MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that birdwatching adds $96 billion to the U.S economy each year and provides 782,000 jobs. I think most Maine birders would agree that the Steller’s sea eagle that spent parts of the last two winters here is the bird of the century so far. The eagle was first confirmed in Maine at Five Islands on Dec. 30, 2021. The bird stayed in the Georgetown/Boothbay region until early March 2022. The eagle appeared again in Maine last winter on Feb. 4, and remained until early March, attracting lots of birders. Researchers estimate birders who traveled to Maine in the winter of 2021-22 to see the rare bird contributed $380,604 and $476,626 to the economies of Maine and Massachusetts. This value is a low estimate for Maine since it does not include the winter of 2023 or February and March 2022. ~ Herb Wilson