Photos from Huron Pines's post
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As of today, June 26th, we’ve reached a record 85 pairs and 95 nests of Great Lakes Piping Plovers—surpassing our 2024 pair count by 4! We’re optimistic that this number could continue to grow a bit, as a few unpaired or previously paired individuals may soon find mates. Currently, we have 66 active nests or broods, with 22 still being incubated. So far, 154 chicks from 47 wild broods have hatched, and we’ve confirmed our first fledged brood in Green Bay, Wisconsin and several more will fledge over the next 2 weeks!
A couple of stand-out sites this year include Apostle Island NL, WI which reached 7 pairs, a record for the site! And Cheboygan State Park, MI had a pair establish a nest the first time at that site since 1989! At the Captive Rearing Center located at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS), there are 24 chicks from 7 broods and 8 more eggs still incubating. The first captive reared chicks will be released into the wild in the coming weeks. While this season has brought its share of challenges and losses, there’s still so much to celebrate. These milestones wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated monitors, volunteers, zookeepers in captive-rearing and many more—thank you for all you do for the Recovery Effort!
Photo by Mary Lundeberg
#greatlakespipingplovers #pipingplovers #umbs #thedetroitzoo
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