“One of the world’s rarest raptors has again been spotted in Maine’s Midcoast.” – News Center Maine
A bird so rare there are believed to be only 4,000 in the world has returned to Maine after it spent roughly three months in the state last year: the Steller’s Sea Eagle!
“The Steller’s sea eagle, native to eastern Asia, was first seen in Maine right before the start of 2022 and immediately started attracting crowds of enthusiastic birdwatchers from all over the United States and Canada. The bird stayed in Maine until early March 2022, when it moved north to Newfoundland. The last sighting had been in northeast New Brunswick in November 2022 before the bird showed back up in Maine on Feb. 4, 2023, according to Maine Audubon” (News Center Maine, Feb. 2023)
3 Facts You May Not Know About the Steller’s Sea Eagle
#1: It’s LARGE 🦅
The Steller’s Sea Eagle is the largest of all sea eagles and the heaviest known eagle. They have a 6-8 foot wingspan (compare that to your own! 🤯)
#2: It’s STRONG 💪
The Steller’s Sea Eagle is considered the most powerful and aggressive of its closest relatives, the bald eagle and the white-tailed sea-eagle.
#3: 20/20 Vision 👀
They have binocular vision, having both eyes set on the front of its head to focus on the same thing, providing depth perception. This is very helpful when diving more than 100 feet to catch their prey!
My name is Isabella-Zoë. I am a lover of clean lines, snow days and opossums. My illustrations focus on the many complex relationships I find myself having with the natural world (humans included). Creating compassionate and interactive educational material is a major passion, that and keeping my fig trees alive. I have spent the majority of my life working as a carpenter and only recently am transitioning into illustration.
I reside on the banks of the Kennebec River in southern coastal Wabanaki territory.
I Would Fly 5,000 Miles and I Would Fly 5,000 More 🎶
“‘It’s done this epic odyssey,’ said Alexander Lees, a biodiversity researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University in England who recently wrote a book on avian vagrancy. Vagrancy describes when birds veer off-course and continue roving around — potentially indefinitely — in search of others of their kind. It is not uncommon. There are records of albatrosses spending decades living as vagabond singletons in the wrong hemisphere, Dr. Lees said. In an inverse example from earlier this year, a bald eagle winged its way to Japan” (Marion Renault, New York Times, Nov. 2021).
“Birders dream of vagrant sightings, said Nick Lund, who works for Maine Audubon and counts himself lucky to have seen a great black hawk, native to Central and South America, in his home state in 2018.”
Steller's Sea Eagle Print
SHOP IN-STORE & ONLINE 🦅
Isabella-Zoë designed the Steller’s Sea Eagle illustration to be available in the form of an 8×10 print and 6×4 oval sticker. 25% of each sticker sold is donated to Avian Haven, an incredible wild bird rescue organization.
Click the button below to pick yours today!