Location:
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- Northwest Indiana
- Porter County, Indiana
- DeLorme Page 19, Grid B-10
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Description:
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Beverly Shores is a Dunes
community located along Lake Michigan between Mount Baldy and the
Indiana Dunes State Park. Although somewhat lesser known than other
northwest Indiana birding sites, Beverly Shores is practically
unparalleled in both habitat diversity and ease of access, making it a
"must stop" site for any Dunes area Big Day itineraries. The site is
comprised of two distinct, spatially separated habitats that will be
discussed in turn: Beverly Drive and Lake Shore Drive.
Beverly Drive is a two lane road that runs
along the southern boundary of the Beverly Shores community,
transecting a large tract of interdunal marsh. The interdunal marsh is
a wetland habitat that occurs between the old dune crests (before the
last recession of Lake Michigan) and the current dune crests. This
unique habitat fosters the nationally renowned diversity of plants and
animals found within the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (IDNL).
Beverly Drive courses in an east-west orientation for about 3.5 miles
between Kemil Road and US 12. The road has major speed restrictions and
is heavily patrolled by the Beverly Shores Police.
Beverly Drive can be birded by a couple of methods depending on time
constraints and the birds of interest. The best way to sample the
greatest number birds is to drive slowly down the road with all the car
windows rolled down. Be advised that although this technique produces
great numbers and diversity of species, most tallied birds are by sound
only and not sight. Therefore it helps to have at least one
"song-savvy" member in your birding party! Because there are few
pull-offs along Beverly Drive, there are not many opportunities to get
out and bird on foot. Be aware that the Beverly Shores Police
Department has a fairly low tolerance for abnormal driving behavior and
officers may ask you to move along if you're stopped or moving too
slowly. They have, in the past, even been known to utter the word
"ticket" when confronting drivers of stopped vehicles. The other
birding strategy along Beverly Drive specifically concerns marsh birds
found at the road's west end. Rails and bitterns are best heard in the
cattail marsh located at the intersection of Beverly Drive and Kemil
Road. If interested in these birds, it may be necessary to pull off
along this intersection and listen for them. Dawn and the immediate
pre-dawn hours are the best times to see and hear rails, bitterns, and
owls in this area.
In May and June, be sure to drive slowly along the tree-shrouded
portion of Kemil Road between US 12 and Beverly Drive to listen for
calling Acadian Flycatchers, Cerulean Warblers, and Louisiana
Waterthrush. Local birders have dubbed Beverly Drive "shrike alley" for
its tendency to attract Northern Shrikes during the winter months.
These birds, however, hunt over large territorries in the interdunal
marsh and can be difficult to find on any given day.
Typical Time to bird Beverly Drive: 30-60 minutes.
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Lake Shore Drive runs along the
Lake Michigan shoreline and defines the northern boundary of Beverly
Shores. Although the lake can be viewed along the entire length of the
road, parking is fairly restrictive in this residential area. The
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Lakeview Overlook
facility located on the north side of the Lake Shore Drive provides
parking and a platform from which to scan the lake. Additional National
Lakeshore parking can be found at the north ends of Kemil Road and
Central Avenue, both of which require some walking to access the beach.
Migrating loons, grebes, waterfowl, jaegers, and interesting gulls can
be found seasonally along this stretch of shoreline. Jaeger watches
conducted in recent years have met with excellent results. Check the IN-BIRD
Archives for posts on jeagers from Beverly Shores.
Typical Time to bird Lake Shore Drive: 15-60 minutes, although half-day
or all-day vigils are sometimes held during major flights.
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Birds:
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- Overview:
- The interdunal marsh supports both migrant and
breeding populations of warblers, sparrows, flycatchers and other
passerines. The west end of the road is best for rails and bitterns in
the spring. Lake Shore Drive is regular for ducks, loons, and gulls.
- Specialty Species:
- Red-throated Loon - late October
through late November; birds on the water can be amazingly difficult to
find with their slender physiques and propensity for diving; mastering
in-flight identification of this species greatly increases your odds of
finding it on Lake Michigan
- Common Loon - late October
through mid-November
- Black Scoter - mid-October
through mid-November
- White-winged Scoter -
mid-October through mid-November
- Surf Scoter - October through
mid-November
- Parasitic Jaeger - mid-September
through mid-November; Parasitics typically arrive on the Indiana
lakefront immediately after the passage of a cold front, especially one
with strong winds from the north
- Olive-sided Flycatcher -
mid-August through mid-September; these birds are often seen perched
atop snags along Beverly Drive, particularly east of Broadway
- Alder Flycatcher - late May
through early June; Alders can be heard calling from the marsh,
especially near the intersection of Beverly Drive and St. Clair Street
- Least Flycatcher - throughout
May; look for these birds in the aspen saplings along the margins of
the interdunal marsh, particularly west of Broadway Street
- Willow Flycatcher - late May
through early June; listen for these birds calling from the interdunal
marsh
- Northern Shrike - mid-November
through mid-January; drive slowly along Beverly Drive, searching the
saplings and snags of the interdunal marsh; on average, 1-3 sightings
occur in the Dunes area per year
- White-eyed Vireo - May through
June; listen for these birds calling along Beverly Drive
- Chestnut-sided Warbler - mid to
late May; summer birds regularly occur in the Beverly Shores marsh
- Prairie Warbler - May through
June; these birds can be heard from the Kemil Road parking lot during
the breeding season
- Yellow-breasted Chat - mid-May
through June; Chats occur along the margins of the interdunal marsh,
particularly near the intersection of Beverly Drive and St. Clair
Street
- Noteworthy Records:
- American White Pelican -
(03-Jun-1990) - 2 birds on Lake Michigan
- Harlequin Duck - 7 records since
1983
- Northern Goshawk - 3 records
since 1983
- Whimbrel - 3 records on the
beach since 1965
- Marbled Godwit - (07-Sep-1981) -
one bird on the beach
- Red Knot - (26-Aug-1992) - 2
birds on the beach
- Pomarine Jaeger - (21-Oct-1989);
(14-Oct-1999) - 3 birds
- Black-legged Kittiwake - 5
records since 1980
- Sabine's Gull - (14-Oct-1979) -
adult bird; (06-Sep-1996) - juvenile bird
- Snowy Owl - 2 records since 1980
- Varied Thrush - (Jan-Feb-1981);
(Feb-Mar-1988)
- Blue Grosbeak - (11-May-1985)
- Clay-colored Sparrow - 3 records
since 1988 at Kemil Road parking lot
- Harris's Sparrow - 4 records
since 1958
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General:
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- Ownership:
- Beverly Drive:
- Town of Beverly Shores, Indiana
- Lake Shore Drive:
- National
Park Service / U.S Department of the Interior
- Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor
Information: 219-926-7561 x225
- Hours:
- None.
