[Maine-birds] Steller's Sea-Eagle update - 7 Jan updates

The Steller's Sea-Eagle was found again today, 7 Jan, by John Putrino via his Instagram Live stream (that was a first for me…) He found it in the same area it was seen yesterday, by Thorpe Preserve in West Boothbay Harbor. Parking looks limited and the snow is going to make that even more challenging, but it appears the best place to park is at the Public Boat Ramp on Landing Road (https://goo.gl/maps/Nvaab5M3CaBYcmbRA).

And to quickly address the messages about keeping the listserv, I want to clarify that there is no intention for this group to go away. The GroupMe was started because it is a much more efficient way to communicate: people can join and post much quicker, while this listserv requires approval of every new member and their first posts (to cut down on spam), and a group messaging app is better for frequent updates. There were over 300 notifications via GroupMe on both Saturday and Sunday when the bird was moving around and that those updates allowed a lot of people to quickly connect with the bird. It isn't perfect, but it works! I see this listserv as an important place for sharing sightings, especially when details or a longer narrative are needed. The GroupMe is better for short and quick updates. eBird rarity alerts are great for a lot of the seasonal rarities that people might otherwise not share. And there is always Facebook if you want to 'like' and discuss things… 

Thanks!

Doug Hitchcox