The 2025 Great Lakes Piping Plover Breeding Season has Begun!

"Obie" (O,b/O:X,- yellow dot) beat the previous record early return date by one day! He was reported by Michael Burkoksi at Kingsville, Ontario on April 4th. He only stayed there one day and is likely headed back to his usual breeding territory on Cat Island in Green Bay, WI. We don't know where he winters.

It didn't take long before more Piping Plovers showed up in the Great Lakes.

On 4/8 Scott Mills at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, MI found three more returnees. "GOO" (Named for his bands: Orange flag, Green, Orange, USGS, Orange), a male that nests at Sleeping Bear Point was back from his winter at Harbor Island, SC.

"Yib-Bee" (Named for his bands: Orange flag, Yellow, light blue, metal, dark Blue), a male that nests along Platte Bay was back from his winter in an unknown location.

LiVY (Named for her bands: Orange flag, bLack, Violet, metal, Yellow), a female that also nests along Platte Bay had returned from her winter on Anclote Key, FL.

Today, 4/9/2025, two more males had made it back to their nesting area along Platte Bay.

biNG (Named for his bands: Orange flag, light blue, browN, metal, Green) had arrived from his winter on Hilton Head Island, SC.

OGY (Named for his bands: Orange flag, Orange, Green, metal, Yellow) arrived from an unknown wintering location.

The excitement of the season has begun!