HARDY LAKE

Hardy Lake is a 745-acre reservoir formed from the dammed waters of Quick Creek, a tributary to the Muscatatuck River. Located in southeastern Indiana, Hardy Lake and its associated Hardy Lake State Recreation Area comprise a 1,700-acre complex that is quite diverse in avian habitat. Wetlands, ponds, and mudflats augment the reservoir in providing habitat for waterbirds, while conifers, deciduous woodlands, brush, and grasslands provide upland environments for songbirds.

Once entering the park through the main gate, continue for 0.4 miles on the main park road to where you turn off to the right toward the Beach.Drive toward the beach and park in the lot beside the bathhouse. This is a good location from which to scan the lake, which is best done with a scope. Be sure to walk around and check both the shore to the left and the marshy inlet and brush to the right.

After scanning the lake, return to the main park road, turn left, and drive about 50 yards to the small parking area on the right side of the road, marked “Trail.” Get out and walk the trail around the edge of the lakeshore, which meanders to the west, then to the north, then to the west again. Be alert to the various habitats that you will pass through: lake inlets, young forests, brushy fields, and marshy lake borders. After about 1.5 miles, you can turn around and retrace your steps back to the parking area (recommended for those without a compass or a good sense of direction), or you can walk off of the trail in a southeast direction for a shorter, more direct route back to the beginning of the trail. On this trailless route you will pass through weedy fields, a pine plantation, and more young forests.

Leave the SRA through the main gate and continue south to CR 300 E (Harrod Road), then turn right (west) for 0.7 miles to CR 550 N (Whitsitt Road). Go north on Whitsitt Road for 1.4 miles to Oard Springs Road. Turn right (east) and drive for 0.8 miles to the parking lot with the sign ” Oard Springs Wildlife Unit Overlook Area “. This parking lot is located at the north end of the dam on the northwest corner of the lake. A small marsh located at the east end of the parking area is usually dry and birdless. Walk south onto the large grass-covered earthen dam and scan the lake with binoculars and a telescope. From the middle of the dam, walk down onto a jeep track and continue west for 0.1 miles to a developed marsh, which is sometimes productive but can be dry.

Typical Time to Bird Site: 2-8 Hours

Overview:Many of the regular southern Indiana permanent residents inhabiting field and brush environments can be found at Hardy Lake. Breeding birds include Mute Swan, Mallard, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Song Sparrow. During migration in the spring and fall, ducks, grebes, coots, gulls, and several sparrow species can be found. Osprey and Bald Eagles are occasional.

Red-shouldered Hawks nest at Hardy Lake and are present from early spring through mid-summer.

Snow Goose – (09-Feb-1995)

Blue-winged Teal – breeding pair

Ruddy Shelduck – (18-Nov-1999) – Probable zoo escape

Sora – breeding pair

Baird’s Sandpiper – (03-Sept-1985)

Snow Bunting – (18-Nov-1999)

Goll, John. Indiana State Parks. Saginaw: Glovebox Guidebooks of America, 1995.

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.

Hardy Lakes

Author: J. Dan Webster
Editors: Darel Heitkamp and Dick Patterson