CAPTION: A possible Tropical Parula warbler bird was sighted for the first time in Kansas at Dillon Nature Center by Mark Nolen of Wichita on Tuesday, May 6. The bird is rare in Kansas, and its normal range is in Mexico and the southernmost tip of Texas. PHOTO CREDIT MARK NOLEN
By Kate Irelan
A Hutchinson man may be credited with sighting the first known Tropical Parula warbler bird in Kansas. The rare bird for this area was first spotted by Mark Nolen of Wichita on Tuesday at Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson, and the news quickly drew a birdwatching crowd from cities across Kansas.
Mark Nolen is a professor of biology at Hutchinson Community College. He said that he occasionally stops by Dillon nature center after work. He knew there were Northern Parula birds at the nature center and they are fairly common in Kansas. “Hutchinson is the most northwest spot to regularly see the Northern Parulas,” said Nolen. “I heard one of those calling, and the bird appeared, but it looked a little funny. It had a black mask with a yellow throat.”
Nolen said, “Then it hopped on the ground about 10 feet away and I could see it had black mask, but I couldn’t get a photo.” He said that the next day he went back to Dillon Nature Center and heard the bird calling and was able to get a good look at it with binoculars. “I thought as soon as I looked at it that it was probably a Tropical Parula,” said Nolen.
Knowing they were rare in Kansas, he texted a group of other birders to help identify the bird. They came to Dillon Nature Center, tracked down the bird, and found it building a nest. They posted the sighting on the private Facebook group page, Kansas Rare and Notable Sightings, and by Thursday, bird watchers from other areas in Kansas were coming to catch a glimpse or photo of the bird.
Malcolm Gold from Overland Park, Kansas said, “Seeing a life bird, the first time seeing or hearing a species, brings a big level of excitement and joy. It was hard for me to contain my smile this morning when we met, I was still riding that euphoric high. The bird was showing quite well this morning and made multiple calls.”
Gold said that state firsts and extreme rarities, like the Tropical Parula from one the far edges of Southern Texas draw a crowd. “It’s definitely a big deal,” said Gold. He said while he was at Dillon Nature Center, he met other birdwatchers from Newton, Wichita, Emporia, Lyons, Hays, Manhattan and the Kansas City area.
Nolen is on the Kansas Birds Records Committee. He said the committee will decide whether it is a confirmed first sighting or not, but he will not vote since he submitted the sighting. He said it may be months before this record sighting is confirmed depending on the next round of voting and when he submits the sighting.
Nolen said that it seems that the bird is a Tropical Parula, but it could be a hybridized bird with the Northern Parulas in the area. “There’s a lot of variation in birds,” said Nolen. “The male has a darker black mask, and females do more nest building but males do help. The bird’s behavior seems female, but it looks like a male. I haven’t had time to check with experts on the bird.”
He said that it is interesting for people to see it and to look at it scientifically. The Tropical Parula breeds in Mexico and in the southernmost tip of Texas. “They are birds and they can fly and show up in funny places,” said Nolen. “One was seen in Colorado 20 years ago. I am asking scientific questions, like is this a fluke? Are they moving? Why are they here?
Nolen said for people interested in learning more about birds in Kansas and birdwatching, beginner birders can find many resources to identify birds. He said that an updated Sibley Field Guide to finding and identifying birds by Peter Jansen and Bob Gress will be released sometime this summer. He said there is also a phone or computer application that compliments the book, and CornellLab has an all about birds website.
Gold said, “I love the birding community for sharing information and sightings via eBird, multiple Facebook groups, and/or the KSBIRD-L listserv. The Wichita Audubon Society is a great local club and many of the individuals there this morning are active in the programs, field trips, and conservation efforts.”
Nolen said, “Birds are all around us all the time and it all seems just normal, but if you really watch them, they do interesting things.”
