Rare eagle seen in Maine, wowing birders; might stay a bit

A rare species of eagle that has thrilled bird lovers and baffled scientists since arriving in Maine last month might not be in a hurry to leave. The Steller's sea eagle arrived in Maine in late December after a brief stop in Massachusetts more than a month ago. It has stuck to Maine's middle coast, eating fish and ducks and attracting hundreds of birdwatchers from all over the world. The sea eagle numbers only a few thousand worldwide and is native to northeastern Asia, including Russia and Japan, and has wingspans of up to 8 feet. The bird is far off course and it's still unclear why it came here at all, said Doug Hitchcox, staff naturalist at Maine Audubon. But the bird doesn't appear to be in any kind of danger.