rose gave fans quite a narrative to follow. The birds were already up against enough when they showed up in Chicago as members of a species once down to about a dozen nesting pairs in the Great Lakes. They then managed to meet a list of ever-refreshed obstacles: the encroachment of a beachside musical festival, high lake levels and severe storms, the death of chicks and hungry skunks.

Through it all, they managed to fledge seven chicks.

“It was really hard for all of us to lose any chick, any egg,” said Louise Clemency, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But “if all the Great Lakes piping plover nests had that rate of success, we would be upward toward recovery.”

Monty the piping plover walks the shoreline on April 21, 2022, after returning to Montrose Harbor. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Warden credited the volunteer and education efforts of many in the crowd with helping create “a brand” for Monty and Rose — the birds have appeared on shirts, beer cans and in two documentary films.

On Wednesday, Monty and Rose appeared on posters, along with their offspring, near the site of Monty’s death in the Montrose plover habitat, as some visitors took selfies with the memorial in between a downpour.

Advertisement

“They left a legacy of unity, love, friendship and conservation that will be long remembered,” Itani said.

But there might be more opportunities ahead to rally behind Montrose plovers.

After appearing earlier this season in Duluth, Imani, who was named for “faith” in Swahili, touched down this week at Montrose. The young bird is banded like his parents were, making him identifiable.

When thinking of Monty and Rose, one word that comes to mind is mystery, said Leslie Borns, the longtime Montrose Beach dunes steward.

Leslie Borns speaks at a gathering to remember Monty, a Great Lakes piping plover, at Montrose Beach on May 25, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

“It seems that no matter how much we know and can learn about nature, there’s still so much that remains a mystery to us,” Borns said. “Perhaps one of the greatest mysteries of all that I have seen is the return of Imani.”

As she watched the young bird forage where his father stood days earlier, Borns said she was reminded that life goes on.

Advertisement

“I hope that the sadness is melting away and being replaced by joy and gratitude,” Borns said.

Francie Cuthbert, a leader in the Great Lakes plover recovery effort, said she’s still surprised by the emotion attached to Monty and Rose and the following they’ve acquired.

As for Imani, Cuthbert said, “Isn’t that something?”

“I hate to use the word amazing, but it is amazing,” said Cuthbert, a professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at University of Minnesota. “The plovers know the Great Lakes.”

Piping plover monitors and others pose for a photograph next to a drawing of Monty, a Great Lakes piping plover, at Montrose Beach on May 25, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

First-year birds tend to arrive at their nesting locations later than more experienced birds, Cuthbert said, and will sometimes bounce between sites before finding a mate and settling down.

“We haven’t finished the story with Imani,” Cuthbert said. “I just hope that he survives, and he finds a mate.”

Advertisement

The overall plover season looks promising, Cuthbert said, between lower lake levels and a strong finish to the last nesting season. And “every bird counts.”

But few have captured the hearts of as many people as Chicago’s piping plovers.

“Monty and Rose made such a contribution to conservation,” Cuthbert said. “It’s something you couldn’t really predict.”

Now, birders are hopeful about what’s next.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Telegram Email
Previous ArticleChicago White Sox place reliever Joe Kelly on the 15-day injured list with a strained left hamstring
Next Article Valencia, Giannoulias repeat accusations of ethical lapses during forum for Democratic secretary of state candidates
staff

Related Posts

Youth curfew vote stalled in Chicago City Council’s public safety committee

Organizers, CBA Coalition pushback on proposed luxury hotel near Obama Presidential Center

New petition calls for state oversight and new leadership at Roseland Community Hospital

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Video of the Week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxFXtgzTu4U
Advertisement
Video of the Week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjfvYnUXHuI
ABOUT US

 

The Windy City Word is a weekly newspaper that projects a positive image of the community it serves. It reflects life on the Greater West Side as seen by the people who live and work here.

OUR PICKS

2025 VW Tiguan Executives Answer Questions from Journalists

2 Minute Warning – Powered by the Westside Gazette

Audi A6 Luxury: See Why Everyone Wants This Car! #shorts

MOST POPULAR

Unbreakable: Black Women and Mental Health

A Question of a Government Shutdown?

Democrats Dig In: Healthcare at the Center of Looming Shutdown Fight

© 2025 The Windy City Word. Site Designed by No Regret Medai.
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.