- Fees:
- None.
- Restrooms:
- Restrooms are available at the IDNL Visitors' Center
located at Kemil Road and US 12.
- Lodging:
- Camping facilities are available at the IDNL's
Dunewood Campground, located on US 12 a few miles west of Beverly
Shores. Hotel, motel, and bed-and-breakfast accommodations are
available in nearby Michigan City.
- Special Considerations:
- Traffic: The Town of Beverly
Shores has its own police force that closely patrols the streets. When
birding by car on Beverly Drive, be sure not to stop in the road when
traffic is approaching from behind. Cars will pass without much problem
if you drive slowly with your flashers on.
Parking: Pull-offs are limited on both
Beverly Drive and Lake Shore Drive. For lakefront parking, National
Lakeshore parking lots are located at the Lakeview Overlook facility
and the north ends of Kemil Road and Central Avenue. The beach can be
accessed on foot after parking in one of these lots.
- Temporal Considerations:
- The interdunal marsh supports migrant and breeding
populations of warblers, sparrows, flycatchers and other passerines.
The bulk of spring migration occurs from late April through mid-June.
Many nesting birds remain vocal through June. Rails and bitterns are
most vocal in the spring from mid-April through May. Lake Shore Drive
is most productive October through March for migrating loons and ducks,
which may linger through the cold winter months as long as open water
is available. Jaegers are best found along the lakefront from
mid-September through mid-November, with October being the traditional
"jaeger month".
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Directions:
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- From the South: to reach
Beverly Drive take I-65 north to Lake County in northwest
Indiana. Exit east onto I-80/94 (exit #259) and continue east on I-94
into Porter County after I-80 breaks off to join the Indiana Toll Road.
Exit I-94 onto SR 49 north. Continue north on SR 49 to US 12. Go east
on US 12 for about 5 miles to Kemil Road, at which intersection you'll
find the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Visitors' Center. Turn left
(north) onto Kemil Road--a road which terminates at Lake Michigan and
defines the western boundary of Beverly Shores. About midway between US
12 and the lakefront, Beverly Drive comes in from the right (east) to
form a T-intersection with Kemil Road. Beverly Drive starts here and
continues east for about 3.5 miles to US 12 near Mount Baldy at the
Porter-LaPorte County line. To reach Lake Shore Drive
continue north on Kemil Road (past Beverly Drive) to the lakefront. As
the road turns to the right (east) it becomes Lake Shore Drive.
- From the East: to reach
Beverly Drive Take I-80/94 west into Porter County. Exit
north onto SR 49. Continue north on SR 49 to US 12. Go east on US 12
for about 5 miles to Kemil Road, at which intersection you'll find the
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Visitors' Center. Turn left (north)
onto Kemil Road--a road which terminates at Lake Michigan and defines
the western boundary of Beverly Shores. About midway between US 12 and
the lakefront, Beverly Drive comes in from the right (east) to form a
T-intersection with Kemil Road. Beverly Drive starts here and continues
east for about 3.5 miles to US 12 near Mount Baldy at the
Porter-LaPorte County line. To reach Lake Shore Drive
continue north on Kemil Road (past Beverly Drive) to the lakefront. As
the road turns to the right (east) it becomes Lake Shore Drive.
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References:
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- Brock, Kenneth J.
- Birds of the Indiana Dunes.
Revised Edition.
- The Shirley Heinze Environmental Fund, 1997.
- Keller, Charles E., Shirley A. Keller, and Timothy
C. Keller.
- Indiana Birds and Their Haunts: A
Checklist and Finding Guide. Second Edition.
- Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986.
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Links: |
- The
Homes of Tomorrow
- Five houses built for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair
exhibit "The Street of Tomorrow" were disassembled after the fair and
shipped on barges to Beverly Shores, Indiana for reassembly. In various
stages of disrepair and renovation, these houses are still nestled in
the dunes of Beverly Shores. This website from northwestindiana.com
discusses each of these houses and shows pictures of their current
conditions.
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Credits: |
Author: Ken Brock
Editor: Darel Heitkamp
Photos: Jeff McCoy
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