How did March feel for all of you? The winds of late March at the Indiana Dunes Longshore Tower weren’t always blowing in our favor. We experienced a string of slow days this past week as less-than-ideal weather patterns kept bird movement on the lakefront to a minimum. But even with the sluggish pace, we managed to log 15 full surveys for the month—right on par with March 2024.
For an official recap of March, we tallied 105 species (+12 other taxa), just slightly down from last year’s 107 species (+17 other taxa). While some expected faces showed up in force—Red-winged Blackbirds, American Robins, and Common Grackles leading the charge—other regulars didn’t put on quite the same show.
One noticeable shift this season was the dramatic drop in Sandhill Crane numbers. Last March, we witnessed over 50,000 cranes moving north—a true spectacle. This year? Just 9,000. While part of the difference may be weather-related or due to broader migratory timing, there’s increasing concern that avian flu outbreaks may be impacting large flocking species like cranes. It’s a trend we’ll be watching closely throughout the rest of the spring. If you missed our live webinar on Avian Flu earlier this month, watch the recording.
As we continue our long-term monitoring of bird migration at the dunes, we want to share that this important work is at a crossroads. With the loss of federal funding previously tied to NOAA, we’re relying more than ever on support from birders, nature lovers, and conservation-minded folks like you. Your donation helps keep the tower staffed and the data flowing during both spring and fall migration seasons. You can support the project directly at indianaaudubon.org/donate.
Still, there were plenty of bright spots. Good loon and scoter movement, early raptors on the wing, and the first trickle of swallows reminded us that spring is knocking louder by the day. And with April on deck, we’re ready. April typically brings the diversity we crave—warblers, shorebirds, and big hawk flights—and we’re all eyes to the sky. But, we’re also ears! Many songbirds can be identified by their call notes overhead, or in the case of this amorous Purple Finch, he was in full song at the tower this past weekend.
If you haven’t visited the tower and would love some birding instruction, consider joining us during the excitement of the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival in May. It’s one of our favorite times of year to celebrate migration with friends old and new. We have great guides from Red Hill Birding every day pointing out the thousands of orioles, blue jays, and more that will be going by at that time. Registration is live now, with many field trip openings still available at indunesbirdingfestival.com.
Catch up on the entire month’s sightings at the Tower here: Longshore Flight March Trip Report.
See you in April!
Header Photo Credit: Common Loon by Marky Mutchler.
