Field Trip: Indiana Dunes Transit Hike

words by David Hoyt

Early Friday morning, September 27, a small group of COS members gathered outside the Millennium Station Starbucks awaiting the departure of a 7:30 AM train bound for the Indiana Dunes. This was Chicago Ornithological Society’s first all-day, transit-only excursion to the storied natural area directly across the lake from Chicago, an hour by train on the South Shore Line. It may also have been the first such excursion ever undertaken in the high-wind conditions generated by the landfall of a major hurricane a thousand miles to the south.

Most of our small group reported using a variety of transportation modes other than single-occupancy vehicles to get to Millennium Station: a CTA bus, various branches of the El, a ride share, or several modes in combination. Once we arrived at Indiana Dunes State Park, all proceeded on foot. It was here that the intensity of the wind made itself felt. Although we were heading out at the peak of fall migration, and in an area known for channeling large volumes of migrating birds along the shores of Lake Michigan, gusty northwest winds kept much of the bird life quiet and on the ground.

Carolina Wren. Photo by Walter Marcisz, Maple Lake, Dec. 3, 2019.

One of the best things about arriving at the Dunes by rail is that once you step off the train you are only steps from the woods. This is where most of the warblers we saw or heard were encountered: along the trail from the station into the park, either high in the mature forest canopy or in shrubs along the trail. A few of us had near and clear views of a Black-throated Green, and a Magnolia was reported. What we thought was a Tufted Titmouse, a resident small bird with a big voice, turned out to be a Carolina Wren, another small bird with a big voice, but a migrant. A flock of over 150 Common Grackle stopped us for nearly 30 seconds as it moved across the adjacent road.

We began to see and hear the star performers of the day, including the area’s Red-headed Woodpeckers. A full complement of other tree-boring species were observed, including a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. These species seemed least disturbed by the windy conditions. The Red-headed Woodpeckers, in particular, had made good use of various snags left by ash trees lost to the Emerald Ash Bore Beetle, especially in the inter-dunal, Great Marsh area.

Red-headed Woodpecker. Photo by Walter Marcisz, Indiana Dunes, July 10, 2021.

Crossing to the west at the entry gates, we entered true dunes—sandy trails through open terrain, with lower vegetation amidst scattered oaks. Turkey Vultures were numerous. While hawks were not out in number, the falcons were, and once atop the lakefront observation tower we were able to watch the rapid and agile flight of at least one Peregrine Falcon riding the winds above the beach. In the background, on the western horizon, loomed the Chicago skyline, home to other peregrines and magnified by the unusual atmospheric conditions.

Our walk continued out onto the beach, past legions of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls keeping their flight paths low, and back up into the Dune forest. We passed no more than a handful of other hikers, and heard little but the wind roaring through the overstory.

At the Nature Center, the hikers enjoyed lunch and had the opportunity to spy on the feeders in back, where a Bay-breasted Warbler, a Gray-cheeked Thrush, and a few of the season’s last remaining Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were seen. We also witnessed a species shift-change in the turtle box.

We changed habitats and made a half-circuit of the Great Marsh, which was unusually dry and quiet. Here we managed to spot a Great Blue Heron and some Mallards. The world was keeping quiet and low. When even the American Robins are mum, you know everyone is minding the weather.

Wild Turkey. Photo by Walter Marcisz, Sand Ridge Nature Center, Oct. 18, 2021.

Our return took us back around the marsh, through the forest, and out along the main road. Along the way, all enjoyed the serenity and natural diversity of this wonderful place, with botanical, herpetological, and lepidopteran discoveries supplementing the relative absence of avifaunal records. The beauty of birding, especially in such as area, is that all of these things often go together. On foot, you realize how large the area is, and become much more aware of how different habitats—and the birds that inhabit them—shade into one another. But it was a bird that marked the finale of the walk —in fact, ten of them—in a Wild Turkey Surprise that will live for the ages. In total, we saw 37 species.