Indianapolis, IN

Indy wildlife: State and city parks offer wild views

Published

2 days ago

June 28, 2024

Indy wildlife: State and city parks offer wild views

When Hoosiers need a break from phone screens and notification pings, there are plenty of opportunities to spend some time in the fresh air and see native wildlife in natural habitats.

You can spot Bald Eagles at Eagle Creek Park and maybe some coyotes at Fort Harrison State Park.

Here are some of the best places to visit to spot native wildlife in Indianapolis, or close by.

Fort Ben is bustling with wildlife

Fort Harrison State Park, in Lawrence, is a great birding spot with trails that wrap around Delaware Lake or trace the banks of Fall Creek.

Emilie Sweet, a naturalist at Fort Ben, said there are a variety of bird species that stop by the park, especially during migration season, which is in April and May in the spring and September and October in the fall.

While the park is a must-visit for birders, there also is a large white tail deer population that is best spotted during early morning hours, Sweet said.

There are also coyotes at the park, though Sweet said these aren’t as common to see, but there are mink, beaver and muskrats that can be seen along Fall Creek and near Duck Pond.

Herpers can find aquatic turtles basking on logs near different snake species that call Fort Ben home.

Visit Fort Harrison State Park at: 6000 N. Post Road, Indianapolis, IN 46216

Wildlife finds a home in Indy Parks

Eagle Creek Park is one of the largest city parks in the country as with trails through the woods and along the reservoir, wildlife is abundant.

Birders will enjoy scoping out trails, fields and meadows at Holliday Park, Marott Woods Nature Preserve, Southeastway Park and Riverside Park.

Alex Cortwright, with Indy Parks, said the Fall Creek and 30^th Park has the Fall Creek Greenway that cuts through it, and wildlife enjoys using that trail, too.

Bit of a drive: Want to see some of Indiana’s best wildlife? Take this expert advice and go west.

Wildlife spotting within a short drive from Indy

Out near Anderson, northeast of Indy, Mounds State Park offers excellent bird-watching opportunities as it’s on the Indiana Birding Trail.

Kelley Morgan, naturalist at Mounds, said even folks not wanting to hike the trails can take shelter at the wildlife observation area inside the park’s nature center. Birds and other wildlife can be spotted here from the comfort of the center’s couches.

There’s also a honey bee hive at the center. The park works with local veterans to help combat PTSD, and they tend the hives.

While no Bald Eagles are nesting at the park now, Morgan said some visit the park daily. There is also habitat to support great blue herons, green herons, egrets, kingfishers and many different songbirds.

If anyone is around the park during dusk, Morgan said there are screech and barred owls that call out as the sun is setting.

Much like Fort Ben, Mounds is surrounded by development but still sees its fair share of mammals. Deer, red fox and coyotes can be spotted traipsing around the park.

Visit Mounds State Park at: 4306 Mounds Road, Anderson, IN 46017

How to be responsible when viewing wildlife

While witnessing soaring eagles and spotting the white tails of deer is an experience, these are wild animals and must be treated with respect.

Hoosiers visiting these parks also are visiting the homes of these animals and should stay on marked trails and leave no trace of the visit.

Don’t disturb the wildlife’s natural habitat, Sweet said. Minimizing human interference is important to keep the park’s animal populations safe and healthy.

Do not try to touch wildlife unless they are in danger. Sweet said moving a turtle out of the road is fine, but don’t try picking them up out of the creek or other natural areas.

Ethan Plumier, with Indiana Department of Natural Resources, has six main tips for ethical wildlife viewing:

Give wildlife space: The best relationship with wildlife is a long-distance one
Keep it clean: Don’t litter and pick up trash
Keep your hands to yourself
Keep your snacks to yourself: wildlife can find their own food
Keep pets at home or leashed
Lead by example: help others become wildlife watchers

Tips for seeing wildlife in Indy

Strategies for viewing wildlife will depend on the species Hoosiers hope to spot, Plumier said. Bird spotting can be done from a car with binoculars but there are other ways to spot some off the roads.

One place Plumier recommends heading is where habitats transition. This can be from woods into a wetland or a field. These edges are a highway for wildlife and have everything an animal needs from food to safety.

“Just plop down along the edge of the woods and see what’s moving,” Plumier said. “Go as deep as you want, sit down, be quiet and see what happens.”

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk

IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

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Indianapolis, IN

Public safety officer adopts dog rescued from hot car in hotel parking lot

Published

6 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

Public safety officer adopts dog rescued from hot car in hotel parking lot

INDIANAPOLIS (Gray News) – Police say a dog left in a hot car has a second chance at happiness after a public safety officer who helped rescue her decided to adopt her.

Indianapolis Police say Public Safety Officer S. Poe was among those on scene when a German shepherd named Abby, a cat and another dog were left inside a locked car in 90-degree heat.

The three animals were found last Thursday in a hotel parking lot by the manager, who said he was alerted to the situation when Abby honked the car’s horn, WISH reports.

Officers rescued Abby and the cat, but sadly, the second dog in the car died. It’s believed the animals were in the car for about three hours.

Police announced Saturday that Poe reached out to Indianapolis Animal Care Services after the incident and adopted Abby, giving her a new forever home.

“I switched her collar, and it was like Abby knew she was home for good,” Poe said.

Two people – 53-year-old Charles Thomas and 74-year-old Norma Light – are facing charges in relation to the incident, according to WISH. Light allegedly said she left the animals in the car because the hotel was not pet-friendly.

