It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a .... northern pike?

PINE RIVER — What sounded like the biggest bird ever hitting a window led Cary Carr and Robert Walton to investigate.

Walton is the owner of the in-progress Damsite Supper Club in Pine River, where they were meeting at the time, and Carr is his executive chef.

Outside, they found a splatter of blood on the window, but the last thing they expected to see on the gravel under the window in question was a fish.

"Rob and I were sitting around the office having a meeting, talking about menus and what we were doing with hiring," said Carr. "We heard a loud boom like a bird had hit the window, so we walked outside and checked out what happened. There was a northern pike flopping here on the ground."

Putting the clues together, they were able to identify the culprit that threw the fish their way.

"It had a couple claw marks in the pike and there was an eagle flying around looking for its supper," Carr said.

They left the fish outside for the eagle to reclaim, but it had not done so even days later.

The pair were preparing for the eventual opening of the dam-adjacent restaurant in Pine River.

"Our first fish delivery before we even opened?" Carr joked. "I don't know, it just kind of blew my mind. We assumed it was just a bird."

Carr hopes it is a good omen.

"One of my specialties as a chef is getting fresh seafood in and trying to make something work with it," Carr said. "The first thought I had was fish delivery from right across the street in the river."

Travis Grimler / Echo Journal

Carr and Walton said construction has experienced some delays, but the long anticipated restaurant, in the building that formerly housed Lakes Area Pharmacy, is getting close to opening day.

"The anticipated opening is probably around Memorial Day, so about the end of May," Carr said. "We'd like to open sooner but things are not moving along as fast as we would like. We're getting close."

Travis Grimler is a staff writer for the Pineandlakes Echo Journal weekly newspaper in Pequot Lakes/Pine River. He may be reached at 218-855-5853 or travis.grimler@pineandlakes.com.