Dune jaunt

Twenty-four bird species on a cursory dune ramble last Sunday. Temperatures were in the 30s with flurries and sleet. Snow buntings were the highlight--two groups of 10 along the beach. The sparrow-like birds arrived from their breeding range on the tundra and are possibilities throughout winter along Lake Michigan beaches and inland farm fields. Stops at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore included Miller Woods, Cowles Bog and Mount Baldy.