In Saskatchewan, the idea of a fish crashing through a car’s windshield is quite rare and unexpected.
However, this unusual event occurred to Marie Ahlstrom while she was driving home on September 19 near Turtle Lake, located approximately 200 kilometers northwest of Saskatoon.
“You could clearly see the imprint of the fish scales on the windshield,” Ahlstrom recounted, noting that she was unharmed.
Initially, she thought a rock had struck her vehicle, but upon noticing blood, she realized it was something different. Once she arrived home, Ahlstrom and her husband inspected the damage and discovered the remnants of the fish.
The fish had not only damaged the windshield but also the side mirror of the car. Ahlstrom mentioned some confusion when she attempted to file a wildlife collision claim with her insurance, as one adjustor argued that a fish doesn’t count as wildlife; however, they eventually resolved the issue.
While Ahlstrom stated that falling fish are not a common occurrence, she has heard of similar incidents in the Turtle Lake region.
She explained that local birds, particularly ospreys, are known to sometimes catch fish that are too heavy to carry, resulting in the fish being dropped.
“You might find a fish in your yard, and a close friend of ours discovered one in the eavestrough of his home a few years back,” Ahlstrom mentioned.
CBC News reached out to Trevor Herriot, a naturalist and writer, for his insights.
“It has to have been an eagle,” Herriot stated. “There are no other birds, except for ospreys, that would fish in that manner… but most ospreys have already migrated south by this time. There may be a few remaining, but I’d wager it was a bald eagle.”
Bald eagles are recognized for their fishing abilities, often diving down to the water’s surface to catch fish with their talons. (Ken Dumont/CBC)
Herriot added that the only other plausible explanation could be a water spout from the lake, a rare phenomenon that can occasionally lift fish and transport them over long distances. However, he believed this scenario was quite unlikely given the weather conditions at the time of the incident.
Regardless of the cause, Ahlstrom found humor in the incident.
“I’m not sure if it was wildlife, an act of God, or just a freak occurrence,” she reflected, “but something dropped that fish and really startled me.”
Marie Ahlstrom from Turtle Lake was driving home from a friend’s house, when a fish suddenly fell from the sky and smashed her windshield. Her insurance was hesitant to cover the costs due to fish not being considered wildlife in their policies.
