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Overview
Indiana Dunes State Park is 2,182 acres/883 hectares of Lake Michigan's southern shoreline along with adjacent wooded and natural area in Porter County, Indiana. It takes in over 3 miles of beach along the shore.
This Park is notable for the habitat it presents in a Midwest locale of the United States not commonly associated with water, sandy beaches and sand dunes. This is routinely thought of in relation to coastal areas abutting oceans.
A visitor will find sand dunes, some towering nearly 200 ft. /60.9 meters above the lake. Interspersed with all this is a notable variety of habitat and plant life. This habitat and the lake combine to create homes for a wide range of birds, plants, animal, and marine life. [1]
Birds
Notable Species
The habitat of this park, and area, attracts, and supports, a large number of species with reported sightings reaching as high as 345 species along with 9 globally threatened species. Add into those counts, the approximately 15 birding hotspots found within the state park and approximately 3 more found in the immediately adjacent Indiana Dunes National Park, plus the accessible elevated observation platform to be found just behind the beach line near the border of the two, and you have a location with a very good birding potential. Maybe you will see the Northern Cardinal, the state bird of Indiana. [2][3][4]
Rarities
Some of the species recorded as rare/accidental[3] for Porter County, Indiana, where this Park is located include the Ross's Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Band-tailed Pigeon, Purple Gallinule, Siberian Sand Plover, Ruff, Red Phalarope, Long-tailed Jaeger, Sabine's Gull, Glaucous Gull, Pacific Loon, Wood Stork, and the Mississippi Kite.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Long-tailed Duck, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, American Robin, Blue Jay, Sandhill Crane, Ring-billed Gull, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-breasted Merganser, Tree Swallow, Canada Goose, Snow Goose, American Goldfinch, Northern Flicker, Herring Gull, European Starling, Rusty Blackbird, Redhead, Brown-headed Cowbird, Barn Swallow, Greater White-fronted Goose, Cedar Waxwing, Lapland Longspur, White-throated Sparrow, Pine Siskin, Chimney Swift, Double-crested Cormorant, Lesser Scaup, Killdeer
Other Wildlife
To do
Site Information
History and Use
To do
Areas of Interest
The Indiana Dunes National Park, which is immediately adjacent to the Indiana Dunes State Park, and the elevated observation platform/tower behind the beach line where the two meet, are two items of significant interest to a birder.
Access and Facilities
Expect a fee for entrance to the Park as well as for some amenities within the park.
The Park is located at 1600 N. 25 E., Chesterton, Indiana
Consult a trusted travel professional for specific, up-to-date regarding travel to this location.
Contact Details
Indiana Dunes State Park
1600 N. 25 E.
Chesterton, IN 46304
Phone: 219-926-1952
References
- Indiana Dunes State Park – Indiana Department of Natural Resources - https://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2980.htm
- eBird – Indiana Dunes State Park - https://ebird.org/hotspot/L335435
- Lepage D. (2020) Porter Bird Checklist - Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World. Retrieved 25 October 2020
- Official State of Indiana site - https://www.in.gov/core/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Indiana Dunes State Park. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Indiana_Dunes_State_Park
Maps
Content and images originally posted by DragonHunter
