MITCHELL, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says that a tropical seabird was spotted diving into the lake to catch fish at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell earlier this week by interpretive naturalist Wade LaHue.
Assistant state ornithologist Amy Kearns confirmed it as a juvenile Sula leucogaster, a species commonly known as a “brown booby.” She said that because he is a juvenile, he has different colorations than an adult bird.
“This species is not normally found in the United States, let alone Indiana,” Kearns said, noting that the bird had wandered naturally out of its normal range. It is only the second time the species has been seen in the state. The first on record was on a private lake in Zionsville in May 2019. That bird stayed for less than a day.
The bird has remained near the Lakeview Activity Center at the park, fishing and resting on fallen trees and the newly built floating dock.
DNR park staff asks guests who come to see this special bird to give it plenty of space to rest and feed, so it can stay healthy and eventually find its way back to its home in the ocean.
