Upcoming Events and News

November Bird Walk - Owls and Hawks
​at Kankakee Sands  
Saturday, November 15 - 3:00 pm CST

Participants will meet Board member and walk leader, Julie Bonnema, at 3:00 pm CST at the Kankakee Sands Bison Viewing parking lot (S 400 W, Morocco, IN 47963) and caravan to a nearby birding sites searching for a variety of owls and hawks. Total time about 2 to 3 hours.

This event is FREE to Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society members and open to the public for a fee of $5.00. Registration is required as capacity is limited. Click on HERE to register through Eventbrite.
Van Trip to Jasper-Pulaski - Sandhill Cranes and More
Saturday, November 22 - Noon to 7:00 pm CST
We are excited to announce this special co-trip with the Chicago Bird Alliance (CBA). Join Matt Igleski, Executive Director of Chicago Bird Alliance, and our Field Trip Coordinator, Julie Bonnema for a special van trip to the Jasper-Pulaski area to search for Sandhill Cranes and more. Currently, this trip is only available to members of either the Chicago Bird Alliance or Dunes-Calumet Audubon, and the cost is $35 person. 
Description:  Maximize your crane experience by joining CBA and Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society on a van trip down to see the Sandhill Crane migration at Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area. We will drive back roads on the way to the Sandhill Crane nighttime gathering location looking for more Sandhill Cranes, as well as Whooping Cranes, Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Shrike, Golden Eagles, and other winter visitors to our region. When we arrive at the Sandhill Crane Observation Area there will be an open house event being hosted by Indiana Audubon and the International Crane Foundation.

Click HERE to see the full itinerary and to register. This trip will be offered exclusively to CBA and DCAS members until November 11th.
FREE Program - Great Horned Owls
Thursday, November 20 - 7:00 pm CST
Join Scott Rashid for a special program on Great Horned Owls, the largest and most powerful owl found throughout most of North America. These magnificent birds are found in virtually every habitat in North America. They can live in cities, mountains, and even the plains of North America. They can live virtually anywhere and feed on virtually anything, from insects to full-grown turkeys.

As with the other owls, Great Horned Owls do not construct their own nests but rather use the abandoned nests of other birds including eagles, hawks, crows, and ravens. During the presentation, you will see images of the owls’ nesting sites in different parts of the country.  

Attendees will also see videos of the owl’s courtship, egg laying, nesting, growth of their young, and what food items that they bring to their nestlings, as well as videos of the owlets leaving their home for the first time and what they look like as they develop into adult owls.

This FREE online program will be available via Zoom and Facebook Live. Click HERE on November 20 for the Zoom Link.

About the presenter: Scott Rashid is an artist, researcher, bird rehabilitator, author, and director of the Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute (CARRI) in Estes Park, Colorado. Scott and members of CARRI research many avian species including, Northern Pygmy-Owls, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Great Horned Owls, Boreal Owls, American Goshawks and many other species including songbirds and hummingbirds.

Scott has written and had published six books Small Mountain Owls, The Great Horned Owl (an in-depth Study), Northern Goshawk, the Gray Ghost, Exploring the World of the Barn Owl, American Kestrel, the diminutive raptor and Small Mountain Owls, Revised and Expanded. He has also written and has published several papers on a variety of avian species.

In 2025, Scott was awarded to Champion of Owls Award and entered into the World Owl Hall of Fame by the International Owl Center in Houston Minnesota.

​Helping our Natural Resources

Join or Donate
  Click HERE to learn about the benefits of becoming  both a National Audubon and Chapter member.
Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society Chapter (only) memberships allows more funding to support local projects.
Events and Activities
The Dunes-Calumet Chapter meets monthly for informative presentations. Bird Walks are led to sites that highlight the great diversity of bird-life found on the southern shore of Lake Michigan.  Visit  UPCOMING PROGRAMS for more information and registration.
Great Birding Opportunities
The diversity of birding sites in Porter and Lake Counties host more bird species than anywhere else in Indiana.  Many birding sites are National Audubon recognized Important Bird Areas. Read more by visiting BIRDING LOCATIONS.
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FEATURED BIRDING SITE

Gibson Woods Nature Preserve

Gibson Woods Nature Preserve
Tucked away in the heart of the industrial region of northwest Indiana is an island of nature with some very unusual features. This 131-acre parcel of virtually "undisturbed" land is known as Gibson Woods Nature Preserve.
Gibson Woods is one of the last sizeable remnant of high quality dune and swale topography remaining in Lake County. Because of the widespread urbanization and industrialization in Northwest Indiana, this type of topography and its associated natural communities have been almost entirely eliminated.  Today over 130 species of birds have been recorded at Gibson Woods.  Typical time to bird site: 30-90 minutes.
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OUR MAILING ADDRESS
​Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society
​P.O. Box 36
Wheeler, IN 46393