Sleeping Bear Tour Co.

06/24/2025

With dedication and ingenuity, a recovery team has been helping the endangered shorebirds overcome old and emerging threats while reaching new heights.

06/19/2025

Bird banding has been an important part of information gathering about birds for more than a century, and today researchers in the Great Lakes region are using lightweight, uniquely coded leg bands to learn about aspects of Piping Plover’s individual behavior. Biologists are studying nesting succe...

06/05/2025

The first Great Lakes Piping Plovers chicks have hatched in the wild and more are soon to follow! Currently, 3 nests have hatched in the Great Lakes, 1 in MI and 2 in WI! Also, 2 broods have hatched in our captive-rearing center! It's a tough world out in the wild for a little piping plover chick. Piping plover chicks are precocial which means they are up and running and foraging within hours of hatching. Fingers crossed that many of the chicks will be successful!

If you are out and about on the Great Lakes beaches and observe piping plovers, please remember to give them plenty of space to survive and thrive! Please respect all signs and closed areas, and keep dogs off beaches and on leashes when allowed.

Photo by John Doskoch

05/21/2025

For those watching Chicago Great Lakes Piping Plovers Irmani and Searocket have their first egg of 2025! Watch the local PBS report here:

Plover monitors announced the first of potentially four eggs was laid Sunday at Montrose Beach.

05/16/2025

The 2025 nesting season is off to a great start! It's hard to keep up as more Great Lakes Piping Plovers arrive and new nests are discovered daily. We currently have nests in 3 Great Lakes States and 1 province! As of this morning Wednesday, May 14th, we have 40 pairs with 41 nests (39 active) and at least 17 additional potential pairs around the Great Lakes. Last year on this date, we also had 40 nests, so we are on track with our 2024 nest numbers. Hopefully that trend continues! The first eggs are due to hatch in the wild around May 31st. One nest lost its female to fox predation and the 4-egg clutch is currently being incubated at the captive-rearing center at UMBS. There are still many unpaired plovers at sites across the region and more arriving daily. A couple sites have yet to be monitored, so more plovers to be discovered! A big thank to everyone out there who is helping to protect and monitor our Great Lakes Piping Plovers and their nests!

Photo by John Doskoch

04/25/2025

08/02/2024

Thank you to everyone who came out this summer to take part in our plover adventure! Ten dollars from each tour supports the ongoing protection of the Great Lakes Piping Plovers.

We continue observing plovers along the lakeshore on our Dune and Shore hikes. When reserving let us know you're interested in plovers and we'll slide another $10 in the birds direction.

The Great Lakes Piping Plover breeding season is swiftly coming to an end! Currently there are 3 chicks yet to fledge, and the rest are spreading their wings, exploring, and gearing up for their first migration south. So far, its been a super season! This summer we had a total of 81 unique pairs (78 breeding males and 78 breeding females) and 86 nests. This is one more pair than our 2023 record count and the most pairs since ESA listing! 68 wild broods hatched and we lost 16 nests. Eight nests were lost due to adult predation; 3 to washout; 4 to egg predation; and 1 to unknown causes. So far 122 wild chicks have fledged! Our current wild fledge rate is 1.5 chicks per pair, and 1.6 including captive-reared chicks. The captive rearing center hatched 23 chicks in the facility at the University of Michigan Biological Station. So far, 10 captive-reared chicks have been released into the wild. There are 7 chicks still in captive-rearing, due to be released in August. Many plovers have already been reported on the wintering grounds. If you observe banded piping plovers please send your report and photos to [email protected] .

Photo of piping plover fledgling by John Doskoch

07/21/2024

Ten hours to bid! All donations provide medical care, food, and funding for the Barn Sanctuary. Here's Farmer Dan to tell you more and to introduce you to the recipients...

Current bid for our $200 tour donation is $70.

07/20/2024

$200 Adventure currently going for $65 in support of the non-profit, Barn Sanctuary in Chelsea MI.

Final bidding is today!

When you set a max bid, bids will automatically be placed on your behalf to outbid new bidders up to your max bid amount.

07/08/2024

Thank you to our guest Dan Davis who drove all the way from Kansas to capture this spectacular image of our beloved Great Lakes Piping Plover during his Plover Tour this past weekend.

Only a few weeks left to stand in the presence of this Great Lakes treasure. $10 from each Plover Tour aids the protection of the Great Lakes Piping Plover.

If you can't make it this summer be sure to visit Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort to learn more about GLPP's and on how you can take part in recovery efforts.