bigger than a crow

Each spring, thousands of alewives make the journey up the the fish ladder from the River to the Lake, where they will then spawn. When they're running, the fish swim upstream, having been born *knowing* just what to do. It sounds completely magical to me. I've lived here my whole life, but this is something I've never seen.

Yesterday, we took a little road trip up the coast to Damariscotta to try and catch the running of the alewives, having heard they were running earlier in the week. Do you see what we saw? Yeah...not much in the way of fish. A few little handfuls of fish - not the thousands jumping about that we had thought we'd see. I think the cold temperatures this week have kept them away - perhaps later in the week they'll be running again.

So we were just saying "oh, well" and casually starting to make our way back to the car, when I heard an excited, "Mama!!". It's a bald eagle! And since just two hours earlier in the day, he had told me he wanted to see a bald eagle today, I assumed he just had it on the brain. "No, Mama, it's bigger than a crow!" (that cracks me up). But I should know better than to question one of my kids about a bird - of course, it was a bald eagle.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones looking for the fish - in our afternoon visit there we watched the bald eagle for an hour as it moved about in the trees closeby, and then saw pairs of osprey, followed by other birds of prey we just don't see everday. On the way home, we were pleasantly surprised once again to find a bald eagle nesting. Right in the middle of a very sweet coastal town village, intending to watch fish on their journey, we were instead, the happy guests of a magical show of soaring, flying and dancing by some truly amazing creatures. There are few moments where all five of us are 'still' at the same time (we need a few more years on us for that), but there were moments yesterday that felt suspended in time, as even the 1 year old among us seemed to be fullly aware and in awe of the magic we were watching. The long car ride home was a rare quiet one - with a few 'wow's' shared here and there.

There's so much magic out there to witness, isn't there? I hope your weekend includes a small moment of the magic of the natural world around you. I'll see you on Monday!

 

Comments

[meg]

that is so awesome!
rumor has it there are two on mackworth, though i haven't spotted them yet. just lots of turkeys, gophers, and foxes...

[Dana]

Wow.

[heather]

so much better than a textbook.

[Qalballah]

Subhan'allah. Allah provides in ways we don't account for, and we make a plan and He makes a Plan, and His is always better. Bald Eagle over fish anyday.

Have a good weekend.

[sarah l]

what an amazing treat....the fish could have been cool too-but so many birds of prey. and so great to experience with the whole family.

[Viv]

That's very cool. You probably know there's a fish ladder in Brunswick too (with a very nice new cafe in Fort Andross right next to it, with windows overlooking the river). Seeing eagles never fails to inspire awe.

[wenders]

Lovely post. Damariscotta is my favorite place on earth. :) Or South Bristol.

[Steph VW]

At the fish ladder in my hometown, seagulls sit on the walls and wait for the fish. (St. George, New Brunswick, Canada).

My father was always pointing out eagles and hawks and other birds to me when I was a child. Whenever I see one now, I get almost as excited as I did then. So this sounds like a perfect outing to me - despite the lack of fish!

[brandie]

holy crap! those photos are incredible...they will be such a great addition to your project!

[Kristy]

One of our best family memories was driving through France.In the road ahead we could see what looked like a small child.Obviously we slowed down and as we got closer found it was infact a huge eagle just sat there staring at us.There was no way he was moving and now way we were going to make him try.We were all in awe even the very little ones in fact so much that we didn't even take a photo.Then after a few minutes he spread his wings and soared away.Just amazing!I love times like that.

[Sue]

Amanda-This is AMAZING! A BALD EAGLE! We recently heard they are making a comeback, and there is actually one nesting around these parts, but the article I read would not divulge where exactly it is. So, of course, we are 'seeing' them everywhere, too- just out of the corner of our eyes, LOL;)

Have a great weekend, too!

[Helena]

How wonderful to be close to nature! I grew up in various areas and learn all the wildlife. In Arizona we had a mountain lion hunt for small game in our large garden. My Dad and I would sit in the truck very quiet and still to watch her. I also had a big bug collection to my mother's dismay in a top drawer. Having the actual experience to see them is the greatest learning esperience.

