Plover Season Begins

Really Tricky. Photo by Alec Olivier

Greetings Piping Plover lovers!

This summer’s Piping Plover field season has started very successfully! As it stands, we are currently at four active Piping Plover nests! This ties the record of four, which was set in 2013. This year, almost all of the nesting adults were also at Whitefish Point for a significant part of last summer. Not all of them nested last year, but nearly all have this year.

Nest 1 consists of male X, R: Of, LY and female O, -: X, L (Blue Dot, L246). The male was hatched just down the lakeshore at Vermillion Point in 2019. He is the oldest plover currently at the Point and is also known as “Really Tricky.” I gave him the name of Mr. Tricky last summer because, at first, I thought he was unbanded because his chick bands were so hard to see; hence, Mr. Tricky. If you read his adult band combo, you can see that it looks like it reads “really” (X, R: Of, LY). Not wanting to change his name from Mr. Tricky, it was decided that he is now Really Tricky! He nested last year with female X, V: Of, YY (who has a different male this year), and together they fledged three chicks, all of which have been observed on breeding grounds — one in Green Bay and another at Vermillion Point (both have nests), and the third chick was observed at Whitefish Point last week. His mate this summer was hatched just below the bridge at Waugoshance Point within Wilderness State Park. She spent some time at Whitefish Point last summer but never nested. She has not gotten a name that sticks yet, so there may be a vote to officially name her after she gets her adult band combination — stay tuned!

Nest 1 pair. Photo by Alec Olivier

Nest 2 consists of male X, G: O, G/O/G (Blue Dot, G354) and female X, V: Of, YY. “Wisky” as X, G: O, G/O/G is known as hails from the Outer Islands of the Apostle Islands National Seashore. He was hatched in the summer of 2020 and spent last summer on the same territory he currently occupies. He never nested but certainly would cause a racket with the other nesting plovers. His female for this summer was Really Tricky’s mate last summer, who is known as “Violet” for her purple band on her lower left leg. She was unbanded last summer, so it is unknown where she came from, but there were theories she came from somewhere along the shores of Lake Superior.

As of now, there are two other active nests in addition to the ones mentioned above, as well as a fifth pair that has been courting. Come back next week to learn more about Whitefish Point’s other two nests and, hopefully, a new nest from our fifth pair!

Also, if you visit the Point, please remember to obey all closed area signs for the Piping Plover nesting habitat. Much of the beach is closed to the public, but the shoreline is open and a great place to look for plovers and other migrant shorebirds.