Bald eagle smashes window at Virginia tax office, flies off

A bald eagle has made an unexpected appearance at a Virginia tax preparation office, slamming into a window and then apparently flying off without serious injuries.

The Virginian-Pilot reports the mature bald eagle struck a window Monday at an H&R Block office in Norfolk, leaving a hole nearly three feet (one meter wide) and scattering glass shards over the office floor.

Harry Patterson Jr., who runs a neighboring insurance office, says he was on the phone when he saw what he thought looked like a stuffed animal. Patterson says the office is closed until tax season, so no one was there.

"Oh my gosh, it flew right in there and thankfully he was OK. He was moving around, and he was trying to push their way through the door. I knew he was about ready to come out and I didn't know if he was going to fly away or if he was going to coming after me and pick me up and take me away," he said.

A spokesman for H&R Block acknowledged the incident.

Wildlife rehabilitator Rochelle Stewart says she arrived too late to help the bird.