The Great Lakes Piping Plovers are starting to return to Whitefish Point. The first three days of my surveying painted the picture of a bachelor’s paradise.

X,-:O,- aka Lover Boy. Photo by Stephanie Owens

Males like ((X,-:O,-) (Green dot)) have seemingly determined their territory, and spend the days scraping and parallel walking with other males, awaiting a female that has yet to come. This particular plover has caught my attention as he is missing bands on the bottom half of his legs. Capturing him for adult banding may reveal his true identity, but this can only occur if he finds a mate to nest with. Due to his recurrent mating displays, I like to call him Lover Boy.  

On Wednesday I observed my first pair. Our female who has nested for multiple years here, Vie (X,V:Of,YY), was sitting on the ledge of the beach peacefully. Suddenly, Little Bill Bob (Of,bL:X,B/O/B), flew in and began goose-stepping towards her. She regarded his advances indifferently. The romance sparked later on in the day, as I saw Little Bill Bob goose-stepping again, which was met with copulation, scraping, and tilt displays to follow.

Throughout the day jealous onlookers such as (Of,YB:X,Y/O) and Lover Boy were chased away by Bob. (Of,YB:X,Y/O)’s persistence has not been deterred though, as I often still find him lurking around Vie and Bob foraging.

I look forward to finding a nest from the pair, and hope that more females will arrive for our plethora of singles. 

~ Stephanie Owens
2024 Piping Plover Monitor

Featured photo: Of,bL:X,B/O/B aka Little Bill Bob. Photo by Stephanie Owens

Piping Plover monitoring is a collaborative effort between Michigan Audubon and Seney National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS).

You can keep up with the 2025 Piping Plover action at WPBO by reading Stephanie’s blog posts and following WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X).

Stephanie Owens: 2025 Piping Plover Monitor

Having grown up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, an appreciation of the outdoors seemed inevitable for Stephanie. Walks in the woods with her father and high school science courses helped her identify this passion. In 2024, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology from Lake Superior State University, where she completed her senior thesis on the distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Eastern Upper Peninsula waterways. Now, with three seasons of PIPL monitoring under her belt, she looks forward to another summer with the U.P. plovers and returning to WPBO after a successful ’24 season. After the end of last season, Stephanie began her work at Eva Burrell Animal Shelter as a canine caretaker, fostering hope and love for all animals there.