Against All Odds, Plovers Survive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Against All Odds: Four Rescued Great Lakes Piping Plover Eggs Hatch After Waukegan Nest Is Lost to Storm

WAUKEGAN, Ill. – Just days after a violent storm appeared to end a promising nesting season for one of the Great Lakes' most endangered birds, four rescued Great Lakes Piping Plover eggs have hatched against extraordinary odds.

On the evening of June 11, powerful waves and severe weather swept across the Lake Michigan shoreline, washing away a piping plover nest at Waukegan Beach. The nest belonged to Blaze, a female Great Lakes Piping Plover, and Pippin, a remarkable one-footed male whose story has already inspired bird lovers across the region.

The events unfolding in Waukegan carry special significance because Waukegan Dunes is home to the only federally designated Great Lakes Piping Plover Critical Habitat in Illinois. The beach and dunes are part of the Lake Plain, a globally rare landscape that once stretched across portions of northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. Today, conservation organizations, public agencies, and community partners are working together to protect and restore what remains of this unique ecosystem, which supports rare plants, migratory birds, pollinators, and the endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover.

At first light on June 12, members of Sharing Our Shore - Waukegan (SOS-W), a volunteer initiative led by Lake County Audubon Society in partnership with the City of Waukegan, rushed to the beach to assess the damage. Against all expectations, all four eggs were located and carefully recovered after spending more than twelve hours exposed to the elements.

"At that point, all hope seemed lost," said Carolyn Lueck, President of Lake County Audubon Society and Chair of Sharing Our Shore - Waukegan. "The eggs had been battered by wind, waves, rain, and cold temperatures. Simply finding them was incredible. The possibility that they might survive seemed almost unimaginable."

 What followed was a remarkable collaboration among federal, state, nonprofit, zoo, and academic partners committed to recovering the endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover population.

The rescued eggs were immediately transported to Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, where staff quickly stepped in to provide emergency care and stabilization. The eggs were then transferred to the Detroit Zoo, which partners in the Great Lakes Piping Plover captive-rearing effort.

Conservation partners soon received the news they had scarcely dared to hope for: all four eggs successfully hatched.

A member of the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team transported the newly hatched chicks to the University of Michigan Biological Station in Pellston, Michigan, where they will become part of the captive-rearing program that has played a critical role in recovering the Great Lakes population. In fact, it was there that the female, Blaze, was raised after the New York nest she was from was abandoned.

Lake County Audubon Society extends its deepest gratitude to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Wildlife Services, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Lincoln Park Zoo, Detroit Zoo, and the many dedicated members of the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Program whose expertise and rapid response made this outcome possible.

Special recognition is due to Dr. Francesca Cuthbert, whose decades of leadership, research, and advocacy have helped guide the recovery of Great Lakes Piping Plovers from the brink of extinction. As one of the architects of the recovery effort, Dr. Cuthbert has helped guide a population that once numbered fewer than a dozen breeding pairs into one of North America's most celebrated endangered species success stories.

The successful hatching of the chicks is only one chapter in a season already filled with improbable achievements.

Their father, Pippin, has become something of a celebrity among plover enthusiasts. In July 2025, Pippin suffered a severe leg injury after becoming entangled in synthetic hair that had washed onto the beach. Despite ultimately losing his foot, he successfully migrated thousands of miles between his wintering grounds and the Great Lakes, established and defended a territory, attracted a mate, and successfully nested.

"Pippin's story reminds us that setbacks don't have to define the future," said Lueck. "A year ago, he was recovering from a devastating injury. Today, he is the father of four chicks. That's the remarkable thing about piping plovers. They never seem to give up. His story is a beautiful reminder that resilience can come in the smallest of packages."

The story is far from over.

Following the loss of the nest, Blaze has reunited with Pepper, her mate from the previous two breeding seasons. The pair has already resumed courtship activities, and biologists and volunteers are optimistic that a new nesting attempt could begin within the next 24 to 48 hours.

For piping plovers, changing mates is not unusual. These small shorebirds do not form lifelong pair bonds. Instead, they make breeding decisions based on timing, opportunity, habitat conditions, and reproductive success. While humans may be tempted to interpret the story through a romantic lens, the reality is equally compelling: piping plovers are resilient survivors that adapt quickly when circumstances change.

The events in Waukegan also highlight the extraordinary commitment of the volunteers and partners who have helped make the city's plover recovery efforts a model for community-based conservation.

Since its founding in 2019, Sharing Our Shore - Waukegan has grown into a collaborative initiative that combines endangered species protection, habitat stewardship, public education, youth engagement, art, and community outreach. Through partnerships with the City of Waukegan, schools, colleges, museums, libraries, conservation organizations, and hundreds of volunteers, the program has connected thousands of residents and visitors to the wildlife and natural history of the Waukegan lakefront.

In recent years alone, volunteers have contributed more than 2,000 hours each nesting season to monitor plovers, educate beach visitors, assist biologists, and help ensure these endangered birds can safely raise their young along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

The community's embrace of the species has been equally remarkable. In 2024, the City of Waukegan officially designated the Great Lakes Piping Plover as the city's official bird. Each year, residents, students, volunteers, and conservation partners gather to celebrate Waukegan Piping Plover Day on May 29, recognizing both the birds themselves and the many people working to ensure their future.

Lake County Audubon Society would also like to congratulate conservation partners and volunteers in Chicago, where Imani and Searocket recently welcomed chicks to the Montrose Beach nesting area. With successful nesting efforts now occurring in both Waukegan and Chicago, Illinois is playing an increasingly important role in the recovery of the Great Lakes Piping Plover.

The success of these birds reflects years of collaboration among volunteers, biologists, public agencies, zoos, conservation organizations, and local communities working together across the Great Lakes region to ensure this endangered species has a future.

Just four days ago, these eggs lay scattered on a storm-swept beach.

Today, four healthy chicks are beginning their journey.

For the Great Lakes Piping Plover, that's more than a happy ending. It's another hopeful chapter in a recovery story that is still being written.