SHARES Two piping plovers named Monty and Rose decided to nest on Montrose Beach just north of downtown Chicago. (Great Lakes Now Episode 1026) By Rachel Duckett Piping plovers, a small white-and-gray shorebird with striking orange legs, are making a comeback this summer – on the beach and at the bar. The plover has been on the federal endangered species list since 1985, when the Great Lakes plover population dropped to about a dozen pairs. In 2019, when two plovers were sighted on a busy beach in Chicago, birders worked to create a sanctuary space for them. The two little birds were named Monty and Rose and have since attracted a dedicated following.