Chicago’s surviving piping plover chicks, El and Bean, turned 7-weeks-old on Friday

The Great Lakes piping plovers were spotted at 63rd Street beach, among seagulls, geese and a lone sanderling on Friday. Soon, they will head south for the winter.

The chicks arrived on the South Side on Monday. Last week, a red-tailed hawk predated their sibling, Ferris, at Montrose Beach . The three hatched June 20 at Montrose Beach to plover pair Imani and Searocket.

Birders Lillian and Jim Banks, who have been following the story of the plovers since 2020, made their way to 63rd Street beach Friday with their binoculars.

“It’s really amazing the way the city has rallied around these birds,” said Lillian Banks, who lives near the beach on the southeast side. “It’s not just the birds that benefit from

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