This has been quite the winter for vagrant bird sightings in our area. I am a very casual bird watcher but to like to know what species I am seeing and a little about them. This is the sort of information that I know my clients appreciate when we are out on the water. First there was a Barnacle Goose in Rockland hanging out with a flock of Canada Geese on the local football field. Barnacle Geese are a European species and clearly this one is lost. Simply being on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean is not all that unusual but still makes the bird a standout.
More recently the Steller’s Eagle has been in the Boothbay region and has created quite a stir. More details in this article in the Portland Press Herald. But this bird is rare in Siberia where it comes from (population estimates at around 4000) and has been on a tour of North America for some time. Needless to say it has created quite a stir in Boothbay which is a small coastal town that gets lots smaller in the winter.
Since we are not at all far from Boothbay as the eagle flies. Maybe 30 miles. It is fun to think about the possibility that my eagle watching trip being a whole lot more interesting this spring. Of course, the wandering bird could be anywhere by April when it might be warm enough for a ride in an open boat, but still a fun possibility to think about.
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