A black eagle stared disdainfully from a rocky perch, aloof and secure in his supremacy at the top of the avian hierarchy, as I drove over Ou Kaapse Weg this morning. The unexpectedness of the encounter was almost enough to make me pull over for a lingering look, but as a carriage in the slow train attached to a clapped-out old van for an engine, I was denied the opportunity. I would imagine it is safe to say that I will never be lucky enough to observe a black eagle in such close proximity again, and also that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to allow my eyes to scan the landscape if it weren't for the slowness of the train. So it was, after all, a blessing in disguise.
He was close enough for me to discern his eye, his deadly yellow beak and powerful talons and for a long while the awesomeness of seeing such a magnificent bird basking in the early morning sun stayed with me. It was a good start to the day.
As for the rest of this exquisite day in Cape Town, it passed me by as I slogged in an airconditioned, windowless office, and from time to time I thought about my eagle, and envied it.
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