The protected beach and most of the Dunes are now cordoned off and inaccessible to the public to protect the nesting Piping Plovers. Part of the Dunes at the south end is still open as of April 26 but this could change, depending on where Monty and Rose decide to nest. You can still view the protected beach on the east side from the fishing pier and on the west side from the public beach. Though inconvenient to birders, these changes will protect not only the Piping Plovers but also the fragile habitat in the Dunes. Another benefit is that gulls, terns, and shorebirds will gather on the protected beach now that it’s actually protected.
Category Archives: Events
Upcoming Non-Birding Events at Montrose, November
Event: Polish Independence 10K/5K Run/Walk
Date: Sunday, November 7, 2021
Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Location: Montrose Harbor
The best way to deal with these events is to arrive early at Montrose. You may also get caught in traffic as you leave, so be prepared to wait.
Upcoming Non-Birding Events at Montrose, October
Montrose is a popular location for runs, charity walks, and other events. These are all for worthwhile causes but they complicate access and parking. This is the one event I know of so far. If you know of others, please let me know and I’ll update this post.
Event: AFSP Chicagoland Walk – Together to Fight Suicide
Date: Saturday, October 2, 2021
Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Montrose Harbor
The best way to deal with these events is to arrive early at Montrose. You may also get caught in traffic as you leave, so be prepared to wait.
Montrose Update, August 30, 2021
Montrose Dunes (click to see the larger version)
Montrose Dunes is completely open. Chicago Park District personnel removed the fence that prevented access to the beach. You can now walk out to the beach from the Dunes. Note that the pannes are still roped off; please stay out of them to protect the vegetation.
Birding tip: The small grove of willows near the shoreline in the Dunes can be good in fall migration for warblers and other passerines.
Montrose Update, August 17, 2021
Montrose Dunes is once again open to the public. The Dunes were closed off over the summer to protect the nesting Piping Plovers. Now that the plovers have finished nesting, birders are free to explore this unique habitat. Note that this only applies to the Dunes south of the pannes. The beach and pannes are still fenced and closed to the public.
We Have Liftoff!
On August 10 I saw the two surviving juvenile Piping Plovers, Imani and Siewka, make sustained flights, first out over Lake Michigan north of the beach and back, and then over Lake Michigan east of the Point. One of the adults accompanied them on these sojourns. This is the first time I’ve seen them fly for any distance or length of time. Before they could fly, the young plovers were vulnerable to a variety of avian and mammal predators and competitors, including gulls, Cooper’s Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Great Blue Herons, Raccoons, skunks, and aggressive parental Killdeer. Now they have at least a fighting chance against these threats and their chances for survival increase dramatically. Two of the siblings from the 2021 brood disappeared before fledging and were likely lost to predators.
2021 is the third year in a row Monty and Rose have raised young at Montrose to fledging, a monumental conservation success story by any measure.