[Heather]

I can't believe it... AMAZING! Talk about the law of attraction. My four year old and I looked and looked at your pictures today and then we went and got our bird book and looked some more. Now she wants to see one! I found myself patiently explaining the unlikliness of seeing one here in the North Carolina mtns. and then I caught myself. Why not? Maybe we will attract our own magic into our lives today!

[Kathy]

Wow, how great to be so close to such beautiful nature.

[Lora]

oh wow what an awesome site to see!! I would love to see a bald eagle!

[kristin]

wow indeed. and i thought we were lucky for catching a glimpse of a downy woodpecker and a red-winged blackbird yesterday. ha! :) that eagle is quite majestic. i'm not sure i've ever seen an osprey, they look pretty cool too. what a great moment out in nature you have captured, and how lucky that all 5 of you were there together.

[Heather Smith]

My husband and I saw a bald eagle once while we were visiting the upper peninsula of Michigan. It really was a sight to behold and we too were struck by its presence. We did not get photos, so thanks for sharing yours - they bring back great memories.

[Frank]

What an amazing experience for your children! I grew up in Wisconsin and although bald eagles nest in parts of Wisconsin, it wasn't until I was in my early 20s that I was able to actually see one. And ospreys! Wow!

[Jennifer]

Wonderful timing: I'm about to pack the car to take my 20 month old camping for the first time. I've been nervous and preoccupied (what if she won't sleep? What if it rains?) but your post is just what I needed to remind me why I want to have this adventure with her in the first place. Thank you, Amanda!

[Jenna]

Wow, how amazing! This past month, on separate occasions, both my husband and I saw bald eagles along the Kennebec River trail, completely unexpected for both of us. I had the first sighting & my Chris relayed to me later that he was a little skeptical regarding my eagle sighting, but now he is completely convinced.
These are good omens, I tell ya!
Here is his blog post about it:
http://nnefamme.vox.com/library/posts/page/1/
Here's to our last Friday in Maine & too eagle sightings in PA...

[Beth]

Simply wonderful. Being out in the natural world is the backbone of our homeschooling. Days like the one you all had is magical indeed.

[Melody]

Oh my goodness, my children would have been in their glory! They are *still* talking about the pileated woodpecker that they *almost* saw. They would have been blown away by a bald eagle and osprey. There is a reservoir near us where bald eagles are regularly spotted. I'm planning on spending a lot of time there with the wee ones this summer. Maybe we will have our chance yet!

[Andrea Q]

I grew up north of Bangor fairly near the Penobscot and Piscataquis Rivers, so I saw eagles fairly regularly. However, I've never seen a pair of ospreys close up, so I really enjoyed that picture. My little ones are just getting to the age where we can go on wildlife outings...I can't wait to get out of the city so they can start experiencing more of the natural world.

[Amber]

It's always so awe-inspiring to see a bald eagle. We see them fairly often here, as there are a couple nesting pairs near here. I love to hear their call high up in the sky---it's so primal, I guess.

It's also nice to be going about my usual day of tasks and then to hear their call and remember that all natural creatures are going about their day, too, but in such a different way than I am. I guess it brings it to a new in-the-moment level.

[Stephanie]

I stayed at The Newcastle Inn while visiting Darmariscotta - it is a beautiful town. The other day I took my daughter to visit The Raptor Trust in NJ - it is a rehabilitation center for hurt birds. They had two bald eagles, one of which was waiting to be released. The other one was missing a wing. So sad. Glad to hear that your had such a nice day.

[Donna]

I was a little slow on the scrolldown, so I was reading how you didn't see any fish and looking at the photo thinking, "uh, does she realize there is a bald eagle up in that tree?" Guess you guys saw it as well! What beautiful pictures, thank you for sharing.

[jean]

and thanks for the link, homeschooley soulemama. good to do some reading before jumping in the car.

[tracy]

yes - wow! (the awe nature inspires in my kids is always inspiring to me!) have a lovely weekend.

