Captain Doug and I were having one of those lazy days on the lake when we drifted quietly into a cove and found ourselves watching a school of little fish being chased by a much bigger fish.

When all the excitement finally settled down, we realized we weren’t the only ones watching the cove. A four-year-old bald eagle had been sitting there all along.

We always give eagles—and all birds—their personal distance. But sometimes when you’re floating quietly, you don’t realize there’s an eagle nearby until suddenly there is.

This youngster certainly knew we were there. He just didn’t seem particularly impressed by the humans below him. Whatever was happening above our heads was apparently much more interesting.