Eagle soars over Obama's head at inauguration.

[SpiralHawk]

An auspicious omen.

From Dana Milbank's Washington Post blog -

"The Inauguration Day weather forecast had called for mostly cloudy skies, but as noon approached, the clouds vanished, leaving behind a blue sky and a low winter sun reflecting off the new president's forehead. Improbably, a lone, majestic bird -- an eagle? -- glided lazily overhead..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/20/AR2009012003968.html

I'd bet a bag of wampum it was an eagle. Anyone else see it?

Free Clue for Dana Milbank: The Eagles relatives are not lazy. When they come to the ceremonial circle - high overhead - the understanding is that Spirit is taking note of and blessing the intent of the ceremony. That's been understood for many thousands of years here on Turtle Island (North America).

[tekisui]

1. knr!~

[DS1]

2. If it had landed on his shoulder, the rivers would be filled with freepers who just jumped off the

nearest bridge.

[YOY]

5. Naw, they'd just call Bald Eagles "unamerican" and proceed to shoot them from Sarah's Palincopter.

They then would push for the extinct eagle to be replaced by their preferred national bird: the chicken hawk.

[lamp_shade]

19. OMG

:rofl: :rofl:
:rofl: :rofl:
I just peed a little.

[Chulanowa]

25. I'd feel bad for Pres. Obama...

Those claws hurt, and a bald eagle is about the only bird more disgusting than a seagull. Sure, it'd LOOK majestic, but poor Obama would be getting a snoot full of dander and greasy rotten fish smell.

But on the bright side, if it decided to take a crap, it woulda gotten Bush instead of obama.

Gross birds.

[Fearless]

48. Excuse me, I have to find an eagle trainer.

:rofl:

[YOY]

3. Looked pretty cloudy all day actually.

I've never really heard of a bald eagle in the area. There are a few hawks that prey on the squirrels in Arlington and the DC Burbs though.

[s-cubed]

26. Lots of eagles in the DC area.

When the new bridge was being built a nesting pair of eagles were named George and Martha by the bridge workers. Martha got attacked by a rival female, and went to wildlife rehabilitation. She didn't survive her return to the wild for very long, though. While the Capitol is not known as a place for eagle watching (dodo watching, maybe) eagles do live very close to the city. Mason Neck, only a few miles south along the Potomac is a popular place to view eagles.
So, I don't doubt that an eagle could have been overhead, but I do think it unlikely. I'd love a picture that showed it though!

[YOY]

32. That would be sweet indeed if it were true. Do you know which bridge?

I live in Arlington literally 15 minutes walk from the Pentagon. Pretty lowscale urban. I have seen a few hawks including one dining on a squirrel in a neighbor's yard. Made me jump 3 feet when I rounded the corner and I saw these huge wings flapping up to my neighbor's roof. He was just as scared of me of course, but it was a surprise to see one so close to the city.

[hootinholler]

38. My guess would be the Woodrow Wilson replacement span.

The only big bridge that's been built lately around here.

There may be a pair on Teddy R. Island.

-Hoot

[LibertyLover]

28. We see them in Annapolis

on occasion. They are lovely to look at. We also get lots of vultures, which I happen to like.

[vademocrat]

29. There are a couple of bald eagle nests at Mount Vernon, VA -

my brother and his family see bald eagles on a regular basis along the Potomac River from Alexandria down to Mount Vernon.

Great Falls park may have bald eagle nests also although I don't know for sure. There are definitely bald eagles in Northern VA...

[YOY]

30. Not too close to the city though.

A little trek down the GWP and it doesn't surprise me.

[undeterred]

4. Did John Ashcroft break into song?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woLQI8X2R6Y

[LisaM]

11. Ha ha ha

Thank you for the laugh.

[Sultana]

17. No, he was at home hiding from statue breasts and practicing for American Idol

...again.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

23. Let the eeeeagle soooooaaaaarrrrrrr! Like he's never soooooaaaaarrrred beeefoooore!

[Cha]

6. Wow! Thanks, Spiralhawk..what

a pic~

[ClarkUSA]

7. Milbank was canned from MSNBC by KO for lying about Obama and not admitting it.

I agree, he's an idiot about clear omens.

[crispini]

8. Lovely, lovely

Here's hoping for a brighter day.

[hootinholler]

9. It could very well have been an eagle

There are a couple of nesting pairs in close proximity to downtown DC.

-Hoot

[Stinky The Clown]

13. There are many of them on the shores of the Chesapeake, too.

I have no doubt there are pairs in the DC area.

[Ichingcarpenter]

10. I thought we already decided that it was a UFO?

Besides there are hawks but not eagles around the DC area

[malaise]

12. I saw Pres Obama looking up in the sky

but I saw more than one bird.

[1776Forever]

14. “Barack Black Eagle.” Obama adopted by a Crow couple named Black Eagle.

