COS Guide to the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival
by Lauren Kostas
photos: Marcia Detterline and Robyn Detterline
A Nearby Festival Celebrating Birding and Nature
About an hour south of Chicago, the Indiana Audubon Society will be hosting the 8th annual Indiana Dunes Birding Festival (IDBF) from May 11–15 in Northwest Indiana. The IDBF is a celebration of birding and nature in the region. With more than 150 trips, programs, and workshops, there is something for every birder, of every level or interest. Brad Bumgardner, Executive Director at Indiana Audubon, describes the festival as a showcase for great birding within arm’s reach of Chicago, but also a chance to create a network of support. “We hope people will come and experience the incredible biodiversity of birds on the shoreline of Lake Michigan and become advocates for the protection of birds here and other great places,” shared Bumgardner. If you are interested in growing your birding community, checking out the latest merch, or just exploring a surprisingly diverse ecosystem, consider making a trip to the IDBF.
A Migratory Bird Hotspot
The home base for the festival is the Indiana Dunes, an important migratory stopover habitat along the coast of Lake Michigan that also hosts numerous wetlands important for breeding marsh birds such as Least Bittern and Sora.
Two different parks make up the Indiana Dunes: the smaller, 2,000-acre Indiana Dunes State Park, and Indiana Dunes National Park, with more than 13,000 acres along 15 miles of Lake Michigan’s coast.
The ecosystem of the area is incredibly diverse and includes dunes, wetlands, and prairies. The national park is home to a precious remnant of the vast oak savannas that used to cover about 50 million acres from Michigan to Nebraska. It is also ranked fourth in biological diversity among all national parks, with thousands of plant, insect, fungi, and animal species.
The national park is relatively new to the national park system, having been established in 2019. But it has a rich history. Before it became a national park it was the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (established in 1966). Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established in response to the lakefront’s appeal to developers—conservationists pressured Congress to act to protect the dunes before they were entirely destroyed by industry.
What to Expect at the Festival
The vibe is friendly, welcoming, and enthusiastic, and the birding is outstanding. Last year, a record-setting 211 species were logged at the festival. Check out the bird totals from last year to see what species are on your list for spring.
Field trips led by local birding experts are the main attraction of the festival and occur around Northwest Indiana, within the state and national parks, as well as in preserves and natural areas across the region. Several trips take place in the Chicago area, including to Montrose Point and other lakefront hotspots. While field trips fill up quickly, registering for the festival gets you free entry into the state and national park sites for the weekend, allowing you to do as many self-guided field trips as you wish. Registration also gives you access to the afternoon presentations, including festival headliners.
The festival’s keynote speaker is David Lindo, “The Urban Birder,” who will be presenting Saturday evening. David is British broadcaster, writer, and speaker whose passion is connecting city dwellers with the environment through birdwatching. He will share stories from his global travels and inspire all of us to find nature in crowded neighborhoods and skyscraper canyons.
Other headliners include:
· Elizabeth Hargrave—Wingspan: How a Board Game Took the Birding World by Storm. Listen to the creator of Wingspan give an insider’s look at the origin of the game, its rise to success, and its impact.
· Dan Gardoqui—Talking with Birds: From Listing to Listening. Learn how to connect with birds in their own language.
· Diego Calderon—Birding with FARC: How Birds Connect People. Explore how post-conflict Columbia has opened up to biologists, naturalists, and birdwatching tourists, growing knowledge and fostering healing.
· Dr. Ken Brock—Lake Michigan's Fall Funnel Affect and What You're Missing Out On. Start planning for fall birding in the Dunes!
The IDBF marketplace will be filled with all things avian—from sophisticated optics, to hiking gear, to backyard feeders and more. The marketplace will be the site of the 2022 Birds & Brews annual bird calling competition.
Indiana Dunes State Park will also host a Youth & Family Day on Saturday, offering hourly hikes, nature crafts, and live bird demonstrations. The free, family fun event does not require IDBF registration, but there is a state park entrance fee.
Stephanie Beilke, Senior Manager of Conservation Science at Audubon Great Lakes and Chicago Ornithological Society board member, invites participants to stop by the Bird Banding demo that she will be leading on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning to see a diversity of migratory songbirds. She also recommends the Audubon Great Lakes panel discussion “Great Lakes Piping Plovers: Policy, Conservation and Action” on Saturday to learn more about conservation and policy efforts to protect the endangered Great Lakes piping plovers and what we can do to help.
Register here for the festival.
Last day for registration is May 5.
Exploring the Dunes and the Region
Even if you can’t join the festival, put the dunes and the region on your to-do list. The state park is accessible via the South Shore train line out of Millennium Station. At the park, visit the bird observation platform to witness the spectacle of migration flyovers. Trail 8 will offer you a peek at nesting Prothonotary Warblers at the boardwalk, and countless other migrants during your hike. If traveling by car, take a trip to Cowles Bog in the national park to explore an edge between woodland and wetlands.
Looking further afield, Beilke recommends visiting some of the sites along the Little Calumet River, which are not part of the dunes but are urban wetlands that meander through the Gary area. Audubon Great Lakes is working with multiple partners to restore the wetlands along the Little Calumet River to make them stronghold sites for breeding marsh birds and an urban respite. Beilke shared, “You can view breeding Common Gallinule, Least Bittern, and American Bittern, and you may be able to hear calling Sora and Virginia Rail at sites such as MLK Drive Wetland, Grant St Marsh, and Highland Heron Rookery.”
