Creature record / 2002
October 10, 2002. Morning, near Togiak, in southwest Alaska. Moses Coupchiak was working his tractor when something came flying toward him from about two miles away. He thought it was one of those old-time Otter planes. Then it banked to the left. It wasn't a plane. Around the same time, Dillingham bush pilot John Bouker was flying passengers into Manokotak. About 1,000 feet away, there it was. A big bird. Everyone on board saw it. He judged its wingspan against his own Cessna. About 14 feet. Biologists suggested a rare Steller's sea eagle. Bouker knew that species. He believed this bird was considerably bigger.
Bristol Bay. Southwest Alaska. In October 2002, villagers in Togiak and Manokotak were talking about "this great big eagle", said to be two or three times the size of a bald eagle. The Anchorage Daily News took notice. Its story opened with a line that travelled the world: "A giant winged creature, like something out of Jurassic Park, has reportedly been sighted several times in Southwest Alaska in recent weeks."