Check Out This Bald Eagle in Nashville's Warner Park

NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville's Warner Parks are a civic treasure. There's miles of hiking trails, an equestrian center, a golf course, a shockingly ornate gate and staircase...thing. And visitors never know what they might spot: there's plenty of deer, raccoons, andwild turkey and, for at least one Saturday in May, plenty of Wild Turkey.

And occasionally, there's a rare visitor, like a bald eagle. The visit by the iconic American bird generated so much excitement from Metro Parks, they blasted photos of it in an email with the subtle subject "Eagle in Warner Park! AMAZING!!!".

The photos were taken by Jo Fields, who was driving with her husband down Highway 100 Tuesday when, she tells WPLN, she saw someone hop out of their car and point a cell phone camera towards a tree. Lo and behold, there was a bald eagle up in the branches and he (or she?) swooped out of the tree and towards an opossum who was about to have a very bad day.

"The eagle then got nervous about all the attention and tried to take the ‘possum with him, but it was too heavy, so he deserted his prey and flew off," Fields told WPLN.

Tennessee has a not insignificant population of bald eagles, primarily in the northwest part of the state, between Land Between the Lakes and Reelfoot Lake and sightings in Nashville, while rare, are not unheard of. Your fearless reporter saw one flying above the Cumberland River near Bells Bend just a few weeks ago and spotted a breeding pair in some trees atop a hill in the Hillwood area about three years ago.

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Images by Jo Fields via Metro Parks