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Indianapolis, IN

Red Wings fall to Indianapolis for first loss of second half, 13-4 – Pickin’ Splinters

Published

13 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

Red Wings fall to Indianapolis for first loss of second half, 13-4 – Pickin’ Splinters

Red Wings DH Juan Yepez celebrates after hitting a home run in the first inning of Saturday’s game. (PHOTO: Rochester Red Wings/Joe Territo)

BY DAN GLICKMAN

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – After a day full of rain, the skies cleared up in time for the Rochester Red Wings to play the Indianapolis Indians on Saturday night. The Red Wings perhaps wished it hadn’t, however, as they fell for the first time in the second half, 13-4, as Indianapolis hitters battered Wings pitching to the tune of 13 hits, including six in a six-run third and three in a five-run fourth spurred by a Malcolm Nunez grand slam.

The loss also ended a six-game win streak for the Wings (4-1 in second half) overall.

“It’s just one of those days,” said Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy. “We just couldn’t stop them, man. They took advantage of some walks and mistakes.”

VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.

The game started off looking good for the Wings. A night after scoring 14 runs on 17 hits, the Red Wings offense opened the game where it left off, as the team staged a two-out rally with three straight hits, culminating in a two-run home run by Juan Yepez to make it 4-0.

That would be it for the Red Wings offense for the game, as the Indians replied with 13 unanswered runs. Their barrage began in the third, as the Indians batted around the Red Wings and starter Jackson Rutledge with an inning that included six straight one-out hits, including a two-run double to center by Ji Hwan Bae to put Indianapolis on the board 4-2 and a Matt Gorski double to put the Indians ahead, 5-4. Even the second out brought in a run, as Seth Beer raced home before the Red Wings got Gorski in a rundown to make it 6-4.

All of the third-inning runs came against Rutledge, who’d ultimately go three innings and a batter in the fourth while allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks. However, some of it was the result of bad luck, as Indianapolis hitters were able to find open spots in the field and send hits just out of the reach of Rochester fielders. LeCroy had hoped that the right-hander would recover, but after walking the leadoff man in the fourth, he removed him for Adonis Medina.

“I felt good about Rut[ledge],” said LeCroy. “[But] he just couldn’t stop the bleeding there in the third inning, then we went back out in the fourth and walked the first guy.”

What followed was what LeCroy called Medina’s “toughest outing” of the year, as the righty allowed two hits to load the bases before walking in Liover Peguero to bring in a bases-loaded run. The following batter, Nunez, grabbed hold of a 2-1 sinker and sent it over the fence in left-center at a velocity of 108.1 MPH for a grand slam to increase their lead to 11-4.

The Red Wings bullpen held the Indians scoreless after that until they put up two runs in the top of the ninth, with Tim Cate and Orlando Ribalta each throwing two hitless innings. However, Rochester bats struggled against former big leaguer Domingo German– just over a year removed from throwing a perfect game for the New York Yankees. After the Red Wings put up four runs against him in the first, the Dominican held them scoreless his remaining four innings before three different Indianapolis relievers combined to allow just two hits the rest of the way, preventing any sort of comeback.

“We just never got back in it,” said LeCroy.

Offensively, Riley Adams, playing first base instead of his usual catcher, had two doubles as part of a 2-for-4 night, notching an RBI in the first. Darren Baker stole his 26th base of the year in the first inning, tying him for second in the International League.

Neither James Wood nor Dylan Crews started Saturday. While Wood’s absence was likely the result of his upcoming callup (still not officially announced by the Nationals or Red Wings), LeCroy said Crews’ day off was simply a normal rest day combined with some caution after he hit a foul ball off his foot earlier in the series.

The Red Wings conclude their series with Indianapolis on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Rehabbing Washington National righty Josiah Gray, a 2023 All-Star, will start against a Indians starter to be announced. LeCroy says that Gray will be “full-go” in his second rehab start for the Red Wings. On Tuesday, the Le Moyne product went six innings, allowing four hits and an earned run while striking out four as he works his way back from a right elbow/forearm flexor strain suffered early in the season.

Sunday will be the final game of the Red Wings’ Marvel Super Hero weekend, and will also feature a birthday party for Spikes and Mittsy.

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Indianapolis, IN

Storms move through Indy. NWS issues alert

Published

21 hours ago

June 29, 2024

Press Room

Storms move through Indy. NWS issues alert

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Central Indiana, including Indianapolis and the surrounding area. Storms capable of producing penny-sized hail and winds up to 70 mph could last at least until 4:45 p.m.

The current storms are expected to be the strongest storms today, National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew White said. There may be damaging winds and lightning. Residual rain is expected at around 6 p.m., and tomorrow will be sunny.

People should stay inside; the NWS recommends people move to rooms with no windows on the lowest floor of the building if possible. Rain may lead to flash flooding, and the NWS advises drivers not to drive through flooded roadways.

🚨 Indiana Weather Alerts: Warnings, Watches and Advisories

⚡ Indiana power outage map: How to check your status

💻 Internet outages: how to track them

🚫 What you should and shouldn’t do when the power is out

🐶 Your neighbor left their pet outside. Who you should call

Where to report power outages and downed lines

AES Indiana customers: 317-261-8111

Duke Energy customers: 1-800-343-3525

How to report downed traffic signals or tree limbs blocking a road

If you encounter a downed traffic signal or a limb blocking a roadway, contact the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622 or online at RequestIndy.gov. When calling after hours, press “2” to be connected.

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