The rare Steller’s sea eagle, above in Georgetown, took up residence in Maine last winter thousands of miles from its home range. Zachary Holderby, Downeast Audubon via AP

The “incredibly rare” and highly anticipated Steller’s sea eagle has returned to Maine, according to Maine Audubon.

It was found at 12:45 p.m. Saturday along the Back River, spotted by Stacy Hildreth from the Route 127 bridge between Arrowsic and Georgetown, staff naturalist Doug Hitchcox reported on Maine Audubon’s website.

“We’ve waited, we’ve debated, and now we know: The Steller’s Sea-Eagle is back!” Hitchcox wrote of the vagabond bird that has captured the attention of avid birders and others around the globe.

Hitchcox recalled the “amazing saga” of how the “incredibly rare eagle from Eastern Siberia” moved across North America in 2021, then spent the winter from Dec. 30, 2021, through March 5, 2022, around Midcoast Maine.

Then it moved north, Hitchcox said, spending the summer of 2022 in Newfoundland before wandering south in the fall.

The last sighting had been in northeast New Brunswick in November.