Photo/Illutration A bald eagle, right, perches on a tree branch, together with a white-tailed eagle in Onne Marsh in Nemuro, Hokkaido, on Jan. 26. (Provided by Junichi Komukai)

NEMURO, Hokkaido--Bird watchers here might have thought they had been magically transported across the Pacific when they spotted the national symbol of the United States here in a wetland. 

A bald eagle has been wintering at Onne Marsh after the same bird of prey was sighted in a nearby lake for the first time on any Japanese main island last winter.

The bald eagle, whose wings measure 2 meters across when they are spread, inhabit broader areas along the coast of North America.

Prior to last winter’s sighting, the raptor was spotted at the mouth of a river on Kunashiri Island, part of the Northern Territories off the northeast coast of Nemuro, in July 2001, according to the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology.

The first sighting of the bird in Hokkaido came last winter in Lake Furenko, which is adjacent to Onne Marsh, and in nearby areas.

Researchers believe that the bird ended up in Japan’s northernmost main island last winter after becoming disoriented for an unknown reason.

They believe that the bald eagle who flew in this winter is the same as the one last season from its features.

As to whether the bird will return again, researchers said it is “likely,” citing the bald eagle's tendency to flock to the same place to winter.

Areas around the marsh are crowded with a number of other birds, including sea eagles from eastern Russia.

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