Whitefish Point
The 2025 Piping Plover breeding season is coming to a close, and we are on the last few pages of the book.
Our three wild chicks have been flying for around for two weeks now. They appear novice as you watch them performing short clumsy flight bursts, but they’ve been traversing around the area honing their skills for the upcoming journey to their wintering grounds. I’ve been finding them foraging along the shore with Vie and Lovely near the harbor East of the Point. The plovers have been taking it easy and resting this past week, I assume to conserve their energy for migration.
WPBO Chick rests in the sand. Photo by Stephanie Owens
It’s nice that Vie seems to be fostering Lovely, or at least tolerating her presence. When the captives were first released, Vie wasn’t too keen on them and would chase the chicks away.
PIPL Vie foraging along the shore. Photo by Stephanie Owens
These two have not been spotted since Sunday, July 27, and are probably on their way South. I’m very proud of Vie for staying here later than most female plovers, dedicated to her chicks.
Vermilion Point
Sadly Rusty and Gladys’ last chick did not make it. Fortunately two Captive Reared females were released at the site, and one was sited on Tuesday, July 29 at Whitefish Point!
Vermilion Captive Rear release X,L/O:Of,BR visiting Whitefish Point on July 29. Photo by Polly Sheppard
~ Stephanie Owens, 2025 Piping Plover Monitor
Featured Photo: WPBO Chick practices using its wings for flight 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.
