One of the interesting aspects of the Maine coast is the wildlife encounters: whales rolling a few miles offshore; seals sunning on a rock exposed at low tide; the checkered back of a loon floating on the water or the haunting call of the loon onshore; bald eagles soaring overhead, an osprey shaking the water off his wings after catching a fish; the tiny, dark Maine porpoises playing as the boat passes; colorful and swift Puffins flying around an island wildlife preserve.
Near Belfast, a baby Harbor Seal was taking a nap along the shore. The babies require rest and the mothers need to search for food, so the babies are left along the water's edge. In this image, the little seal stretches before falling back to sleep. After a night's rest, this guy returned to the water and, hopefully, reunited with his mother.
While a wildlife encounter can be an exciting highlight of the day, one in Boothbay Harbor was not a positive experience. The seagull in this photo has what he believes will be his dinner. The problem is that the crew of Last Dance had recently believed that the pork chop he is holding in his bill was going to be their dinner. Pork chops were on the grill, nearly done when this seagull, a larger variety than ply Florida's waters, swooped down and plucked the biggest one.
In seagull society, what one has is up for grabs to any other seagull believing they are stronger or craftier. Soon, a discussion evolved about which seagull deserved to have the pork chop for dinner. During this deep discussion, the fact that neither seagull had teeth required to eat such a piece of meat must not have been addressed. In the end, the pork chop sank in the harbor and was not a feast for man nor fowl.