[Grace]

thank you for sharing this! this is the kind of thing that you could have easily just skipped over for a blog post, but I am so glad you didn't.

[Madeline R]

WOW! We were just brid watching when we took a break to eat and I read your post. My boys are so excited. We've seen bald eagles a few times but never so close up. That is just so cool! Also cool that he'll know that he can create his life!

[Jen]

I know just what you mean. It always seems completely miraculous to me to see a bald eagle. They're just so huge and beautiful. And for the kids to get to see them too--lucky day!

[Judi]

What treat for such a birdwatching family! It was meant to be, I'm sure of it!

[mari]

as someone who measures days sometimes by the # of hawk sightings i have had ("ooh! this is a 4-hawk day!") i'm so excited for you to have seen the great/raptor birds you did! whenever we visit my mom on the cape i *insist* on driving to the beach where the ospreys nest b4 we leave.

on another note: vicariously (enviously) enjoying your new salavation army stash and i just scored some ancient wool blankets from my mom's becuz of you! off to dharma trading to get the dyes to dye them!!!

[Tiffany]

I gotta say, Damariscotta is one of the best places to see eagles (my parents live on the Lake and we always see them).

That ladder is one of the niftiest places (my brother and I have thoroughly explored it and the surround area). Next spring, during the thaw, you should check it out - the water rushes through there like a torrential flood, but it's still frozen in many places. It's beautiful!

[Barbara]

Where I grew up there was a fish ladder for Kokanee salmon, and it never failed to amaze me every time I went to see the salmon spawning. The water would be full of big red fish, and you bet there were lots of eagles and other birds waiting for lunch!

[Wende]

The magic in my week has included a neighbor's peonies that are the size of my head. HOLY COW. The Universe like grand gestures!

[Wende]

The magic in my week has included a neighbor's peonies that are the size of my head. HOLY COW. The Universe likes grand gestures!

[Debby]

The eagle pictures are wonderful. Not so wonderful are the alewives of the Great Lakes. Yours look much more interesting than the other kind of alewives.

[martha]

wow. I have goosebumps.

[Liz]

Oh wow... that brought tears to my eyes.

[mjd]

Your pictures are fabulous. The alewives that I have seen are dead on the shores of Lake Michigan. The eagle is impressive.

[Joanna]

Oh, every time I read your blog I get misty. My grandparents had a cottage on Damariscotta Lake. I have so many memories of that place. It had no indoor plumbing, only a spidery outhouse that I was terrified of! We went there every summer and never missed a trip to Boothbay Harbour (saltwater taffy-yum!) My grandparents are gone and the cottage sold long ago. How I do miss Maine...

[Jessica]

My heart leapt when I read todays blog. I have a bald eagle that I call my "friend". LOL. He and his 'wife' live on my mail route that I deliver. I only work one day a week....and every week I stop beside the road to look at them. They come back to the same nest every spring and have their babies. I love to watch my eagle friends!

[m]

I was once told and continue to tell anyone who will listen that when you see a bald eagle, it means you are on the right path. It's been true for me and it sounds like it was for your sweet family, too.

[Dawn]

WOW. Just wow. :)

[Jessica]

Bald Eagles are so amazing. So is that Washington Post article Pearls Before Breakfast, gosh, that made me think a lot about the time I spend rushing around through life. Thanks for the pause.

[Siri]

We see quite a lot of bald eagles and osprey around here and they still NEVER seem commonplace. It's a treat and feels like a blessing every single time. What's amazing to me is that YOU see them and WE see them, both, states and miles apart. I guess they truly live from sea to shining sea.

[Marisa]

I have made some applique blocks with birds before, and I love the profile of them. These would make cool quilt blocks if I may say so!

[Leo]

Wow, those are nice "captures" of the bald eagles and the ospreys.

My buddies and I were up there in Damariscotta Mills two week after you were (weekend of June 1) and we didn't see too many alewives or ospreys either. The previous years the stream was chockful of alewives and you could almost always see half a dozen or more ospreys circling overhead but this year, the most we ever saw flying around were two. Hopefully they'll be back in full force next year. :o)

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.