Of,bL:X,B/O/B “Little bill Bob.” Photo by Alec Olivier

The last week of plover monitoring has been an interesting one. I was fortunate enough to find an egg in a scrape of a fifth pair Monday morning. This brought our total nest count to five and broke the previous record of four set in 2013. However, having five active nests was short-lived due to the apparent disappearance of the female of nest four. As of now, it is unknown where she is. It’s possible she was predated at some point over the weekend.

The third nest here is from a Whitefish Point native. The female for this nest is X,B:-,GV, also known as “Indigo.” Indigo was hatched here at the Point during the summer of 2020. She had a nest here last summer and fledged two chicks. This summer, her mate is a captive-reared plover Of,bL:X,B/O/B, also known as “Little bill Bob.” Interestingly enough, Bob’s band combo is almost identical to Indigo’s mate from last year, which was Of,bL:X,Y/O. Either this is a funny coincidence, or Indigo likes this particular band combo for her male plovers. This nest has a full clutch and is being incubated.

X,-:O,Y and resident bachelor Of,BY:X,Y/O. Photo by Alec Olivier

The fourth nest is from another Whitefish Point native X,B:Of,OG, or “Bog.” He is Indigo’s sibling from the summer of 2020. In May, I observed Bog courting his sister, Indigo, on several occasions. Fortunately, they chose unrelated plovers for mates. Bog’s mate X,-:O,G (Red dot, G212) hails from Long Island, within the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. She is the second plover from the Apostle Islands to nest at the Point this summer. Unfortunately, X,-:O,G was last observed on Friday, June 10. There is still hope she may reappear. This nest had two eggs, but after a day of not observing either parent, it was decided to collect the eggs and move them to the captive rearing facility. Since the eggs were collected, Bog has been seen again but not near his nest, which contains two fake plover eggs in case the female returns.

Nest five is a pair of Of,YB:X,Y/O and O,Y;X,Y/O (Yellow Dot, Y397). Neither of these birds is named as this is their first time nesting here. YB is a captive-reared plover that was released here in late summer 2020. O,Y;X,Y/O is from Sleeping Bear Point at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Their nest is up to two eggs, and they are being seen daily.

O,Y:X, Y/O (Yellow dot, Y397). Nest 5 female. Photo by Alec Olivier

Another cool plover sighting occurred this morning, June 16. I observed a male Piping Plover at the tip with Bog. This plover had a band combo of X,-O,Y — the plover combo used for Vermillion Point chicks last summer. I had seen one of these chicks in the spring, but he currently has a nest at Vermillion. After getting better looks at his bands, I was able to confirm that it was X,-:O,Y (Green dot, Y409). This plover was thought to have been predated last summer after the Vermillion monitors did not see it. However, this bird was photographed in Chicago in late May, confirming that he did survive!

Plover monitoring can be full of ups and downs, especially on a predator-filled beach that sees numerous visitors, such as Whitefish Point. One particular encounter this week was incredibly frustrating. While the banding crew was putting adult bands on one of the plovers, I spotted an older gentleman who decided to walk into the closed area directly toward nest one. I immediately headed his way only to watch him lean on the nest’s protective exclosure, which scared off the female that was incubating her eggs. Fortunately, I was able to get him to the shoreline without any damage being done. Please observe all signs and fencing when visiting beaches, as many are there to protect nesting areas.

X,-:O,Y (gd,y409). Photo by Alec Olivier

We are still looking for a name for nest one female who was formerly O,-X,L and now sports her adult band combo Of,LV:X,G. Follow WPBO’s social media channels and share your ideas in our upcoming posts.

~ Alec Olivier
2022 Piping Plover Monitor

You can keep up with the Piping Plovers at the Point by reading Alec’s blogs or following WPBO on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).

You can also check out the video from 2021 featuring the Piping Plovers at the Point.