Piping plover Imani returned home to Montrose Beach on Thursday, leading Chicago birders to wonder if the eligible bachelor will find a mate this year.
Imani is the son of beloved couple Monty and Rose. Imani, Searocket, Prickly Pear and Wild Indigo headed south for the winter around the beginning of August.
Birder Matthew Dolkart spotted Imani at 5:30 a.m., according to Tamima Itani, the lead volunteer coordinator of Chicago Piping Plovers.
“He admitted to having a few tears when he saw Imani,” Itani said. “We’ve all known Imani since 2021 when he hatched at Montrose, so we all feel a strong affection for him.”
Itani said she was “thrilled” about the news. She and other birders went to Montrose Beach as soon as they learned of his return.
“Monitors from prior years started arriving, and we hugged each other,” Itani said. “We’re all very happy to have Imani back and be able to monitor for another season.”
Itani said Imani could stay until July or August, as long as he stays healthy. Birders don’t know where Imani goes during the winter.
Great Lakes piping plovers typically go to South Carolina, Georgia and Florida for the winter. Others go as far as Mexico or the Caribbean, according to Itani.
“He must be in a very exotic place and we just don’t know,” Itani said. “Rose’s mother used to winter in the Bahamas, and she used to be referred to as ‘Bahama Mama.’”
Birders hope Imani will find a girlfriend. Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released three chicks at Montrose Beach. Itani hopes a female will return and mate with Imani.
“That’s the million-dollar question. Fingers crossed, I really hope he gets a mate,” Itani said.
If a pair is interested in each other, the male will “puff up his chest” and try to look tall, Itani said. He will kick his legs up, then approach, mount and mate with the female.
The male will scratch nests in the sand, which are “small cups in the sand, the size of the palm of your hand,” Itani said.
“She’ll select the one that she likes best, and that’s where she’ll lay an egg directly in the sand,” Itani said. “It’s beautiful to see.”
Imani hasn’t had much luck so far. Last year, a male and female piping plover showed up at Montrose Beach. Unlike Imani, those two were likely from the Great Plains, meaning they nest in the Great Plains, Itani said.
The female stayed for a week, and Imani showed some interest.
“But she didn’t show any interest,” Itani said.
While Monty died in 2022 and the whereabouts of Rose are unknown, birders said their love story lives on through their son.
“He’s where his parents were. I just hope he continues on the legacy of nesting at Montrose,” Itani said.
