Bird watchers flock to Massachusetts to glimpse rare eagle
Jan 4, 2022 20:32:11 GMT -5
Clipper likes this
Post by Atticus Pizzaballa on Jan 4, 2022 20:32:11 GMT -5
Bird watchers flock to Massachusetts to glimpse rare eagle
When Justin Lawson, avid birder, heard about a Steller’s sea eagle in the area, he went in search of it. And found it. Adding it to his Christmas bird count was a huge feather in his cap, no pun intended, but it may never happen again.
“It's anyone's guess where it will go next,” he said. First spotted in the U.S. on Alaska’s Denali highway in August, the bird was identified by a distinctive white spot on its left wing. It has wandered farther inland and is now in Massachusetts.
Steller's sea eagles, with decreasing populations, are large diurnal birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. Described first in 1811, no subspecies are recognized. With dark brown plumage, white wings and tail, yellow beak and yellow talons, it is a sturdy bird with a wingspan of 6.4 to 8.2 feet. In the wild, the Steller's sea eagles usually live up to 20 to 25 years and weigh up to 21 pounds. Often bigger than bald eagles, who weigh 15 to 16 pounds, their native range is typically China, Japan and Korea and the east coast of Russia.
I was generally told that birds get caught up in a major storm, and if they are lucky and survive the ordeal, they can find themselves very very far from home,” said Colin Novick, executive director of the Greater Worcester Land Trust and a Worcester resident.
Expressing sympathy for an animal so far from its natural habitat, he imagined “this eagle getting swept up in a typhoon and deposited on the West Coast of North America, somewhat bewildered.” Whatever the cause, it is unlikely to find a mate, even if it does survive in its new home. “Imagine suddenly that you are the very last bird of your kind anywhere to be seen and no matter how far you travel you can't find anyone else like you!”
“This is a really iconic bird,” agrees Wayne Petersen, Mass Audubon ornithologist and director of Important Bird Areas. “Probably made its way from Asia to the Aleutian islands to Alaska, and there is some indication that it may have been around for a week prior to being identified as a Steller sea eagle.”
Mostly seen in Japan, where they winter in a restricted breeding range, it is closely related to the bald eagle and is part of the sea eagle group that lives along coasts.
While it's possible, Peterson says, he does not believe that a storm is the only reason for the bird’s presence here because in terms of where these birds live, weather patterns don’t favor it making their way from West to East. “Very difficult to say what it was trying to do — the route is completely atypical, and quite probably there was something faulty in its navigation or orientation system.”
What is implied, he said, due to the bird’s erratic route, is that it may have been born genetically deficient — either it didn't know where it was supposed to be or did not have the properly functioning equipment to get where it was supposed to be.
“It’s a super star,” said Peterson, “and seen by many people who will never forget seeing it, just like I will never forget having not seen it.” He was Involved in errands for his family at the time it was supposed to be nearby.
Martha Gach, conservation coordinator at Mass Audubon’s Broadmeadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, confirmed that “it has gotten a lot of people pretty excited.”
She explained that it often happens that birds end up in parts of the world where they are not supposed to be because young ones aren’t practiced in moving around and miss the right landscape cues — birds follow coastlines, mountain ranges, etc.
“Interestingly,” she said, “there was a Steller’s sea eagle that escaped from the Pittsburgh Aviary this past spring and summer but was luckily recaptured after a couple days.” She agreed it would be very difficult for this bird to find the way back. In order to get back to Asia, it would have to make its way north across the U.S. or across the sea, and “the birds that do this aren’t going to make it long term, it’s natural selection and unlikely to find a mate.”
Marion Larson, chief of information and education at Mass Wildlife, said “it’s a really big deal that it showed up in Massachusetts. What’s really cool is that, due to its markings, this specific bird can be identified.” People are very sure it’s the same bird that was reported in Alaska and Canada. She added that we can only speculate as to why it is here. “The ways of wildlife are very mysterious, which is what makes it interesting.”
Larson was hoping to see it because she had taken some time off last week so she could drive around and watch for it like other people. Unfortunately, she said chuckling, she was “scheduling interviews about the bird, which meant I could not take time to actually look for it.”
“It’s such a unique sighting,” Larson continued. “You got a bird who used its wings and covered thousands of miles, traveling across two continents to show up here in Massachusetts.” It is the first reported sighting in Massachusetts and most likely the first report in Eastern North America. When this kind of sighting occurs, she said, there will be a bunch of people looking through records to see if this is the first time that this species has been seen in the lower 48.
She added that one Mass Wildlife official saw license plates from as far away as Pennsylvania and New Jersey and that this single eagle brought a flock of birders from around the region. “It’s like collecting stamps — people keep a life list.”
Larson cautioned that following can create stress for the bird. She has been trying to stress the importance of viewing wildlife responsibly and has concerns about the effect it can have on the animals. Snowy owls, for instance, can allow you to get close then fly off, but “people don’t understand that this stresses them during the time of year that food is least available.”
As a result, Mass Wildlife is deliberately not referencing a specific place. “The birds may seem not to be stressed but you don’t know what’s going on with their heart rate," said Gach. When faced with danger, birds will either freeze to avoid notice or fly away. So, a bird staying in place may still be under severe stress. "We don’t need them to be harassed to death.”
ttps://www.telegram.com/story/lifestyle/2022/01/04/stellers-sea-eagle-spotted-massachusetts/9058821002/?fbclid=IwAR25qAIL2z-AOmg_cTA1eY_EI7fmfgWbJbSnCjeqMjSB3Jyc3P3lKY2uIA4
Beautiful creature.
When Justin Lawson, avid birder, heard about a Steller’s sea eagle in the area, he went in search of it. And found it. Adding it to his Christmas bird count was a huge feather in his cap, no pun intended, but it may never happen again.
“It's anyone's guess where it will go next,” he said. First spotted in the U.S. on Alaska’s Denali highway in August, the bird was identified by a distinctive white spot on its left wing. It has wandered farther inland and is now in Massachusetts.
Steller's sea eagles, with decreasing populations, are large diurnal birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. Described first in 1811, no subspecies are recognized. With dark brown plumage, white wings and tail, yellow beak and yellow talons, it is a sturdy bird with a wingspan of 6.4 to 8.2 feet. In the wild, the Steller's sea eagles usually live up to 20 to 25 years and weigh up to 21 pounds. Often bigger than bald eagles, who weigh 15 to 16 pounds, their native range is typically China, Japan and Korea and the east coast of Russia.
I was generally told that birds get caught up in a major storm, and if they are lucky and survive the ordeal, they can find themselves very very far from home,” said Colin Novick, executive director of the Greater Worcester Land Trust and a Worcester resident.
Expressing sympathy for an animal so far from its natural habitat, he imagined “this eagle getting swept up in a typhoon and deposited on the West Coast of North America, somewhat bewildered.” Whatever the cause, it is unlikely to find a mate, even if it does survive in its new home. “Imagine suddenly that you are the very last bird of your kind anywhere to be seen and no matter how far you travel you can't find anyone else like you!”
“This is a really iconic bird,” agrees Wayne Petersen, Mass Audubon ornithologist and director of Important Bird Areas. “Probably made its way from Asia to the Aleutian islands to Alaska, and there is some indication that it may have been around for a week prior to being identified as a Steller sea eagle.”
Mostly seen in Japan, where they winter in a restricted breeding range, it is closely related to the bald eagle and is part of the sea eagle group that lives along coasts.
While it's possible, Peterson says, he does not believe that a storm is the only reason for the bird’s presence here because in terms of where these birds live, weather patterns don’t favor it making their way from West to East. “Very difficult to say what it was trying to do — the route is completely atypical, and quite probably there was something faulty in its navigation or orientation system.”
What is implied, he said, due to the bird’s erratic route, is that it may have been born genetically deficient — either it didn't know where it was supposed to be or did not have the properly functioning equipment to get where it was supposed to be.
“It’s a super star,” said Peterson, “and seen by many people who will never forget seeing it, just like I will never forget having not seen it.” He was Involved in errands for his family at the time it was supposed to be nearby.
Martha Gach, conservation coordinator at Mass Audubon’s Broadmeadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, confirmed that “it has gotten a lot of people pretty excited.”
She explained that it often happens that birds end up in parts of the world where they are not supposed to be because young ones aren’t practiced in moving around and miss the right landscape cues — birds follow coastlines, mountain ranges, etc.
“Interestingly,” she said, “there was a Steller’s sea eagle that escaped from the Pittsburgh Aviary this past spring and summer but was luckily recaptured after a couple days.” She agreed it would be very difficult for this bird to find the way back. In order to get back to Asia, it would have to make its way north across the U.S. or across the sea, and “the birds that do this aren’t going to make it long term, it’s natural selection and unlikely to find a mate.”
Marion Larson, chief of information and education at Mass Wildlife, said “it’s a really big deal that it showed up in Massachusetts. What’s really cool is that, due to its markings, this specific bird can be identified.” People are very sure it’s the same bird that was reported in Alaska and Canada. She added that we can only speculate as to why it is here. “The ways of wildlife are very mysterious, which is what makes it interesting.”
Larson was hoping to see it because she had taken some time off last week so she could drive around and watch for it like other people. Unfortunately, she said chuckling, she was “scheduling interviews about the bird, which meant I could not take time to actually look for it.”
“It’s such a unique sighting,” Larson continued. “You got a bird who used its wings and covered thousands of miles, traveling across two continents to show up here in Massachusetts.” It is the first reported sighting in Massachusetts and most likely the first report in Eastern North America. When this kind of sighting occurs, she said, there will be a bunch of people looking through records to see if this is the first time that this species has been seen in the lower 48.
She added that one Mass Wildlife official saw license plates from as far away as Pennsylvania and New Jersey and that this single eagle brought a flock of birders from around the region. “It’s like collecting stamps — people keep a life list.”
Larson cautioned that following can create stress for the bird. She has been trying to stress the importance of viewing wildlife responsibly and has concerns about the effect it can have on the animals. Snowy owls, for instance, can allow you to get close then fly off, but “people don’t understand that this stresses them during the time of year that food is least available.”
As a result, Mass Wildlife is deliberately not referencing a specific place. “The birds may seem not to be stressed but you don’t know what’s going on with their heart rate," said Gach. When faced with danger, birds will either freeze to avoid notice or fly away. So, a bird staying in place may still be under severe stress. "We don’t need them to be harassed to death.”
ttps://www.telegram.com/story/lifestyle/2022/01/04/stellers-sea-eagle-spotted-massachusetts/9058821002/?fbclid=IwAR25qAIL2z-AOmg_cTA1eY_EI7fmfgWbJbSnCjeqMjSB3Jyc3P3lKY2uIA4
Beautiful creature.