Why is it that all birdwatching trips seem to end up the same way: You trudge along lengthy forest trails and freeze your ass off, only to find at the very end that the bird you were searching for was sitting in the parking lot the whole time? Such was my experience this weekend. On Sunday we went to Virginia, to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, to look for Bald Eagles and whatever else we could find. Except for some distant sightings of what may have been eagles, we didn't see squat. But then, while stuck in traffic on the way back to Washington, D.C., what did we see but a majestic eagle (pictured below) sitting in a tree right off the roadside? Incredible.
We pulled off onto the shoulder and snapped a bunch of pictures. None of the other drivers even seemed to be aware that the eagle was there. Boy did we feel cool and special.
