The adult Bald Eagle appeared so suddenly that Robert Hayes had almost no time to understand what was happening before the collision occurred. He was driving along a two-lane rural highway in Oregon shortly after sunrise, moving at a normal speed for the road, when a large dark shape burst out from the tree line on the right side of the pavement. For a fraction of a second, Robert saw the broad brown wings and the unmistakable white head of an adult Bald Eagle crossing directly in front of his truck, but the bird was flying so low that it was almost level with the hood. Robert moved his foot toward the brake and instinctively tried to reduce speed, yet there simply was not enough distance between the vehicle and the eagle. The bird struck the front corner of the truck with a heavy sound and disappeared from view. Robert immediately looked into the rearview mirror and saw a large bird lying on the asphalt behind him. He pulled onto the shoulder as soon as it was safe, turned on his hazard lights, and walked back toward the place where the eagle had fallen. He expected to find that the bird had died on impact. The eagle lay completely still, one wing partly extended, the other folded awkwardly beneath its body, its white head resting flat against the pavement. For several seconds there was no movement at all. Robert stopped several yards away, afraid to approach more closely, and then noticed the faintest rise of the bird’s chest. A few seconds later, another shallow breath followed. The eagle was alive. Robert immediately called a local wildlife emergency number and told the dispatcher what had happened. He explained that the bird had flown suddenly across the road, that the collision had been unavoidable once it entered his lane, and that the eagle was now lying unconscious or nearly unconscious on the roadway.
