{"id":1344,"date":"2020-12-02T20:39:06","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T20:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitmillerbeachgary.com\/?page_id=1344"},"modified":"2021-07-15T15:42:49","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T15:42:49","slug":"birding","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/datamine.mobi\/vmb2020\/birding\/","title":{"rendered":"Birding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Birding in Miller Beach<\/h1>\t\t\t

Birds abound here! \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Miller Beach is key stopping point along the Mississippi Flyway, where hundreds of species of migrating birds stop, rest, and refuel.<\/strong>\u00a0 Indiana Dunes is ranked one of the “best national parks to go birding” by National Parks Conservation Association<\/a> and a place to “see an abundance of birds” by The Audubon Society<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong> This is why Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood can proudly claim to be one of the best places to go birding in the Indiana Dunes or Chicagoland!<\/p>\n

Four (4) \u00a0Indiana Birding Trail<\/a><\/em>\u00a0 hots spots are clustered here at Miller Beach public beaches, wetlands, and forested dunes.<\/strong> The extensive trail system in Miller Beach allows birders to hike between these birding areas (scroll down for the map). \u00a0 A multitude of bird species throughout the year make it fun and interesting, especially during key migratory periods.<\/p>\n

What is the Mississippi Flyway?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Mississippi Flyway<\/a> is \u00a0part of a larger migration route that extends from northwest Canada, along the Great Lakes, and down along the Mississippi River Valley. This flyway is one of 8 globally important bird migration routes and about 300 species of birds use the Mississippi flyway every year.<\/strong> Miller Beach’s miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, surrounded by Indiana Dunes National Park lands, provide birds with important habitats for resting and feeding.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All birding spots are within 10 minutes from downtown Miller, easy to access by driving, walking, or bicycling.<\/p>\n

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Birding Location Highlights:<\/h1>\t\t\t

Refer to the map for locations (scroll down for downloadable map)<\/p>\n

Lake Street Beach: <\/strong>860 N Lake St<\/em>, Gary\u00a0at the north end of Lake Street on the lake front.<\/i><\/em> \u00a0Important Birding Area, <\/em>\u00a0designated by the Indiana Audubon Society. An official \u00a0stop on the Indiana Birding Trail. Lake Street Beach is most commonly birded July through August as birders scan the beach and water for migrating shorebirds, gulls, and terns. Observe just north of the parking lot on the beach and bring a chair to sit and wait for migrating birds to fly by or land on the beach or near shore. Also walk west onto adjacent Miller Wood Beach into the national park dunes and wood as described in the Miller Woods Beach information on this page . \u00a0This site is directly on Lake Michigan’s southernmost shore, \u00a0a major stop off point on the Mississippi Flyway.<\/p>\n

Birding is best on days with a brisk northerly wind, August through early December.<\/p>\n

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Terns at Lake Street Beach in April. Photo by Erika Blackwell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marquette Park \u00a0Concession\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Oak Avenue and Montgomery Street in Marquette Park, \u00a0Gary, IN. \u00a0Important Birding Area, <\/em>\u00a0designated by the Indiana Audubon Society.<\/i> An official \u00a0stop on the Indiana Birding Trail. Directly on of Lake Michigan, with panoramic lake views and plenty of public parking. \u00a0Birds that follow the east and west coasts of Lake Michigan on their southward migration, \u00a0funnel to this site by the Mississippi Flyway during northerly winds .<\/p>\n

Birders set up on the large patio at the concession, where the concession provides a windbreak on the west. \u00a0Permanent picnic tables available year round, and close \u00a0parking is convenient.<\/p>\n

This site provides unmatched viewing of the some of most interesting birds during their migration. Close to 300 species have been observed at this site. \u00a0More jaegers have been seen here than anywhere in Indiana, may be highest in Indiana. See what’s been reported here, at the Indiana Audubon ebird hotspot reporting blog.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Birding is best on days with a brisk northerly wind, August through early December.<\/p>\n

