In August of 2020, an uncommon, however not exceptional, vagrant hen made headlines for showing in an inland space of Alaska. The hen, a Steller’s Sea Eagle, was not an altogether uncommon discover for Alaska, though that is actually not the area through which they’re usually discovered. Matanuska-Susitna County, Alaska, nevertheless, was a lot farther inland than typical vagrant sea eagle sightings. This is able to find yourself being the primary chapter in an unbelievable saga that continues now in early 2023.
Associated Article: Snowy Owl Noticed in Southern California
To know this story, we should first perceive what makes a hen “vagrant.” Vagrant birds are birds which have ventured exterior of the traditional vary of territories the place they’d be anticipated to be discovered. Typically, this happens in giant numbers. Such occasions are referred to as “irruptions.” Particular person vagrant birds are unusual however actually not uncommon. This Steller’s Sea Eagle is, nevertheless, very a lot a particular case.
The Steller’s Sea Eagle is a really giant raptor which is sometimes discovered in Japan, alongside the Jap coast of Russia, and alongside the North Jap coast of Asia. Whereas a Steller’s Sea Eagle is a really uncommon sight in Alaska, they’re exceptional in a lot of the USA.
For this reason, when the exact same Steller’s Sea Eagle was noticed in southern Texas, the occasion made some severe waves. It was shortly decided that this particular person hen, which might be recognized by a white marking on its left wing, was the exact same which had been noticed in Nova Scotia and sections of japanese Canada. This particular person hen, it appears, was on an unbelievable cross-country trek by means of North America.
No person is aware of for positive why this hen’s migratory habits has fallen to date exterior of the norm for its species. Pushed, maybe, by some defect in its navigational capabilities, the beautiful raptor ultimately settled in Maine in 2021. There, it stayed for a number of months earlier than transferring on to Newfoundland for the summer season of 2022. Birdwatchers and nature lovers in Maine had been delighted to find on the fourth of February, 2023, that the now fairly well-known eagle had returned to the states.
In a transfer that has been described as “lightning placing twice,” the Steller’s Sea Eagle was as soon as once more noticed within the space surrounding Georgetown, Maine. It’s being reported, actually, that the eagle was noticed on virtually the identical tree the place it had beforehand taken up residence in 2021.
Steller’s Sea Eagles are sometimes acknowledged as amongst probably the most majestic and highly effective birds of prey. They’re additionally amongst probably the most uncommon. Even inside their regular habitats, the wild inhabitants of Steller’s Sea Eagles was estimated to be as few as 5,000 people in 2009. It’s thought to have slowly decreased since then. The chance to view one in every of these unbelievable birds is a valuable one for birders inside its vary. Birdwatchers throughout Maine have the unbelievable privilege to look at this hen, as soon as once more, virtually inside their very own backyards.
Widespread Article: “Mirror Take a look at” Suggests Self-Consciousness in Penguins