Through the years, nearly 3 million birds have been counted flying past the longshore tower at Indiana Dunes State Park. Some morning flights are simply mind-blowing, as literally tens of thousands of birds fly past on gusty south wind. Each one winging its way, "elbow to elbow", seeking out the prime nesting grounds just a … Continue reading How big is 250,000?
Despite fluctuating temperatures, things have been on a roller coaster lately with winds. For those not living on the lakefront, the different in temperature day to day can really take extremes this time of year. A warm southerly wind can warm things to 70 degrees in the Dunes. But, a quick shift from the north … Continue reading Spring Pulses
As the inaugural Miller Beach Waterbird Count was winding down, there were several days with subprime winds. The weather stayed in the 40s and 50s which was comfortable for me but less than ideal conditions to stimulate migration. This was worrisome less than one week before the final day of the count when Pomarine Jaeger … Continue reading The Fall 2023 Count Comes to a Close
The past week has been a bit of a lull as far as waterbird migration goes. A standard day for this November has been a few hundred scaup and another hundred mixed dabbling ducks and other Aythya. We have reached peak loon migration with a few days surpassing 300 Loons coming in off the lake … Continue reading Loon Peak
The week of Halloween is famous for rarities, and this last week did not disappoint. The 30th of October was one of the craziest lakewatches I have ever experienced. A sub-adult Long-tailed Jaeger greeted us at Miller Beach shortly after dawn. It was spotted a few hundred meters offshore but flying in our direction. Most … Continue reading Halloween- the Hottest Rarity Streak Yet
Even without north winds the waterbird count here at Miller Beach does not disappoint. Dunlins have begun to pour in by the hundreds. Dunlins are a species of sandpiper that breed in the arctic and winter in the neotropics along with most other American shorebirds, and they happen to make up the last big push … Continue reading Dunlins and More Rare Birds
The count has been an absolute joy for the past week. Scoter flocks of all three species are now flowing most days with one day turning up over 100 Surf Scoters. Common Loons are also becoming more regular, a trend that will likely shoot up in the coming weeks. Aythya ducks are more than abundant, … Continue reading Ducks, Jaegers, Pelicans, and a few Thoughts
Last week's anticipation for this cold front was well warranted. So much has changed in the last week, it is hard to even compare the two counting conditions. The homely pack of RIng-billed Gulls which I had trained to camp out in front of me all day in exchange for dog food has seemingly left … Continue reading Autumn Has Arrived
There’s only one way to say it: it has been quiet. The culmination of southeast winds and relatively warm weather has stunted waterbird migration. For the past few weeks I have struggled to see any ducks on any given count day. Terns have been few and far between and jaegers even more so. I have … Continue reading An Owl on the Lake
For late September, the weather has been beautiful. South winds and sunny with temperatures around 75 degrees. For humans, it has been great, but, without cold weather to tell the birds to move, and without north winds to help them do that, it has been slow. The only notable movement in the past few days … Continue reading Late September Dog Days
Indiana Dunes Migration Birding 