Male PP

The bird story of the year in Chicago – the Piping Plover event.  A pair of these cute birds nested on Montrose Beach, a very popular bathing beach just north of downtown.  They had three chicks.  A big music festival was scheduled for that same beach, and the birders of Chicago came to the rescue – the music festival could not displace the plovers!  Monitors were at that beach all day, keeping people from getting too close (this one was found outside of the restricted area, within 15 yards of a beach volleyball game).  This is a male, as told by the bands on his legs.