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Great Egret


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West Beach

Portage, IN

Spotting Scope RecommendedRestrooms

When to Visit:
January - Less ProductiveFebruary - Less ProductiveMarch - Most ProductiveApril - Most ProductiveMay - Most ProductiveJune - Less ProductiveJuly - Less ProductiveAugust - Less ProductiveSeptember - Most ProductiveOctober - Most ProductiveNovember - Most ProductiveDecember - Less Productive

This lakeside grassland contains a variety of habitats and has many trails to provide access throughout the area.

Specialty Species:

Waterfowl:  Scan Lake Michigan as well as Long Lake for waterfowl.  There are usually large rafts of ducks on Lake Michigan from this vantage point.

Long-eared Owl:  Hike to the pinery and walk around the pines.  The best chance to see a Long-eared Owl is to search every tree and look for signs of an owl.

Northern Saw-whet Owl:  Hike to the pinery and walk around the pines.  The best chance to see a Saw-whet is to search every tree and look for signs of an owl.

Northern Shrike:  Watch for this species on the road into and through the park.  Also, watch the tops of trees in the grassland for this species during the winter.

Sparrows:  Bird the grassland areas throughout the park to see many species of sparrows.

Where to Bird:

The Pavilion:  Walk to the pavilion and scan Lake Michigan from this spot.  Look for waterfowl on the lake and gulls and shorebirds on the shore. 

Long Lake:  Bird this lake from the trail and the overlook.  Watch for waterfowl on the lake and sparrows around the lake.  From the parking lot by the overlook and scan to the north for Northern Shrike.

Pinery:  Take the trail to the pinery and spend time checking each tree for an owl.  Many times during the fall and winter you can find Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet Owls.

Hours:

7 a.m. to dusk except between Memorial Day and Labor Day when it is 9 a.m. to dusk

Fees:

There is a fee in the summer.

Accessiblity:

Much of the park is accessible.  Areas such as the Marina can be birded from the parking lot.  There are some rugged trails that are not handicap accessible.

Trails:

The trail to the lakefront is handicap accessible, but the rest of the trails have stairs.

Non-birding Equipment Needed:

Lenght of Visit:

¼ to ½ day

Map:

Website:

Directions:

From the East:  From Michigan City, take US-12 west.  Turn right (north) onto N County Line Road.  Take the first right (east) into West Beach.

From the West:  From Gary, take US-12 east.  Turn left (north) onto N County Line Road.  Take the first right (east) into West Beach

Address:

None Available

Nearby Birding: