Canadians Delighted by Visit from Giant Sea Eagle from the Other Side of the World
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Steller’s sea eagle – Courtesy of Sandra Moss (Instagram @YQXSandra)
Even in the frigid winter temperatures, a national park in Newfoundland was buzzing with visitors who flocked for a chance to see an extremely rare visitor.
Steller’s sea eagle is one of the largest birds of prey on Earth, but is native to Japan, Korea, and Russia. It must have flown thousands of miles to arrive in Newfoundland on its 7.8-foot wingspan.
In Terra Nova National Park, Sandra Moss, a photographer who had heard the bird was sighted in the area, brought her camera on a boat trip in Newman Sound. From the gunwales of the boat, she and her husband didn’t see anything, but returning in their car they came across the animal atop a pine tree, majestic and menacing.
“I can’t explain how exciting it is,” she said in an interview with CBC on Monday. “It’s an incredible feeling to know that that bird has chosen us. That’s what it feels like.”
“I wouldn’t have liked to have a pet or anything in my arms when he was there, he’d probably take you and the pet.”
Despite the extreme vagrancy of this visitor, the eastern seaboard of Canada and even the US have at times seen these birds. On Facebook, members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Birdwatching Group reported last year in nearby Trinity Bay that a Steller’s sea eagle was in the area nesting.
A year before that, GNN reported that a Steller’s sea eagle was attracting birdwatchers in Boothbay Harbor, Maine five days before Christmas, but that by January 16th it had flown all the way to Denali, Alaska.
NPR at the time reported that the same bird had been seen in various parts of Canada that summer.
Typically 25% larger than a bald eagle, subtlety is not this fish-eater’s specialty, and because their feather markings can be distinct between individuals, they are easy to track.
Terra Nova National Park’s Facebook post on the arrival of the vagrant was full of commenters referencing past sightings, suggesting this year’s visitor is one from previous years.
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