“She is Fighting” Stops at Montrose Beach

This first week in May, the habitat at Montrose Beach provided a resting and refueling stopover spot for an endangered Great Lakes piping plover female named Migaaza, or “she is fighting,” in the language of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. Wildlife biologists for the Odawa named Migaaza last year when they found her on High Island in Lake Michigan and banded her with a unique combination of colored bands. 

The Little Traverse Bay Band has been working with us at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners on Great Lakes piping plover conservation for many years. As part of their efforts, they monitor High Island each summer for signs of nesting plovers. Last summer they found Migaaza with a male plover they named Bimaajii, or “one who moves about.” Keeping a close watch on the pair, the biologists discovered a nest in June. They placed an exclosure, or small cage, around the nest, allowing the birds to come and go but keeping predators like gulls and ravens at bay. The Band’s actions helped the birds’ chances of nesting success, and the pair hatched a chick. When researchers returned to band the chick it was named Ozaa giizis oons, or “little yellow sun.”

The unique pattern of color bands placed on the birds helps biologists on nesting and wintering grounds communicate with each other about the status of the plovers. Last November 6, when birder Cheri Hollis photographed a piping plover at Bunche Beach, near Fort Myers, Florida, a check of records revealed that Bimaajii had lived up to his name, traveling 1,300 miles to wintering grounds.

The Great Lakes piping plover population is small and critically imperiled, nesting on wide sandy beaches of the Great Lakes and nowhere else. Plovers like Migaaza and Bimaajii spend five to six months each winter resting and foraging on the beaches and intertidal flats of the Gulf Coast. In April they begin winging their way north to nesting beaches like High Island. Finding habitat to rest and forage along the route is crucial for their survival and their success in raising the next generation of piping plover chicks.  The Chicago Park District and all the volunteers who help maintain the habitat at Montrose are playing an important role in contributing to the rebound of the Great Lakes Piping Plover population. 

Piping Plover