Places to Bird
St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties are filled with many great birding hotspots with hundreds of recorded species.
These are four great places to bird here in our counties - if you are looking to expand your travels to the rest of Indiana, we encourage you to check out the Indiana Birding Trail.
Potato Creek State Park
St. Joseph County
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This 3,800 acre park features 240 recorded sightings, the most in our area. It has a rich habitat of wooded areas, a large lake, wetland, and grassland. The nature center feeders are home to great backyard birds as well as winter visitors like Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, and the occasional Common Redpoll.
St Patrick’s County Park
St. Joseph County
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St. Patrick’s Park sits on the St. Joseph River just north of the city of South Bend. There is an active Bald Eagle nest on the property with a online camera allowing users to watch for nesting activity. Miles of trails wind through the park, which offers canoe and kayak rentals during the summer and winter tubing in the winter. It’s a great destination for families or solo birders alike.
University of Notre Dame
St. Joseph County
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The historic Notre Dame campus hosts a multitude of birds in an urban area. There are several miles of trails around two lakes, St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s lake. Spring migration features warblers, orioles, grosbeaks, hummingbirds, and more. This is a flat walk accessible for people of all ages.