Remember this back in May 2008:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/group/MultiracialAmericansforBarackObama/2008/05&usg=__84YgEO8uoBBibDvdBGOlFEk7hto=&h=382&w=585&sz=359&hl=en&start=9&sig2=q3wgpPvr9ru6pGwVpaRwPw&um=1&tbnid=qdImLSVW2M9zZM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=135&ei=gg96SZ_mHJKm6gOv29zjDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DEagle%2Bsoars%2Bover%2BObama%2527s%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enUS240US241%26sa%3DN

Barack Obama held a rally in Crow Agency, Montana at the Crow Indian Reservation. Obama was given the name of “Awe Kooda bilaxpak Kuuxshish” which means “One who helps people throughout the land.” Obama was adopted by a Crow couple named Black Eagle. He joked that he very much liked the idea of “Barack Black Eagle.” (Photo Credit: Mike Roselli/CNN)

[alterfurz]

15. later, as Bush made his way to the helicopter, the eagle swooped in low...

...and pooped on his head.

[Renew Deal]

16. Is this the mysterious UFO

:tinfoilhat:

[liberal N proud]

18. That would be some strong symbolism

[stubtoe]

20. THANKS SpiralHawk!

I love this post.

[Fireweed247]

21. Do they have bald eagles in DC?

I see them every day. Seen one eagle seen them all hehe.

[hootinholler]

37. There are at least two nesting pairs in very cose proximity to downtown DC.

They are featured on the morning news show from time to time.

I saw a pair in December near the Dulles airport.

-Hoot

[Resuscitated Ethics]

22. Turkey Vulture looking for offal and carrion in W's wake...

Well fed as long as that damn helicopter was in sight.

[Tsiyu]

24. A fine omen

and symbol for the beginning of a better America

[alarimer]

27. It may also have been a vulture.

Or buzzard (same thing actually). They also soar to great heights.

[JohnnyBoots]

34. I saw the bird and it didn't have a red head. Its head was feathered.

[XemaSab]

41. I think it would be unlikely to be a vulture in that area at that time of year

A hawk, such as a red-tail, would probably be the most likely.

[FatDave]

31. Sweet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFmMGYv3mag

[barbtries]

50. ooh you're mean!

i clicked on the video hoping to see the bird from inauguration day - and, yuck. :puke:

[JohnnyBoots]

33. I saw that, but couldn't make out if it was a hawk or an eagle. Both a good sign I guess though. nt

[Waiting For Everyman]

35. How cool is that?

Imagine the odds of that happening.

The link is a good behind-the-scenes article too, SpiralHawk. Thanks!

[Aristus]

36. So there was a real, live augur reading the signs from the gods at the inauguration?

And how many people know that 'augur' is the root of 'inauguration'?

[Hekate]

44. Quite apart from the official fanfare, there were neo-pagan ceremonies the day before

I'm sure that if they saw the eagle, they would have understood instantly.
Hekate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=262x2086

Animating the Spirit of Democracy with a Ritual of Unity and Blessing
http://www.paganreligiousrights.org/

Join the community of magical and spiritual progressives at the Jefferson Memorial to sweep the town clean and welcome President-elect Obama and his administration to the White House!
Monday, January 19th, 2009!
The Jefferson Memorial
Washington, DC

The Washington, D.C. community of magical and spiritual progressives will join together on Monday afternoon, January 19th, at the Jefferson Memorial Plaza to sweep the town clean and welcome President-elect Obama and his administration to the White House.

The Ritual of Unity and Blessing is organized by a triumvirate of native Washingtonians, one of whom is the great-granddaughter of slaves, one the great-granddaughter of slave owners, and one the daughter of a populist New Deal Congressman. The ceremony will begin promptly at 2pm with a Witches’ Broom Dance, intended to cleanse Washington of the malfeasance, deceit and partisanship of the last eight years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Hekate]

39. You officially just took my breath away

:wow:

Hekate

[SpiralHawk]

42. Miigwich

[lumberjack_jeff]

40. "An eagle?" Do you mean that the flying object was unidentifed?

Eagle? Sure it was.

[SpiralHawk]

43. There are none so blind as those who have eyes,

but who will not allow themselves to see. America has had quite enuf of that over the last 8 agonizing years of Republicon corruption & FAIL.

[Zhade]

47. Um, how arrogant of you.

You can't even prove there was anything to see.

[WyoHiker]

45. I wonder if the eagle had a web-cam. eom

[bertman]

46. I heard the sky opened and a choir of angels descended. Was that before or after the eagle?

[wroberts189]

49. symbolism at it's best ..nt

[ThomWV]

51. More likely a cleverly disguised Predator Drone, fully armed and looking for a wedding party

[goforit]

52. Was it Stephen Cobert's baby eagle???

[G_j]

53. ===

hey! the one time I met you in person, right before you arrived at my cabin in NC, a hawk flew low, directly above, and called out.
I hope you don't mind me sharing this, but I thought it fitting. This is your territory, you might say.

smiles and peace

[Cetacea]

54. Most likely a scavenger vulture eyeing Cheney.

Eagles are rather shy and probably would have avoided the DC area that day. Vultures have the same wingspan and are often confused with eagles. Vultures don't care what or who is around, as long as there is something either dead or dying in the area.