They're back!Two male piping plovers were spotted Friday at Montrose Beach, according to Chicago Piping Plovers, an organization dedicated to protecting local plovers. The two banded birds were identified as Pippin, a plover that hatched in Wisconsin in 2023, and Uncle Larry, who hatched in Michigan in 2023. The two small, sand-colored shorebirds are the first to fly into a Chicago beach this year, with "hopefully" a few more on the way. Pippin and Uncle Larry's arrival was a bit earlier than in past years. Nesting season typically runs from May until August. BREAKING: Pippin is back at Montrose Beach!Mark Kolasa, your Montrose Beach Dunes Volunteer Community Steward, alerted us and the birding community this morning of two banded Piping Plovers at Montrose.📸: Lin Johnston (Pippin, Montrose protected beach, Chicago, April 11, 2025) pic.twitter.com/Anr0uaMrWa— Chicago Piping Plovers (@ChicagoPiping) April 11, 2025 Bird watchers are still awaiting the return of Chicago's most-loved plover family.Piping plovers had disappeared from Chicago for more than 70 years, until in 2019, when a pair of plovers, dubbed Monty and Rose, began nesting at Montrose. The pair hatched several birds, but the majority died. Monty and Rose died in 2022. Chicago Piping Plovers reported Friday that Pippin (left) and Uncle Larry had made an early appearance in Chicago. Uncle Larry hatched in Michigan in 2023. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times Their son Imani mated with Sea Rocket last year and hatched four chicks — but three of the chicks didn't survive.The only surviving chick and newest member of the family was named Nagamo, which means “he/she sings” in the Ojibwe language. Photographers and bird lovers gather Friday afternoon at Montrose Beach to view the endangered piping plovers.Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times Volunteers with Chicago Piping Plovers said they hoped for at least one nest at Montrose this summer. Related Chicago’s piping plover monitors help endangered birds feather the nest at Montrose Beach Against all odds, piping plovers keep making history in Illinois Piping plovers became a protected species under the Endangered Species Act in 1986. ...read more read less