Spotted in the Hawkeye State

On our way to a delivery in Davenport, we had a day of leisurely driving over state routes and US highways. This is an opportunity we don't get very often, as most of our driving seems to land us on boring old Interstates. On this bright, beautiful, sunny January day, just a mile or two over the Iowa state line from Missouri, I cruised through a slow, wide curve and over a partially frozen creek to see three birds feeding on a fresh deer carcass a few feet off the road. Two of the birds were typical carrion eaters - crows or vultures, I honestly don't remember - but the third was a bald eagle:

I've seen bald eagles before, of course, but this one was merely feet away. He took my breath - "he", yes, because it was a smaller bird, although mature. I had only a brief moment to admire him before he took flight as we barreled toward him, but even that was spectacular. His legs flexed, his wings extended, and he was off, taking enormous swoops of air under his wings. In three wing flaps, he was gone.

These little thrills just make my days.