The Maine Nature Show

It's full-on spring here in Maine and we've been able to see some amazing nature in recent days. Bees are buzzing, plants are perking up, and creatures are returning, passing through, or rousing again. Yesterday within a few hours, we saw bald eagles, peregrine falcons, osprey, a fox, turtles, woodpeckers, egrets, and a bunch of creatures we couldn't even name (oh, and ticks, argh). But maybe the most impressive thing we saw was a fish ladder near Damariscotta. It's alewife season here. I'll leave it to the Fish and Wildlife Service to explain this, but like salmon, these fish live in saltwater but have babies in freshwater. It's time for them to head to the freshwater and we saw hoards of them making this journey. The water was thick with them! To make the trip, they have to 'climb' the fish ladder. They fling themselves, repeatedly, through a series of small rock pools to get where they're going. It's like Cirque de Soleil for fish. The lucky ones get to reproduce, but others are captured in nets and end up as lobster bait (this is Maine after all!). So it's an important season for fish and fisherfolk. Maine is lovely in all seasons but especially so right now.