Jerry Byard checks the banks of the White River for water birds or sunning turtles while hiking the trail at Mounds State Park. A lifelong photographer, Byard started volunteering at the park when he retired. Staff photo by Don Knight
Jerry Byard checks the banks of the White River for water birds or sunning turtles while hiking the trail at Mounds State Park. A lifelong photographer, Byard started volunteering at the park when he retired. Staff photo by Don Knight
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ANDERSON — Ear buds in, laser focused and on the move. That’s how a lot of people hike the trails at Mounds State Park, a popular spot for outdoor exercise.

But not Jerry Byard.

The lifelong photographer and retired graphic artist moves at a slower pace, ears open, clutching his Canon DSLR and Tamron 600mm zoom lens close to his chest, eyes scoping the trees and bushes that line the park trails.

He’s looking and listening for his next subject to photograph, often a bird.

“Woods therapy,” that’s what Byard calls the time he spends on the trails at Mounds State Park, one of 60 sites on the Indiana Birding Trail.

Announced at the end of 2019, the trail is a dream realized for many, according to Brad Bumgardner, Indiana Audubon executive director.

“It was almost a decade ago that we had some meetings with the DNR that we’re interested in a birding trail statewide,” he recounted. “Indiana Audubon was able to take point beginning back in 2018 when we formed a steering committee to take a look at and identify some of the best birding locations throughout the state.”

The trail was conceived with two primary groups in mind — visitors to Indiana and instate folks looking for new birding places.

You can browse the trail by region, view an interactive map and download a free digital copy of the guide at indianabirdingtrail.com.

BULLISH ON BIRDING

Interest in birding has increased during the pandemic as some look for outdoor activities where they can practice social distancing and others seek to attract birds to their yards.

“I was at a Wild Birds Unlimited store today, and the owner there was telling me that sales have been through the roof since March,” Bumgardner related. “They have not slowed down, and that’s not just her store but across the board.”

The Robert Cooper Audubon Society is a regional chapter that includes seven counties in east-central Indiana.

Savannah Lundgren, education chair for the Cooper chapter, has seen increased interest in birding at Mounds State Park.

The chapter hosts a birding hike at 9 a.m. on the last Saturday of each month at Mounds. The hike is free, but there is a fee of $7 per vehicle to enter the park.

“We’ve definitely seen a greater interest in birds this year,” Lundgren said. “There has been a lot of people traveling from Indianapolis ... and that includes families with children, to couples that are looking for new hobbies.”

When starting out, Lundgren recommends, go with someone who has birding experience. They can help you learn to identify bird calls and songs and recognize birds by sight.

“Whenever you’re starting out birding you get a lot more out of it by going with experts, which is what the Robert Cooper Audubon Society tries to do by having these monthly bird walks,” she noted.

SPECIES ABOUND

Full of diverse habitats and located on the Mississippi Flyway, Indiana is home to more than 400 species of birds.

“Something that we wanted to emphasize on the Indiana Birding Trail is that you have everything from the shores of Lake Michigan in the north all the way down to cypress swamps near Evansville,” Bumgardner said.

Spring and fall migration are some of the best times for birding in the state.

“Right now, the first shore birds are on the move,” he said. “Some of our birding sites that have mudflats and wetlands are hosting those. Then we’ll see warblers and ... forest song birds. They will peak in about mid September.”

Living in northeast Indiana, Bumgardner is partial to the Indiana Dunes.

There you’ll find diverse species in large numbers funneled into the park as they migrate down the shore of Lake Michigan.

Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area, about 40 miles west of Bloomington, is another favorite destination, with more than 9,000 acres of forest prairie and wetland habitat. Goose Pond attracts migrating sandhill cranes and American white pelicans.

The largest gathering of sandhill cranes east of the Mississippi can be seen at Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area.

From late September through December, around sunrise and sunset the birds gather by the thousands in Goose Pasture before leaving to feed in surrounding fields in the morning or returning to their roosts in the evening. Birders can view the cranes from an observation tower.

Indiana also has winter roosts for bald eagles. One of the largest in the Midwest is on the Mississinewa River downstream from the Mississinewa Reservoir. It’s on private property but visible from a public road.

PREACHING PATIENCE

The Indiana Birding Trail could be expanded in the future.

“We’ve identified the best 60 sites based on accessibility and total bird species that you’re going to see,” Bumgardner explained. “Obviously, there are still other great birding locations. We’ll probably do subsequent phases and introduce some of them in the coming years.”

Byard has photographed more than 30 species of birds on hikes around Mounds State Park.

Two of his most memorable moments are photographing an owl with a pop of flash to illuminate its eyes and spending two weeks documenting a family of pileated woodpeckers nesting in a dead cottonwood tree.

“I find that sometimes patience is the big thing,” Byard said. “Sometimes I’ve stood still in a place for 20 minutes waiting on momma hummingbird to return. You’ve got to have patience.”
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