[MASSBIRD] Adult Steller's Sea Eagle Seen at Dighton Rock State Park Berkley, MA 12/20/21

[phaw...@comcast.net]

A quick note on the Steller's Sea Eagle seen at Dighton Rock State Park in Berkley late this morning and early this afternoon, and frequenting the general area since December 12. (Also to correct a misstatement of mine to several people this morning, when I recalled the Alaska sighting as being this past summer.)

     An adult Steller's Sea Eagle was discovered in late August 2020 on the Denali Highway near the McLaren River Lodge at Milepost 65, not far from where we stay on the Highway (which is not really a "highway" any more.) The bird was also photographed on the McLaren River apparently in early September 2020.

     You'll need to check the Alaska State Rare Bird list for the most recent information on the species' current status but in 1995 in their monumental "A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors," Brian Wheeler and Bill Clark noted that an adult Steller's" has been associating with an adult Bald Eagle for several years near Juneau," and provided 3 photos of juvenile and adult Steller's Sea Eagles from Japan." Up until that time I believe all the records had been from the Alaskan islands, from Kodiak, the Aleutians and the Pribolofs. Wheeler and Clark also cite one report from Midway, in the Hawaiian Islands. The bird's home range is the east coast of Siberia. They are believed to breed only in Russia, particularly Kamchatka, with many birds wintering in Japan, especially on Hokkaido. 

     According to Eric Carpenter of the Texas Bird Records Committee in a Dec.12, 2021 TexBirds post, an adult Steller's Sea Eagle was "seen and photographed by Kris & Jeff Groscop and Gene & Sandi Roesler on 7 March 2021 while they were boating & fishing on Coleto Creek Reservoir in Victoria County." The bird was not refound subsequently.

   In July 2021 an adult Steller's Sea Eagle was seen in Quebec and New Brunswick, according to the New York Times. On November 3, Phil Taylor, a biologist, discovered an adult Steller's Sea Eagle in Falmouth, Nova Scotia. I am not sure when the bird was last seen in Nova Scotia, but the bird was first apparently sighted at Dighton Rock on Sunday Dec. 12, and photograph(s) submitted for identification.  

       The Texas Bird Records Committee checked with the falconer community and zoos but found no one with lost birds or any knowledge of Steller's being held legally or illegally. Last week the Committee announced the bird had been added to the official Texas State List, which now stands at 657. There is the clear belief that it is highly unlikely that two (or more) different adult Steller's Sea Eagles would appear on the North American continent in the same 12-20 months, with no indication of captivity or distinguishing individual marks.  

     Ironically an adult Steller's Sea Eagle named Kodiak, held in the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, escaped the facilities on September 25, 2021 and for a week there were apparently two adult free-flying Steller's Sea Eagles on the North American continent. It was recaptured on October 3. I remember advising hawk watchers at Wachusett to bone up on Steller's Sea Eagle identification, just in case. Little could I have ever imagined.... 

     Wheeler and Clark give the wingspan as 87-96 inches and the weight as 11-20 lbs, with females being larger than males. The bird is 33-41 inches. I is considered the world's largest eagle. The most extensive species account I have is in Ferguson-Lees and Christie's mammoth "Raptors of the World," Plate 17, and pp 406-408.

    This was a life raptor for me that I never expected to see. Thank you to Mark Resendes, Susan Moses, Simon Perkins, Linda Ferarreso so many friends who love raptors, too! By the way, the Stellar's dwarfed two immature Bald Eagles perched in the same tree, but its size did not spare it harassment from a much smaller Raven, who dive-bombed it in flight.

Best,

Paul

Paul M. Roberts
Medford, MA 
phaw...@comcast.net