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Birding Hotspot notably for jaegers, Marquette Park Concession November migration. Photo by Erika Blackwell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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More Jaegers are found here than any other place in Indiana. Photo by Erika Blackwell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Miller Woods Beach<\/strong> 860 N Lake St<\/em>, Gary, IN \u00a0This beach is an extension \u00a0of the Lake Street Beach and continues another mile to the west. \u00a0Shorebirds can be observed along the beach, at it’s far west is the US Steel breakwater walls, where birds rest and gather. \u00a0This is the western most beach in the Indiana Dunes National Park. Birding on the lakefront is best on days with a brisk northerly wind, August through early December. Sandy trails lead south of the beach and into Miller Woods and the Calumet Lagoon.<\/p>\n

\"Sandhill
Thousands of Sandhill Cranes migrate through in spring and in fall. Photo Credit: Tommy Gonzales Photography<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Miller Woods and the Douglas Nature Center<\/a>:<\/strong> 100 N Lake St, Gary, IN. \u00a0\u00a0Important Birding Area (<\/em>Indiana Audubon Society). Official \u00a0stop on the Indiana Birding Trail. \u00a0This far west section of the Indiana Dunes National Park is composed of globally rare dune and swale topography (rows of \u00a0sand dunes and oak savanna interspersed with long ponds and wetlands), as well as the Calumet Lagoon, headwaters of the Calumet River. \u00a0 \u00a0Beaver dams dot the marshy, elongated ponds, and herons are easy to spot here. Observe\u00a0perching birds and songbirds that would not be seen on the shoreline, during spring and fall migrations. \u00a0Nesting \u00a0bald eagles<\/a>\u00a0have been spotted by the Calumet Lagoon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div>

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Used as stopover habitat during migration by many Watch List birds such as Wood Thrush, Golden-winged Warbler, and Canada Warbler. \u00a0\u00a0See what’s been reported here at the Indiana Audubon ebird hotspot reporting blog.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cardinal
Cardinal singing it’s spring song. Photo Credit: Tommy Gonzales Photography<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Indiana
Indiana Birding Trail Hot Spot in Miller Woods, Gary behind the Douglas Nature Center. Photo by Peggy Vanhala.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Great Horned Owl in Miller Woods. Photo by Rick Novak.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

West Beach section of the Indiana Dunes National Park<\/a>:<\/strong> \u00a0Best Times to Bird:\u00a0<\/b>Typically July through November.Important Birding Area, <\/em>\u00a0designated by the Indiana Audubon Society. An official \u00a0stop on the Indiana Birding Trail. <\/i>The beaches\u00a0are sometimes crowded in the summer beach season. \u00a0Spring, fall, and\u00a0winter birding can be rewarding along the lake front and at Long Lake to the south. \u00a0Paved parking lot is directly to the north of Long Lake where waterfowl and\u00a0shorebirds can be\u00a0observed. The little bluestem prairie areas can shelter many types of sparrows. More information on\u00a0this area is available from\u00a0Indiana Audubon, and listed of observed species can be found here. \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\"West
West Beach wetlands in the Indiana Dunes National Park. Photo Credit: Peggy Vanhala.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Egret
Great Egret in Long Lake, West Beach. Photo Credit: Tommy Gonzales Photography<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"caspian
Caspian Tern at Long Lake birding trail spot \u00a0(West Beach section of the national park). Photo Credit: Tommy Gonzales Photography<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div>

Hike and Bike Trail Map with birding spots<\/h1>\n
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CLICK IMAGE FOR PDF OF TRAIL MAP<\/p>\n

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Birding in Miller Beach Birds abound here! \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Miller Beach is key stopping point along the Mississippi Flyway, where hundreds of species of migrating birds stop, rest, and refuel.\u00a0 Indiana Dunes is ranked one of the “best national parks to go birding” by National Parks Conservation Association and a place to “see an abundance of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"fullwidth.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1344","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/datamine.mobi\/vmb2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/datamine.mobi\/vmb2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/datamine.mobi\/vmb2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datamine.mobi\/vmb2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datamine.mobi\/vmb2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/datamine.mobi\/vmb2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1344\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/datamine.mobi\/vmb2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}