Back in the Summer of 1999, my then 8 year old daughter and I were fishing from a small boat in a High Sierra lake when a bald eagle dropped out of the sky near us, hit the water, and then flew up over our boat holding a trout that looked to be about 15 inches long. Water dripped on us as he flew overhead. He landed in a nearby dead pine tree on the shore and ate the trout as we watched.
I guess as he decended, the air lifted the feathers on his legs, making them appear much larger. He just plopped on the water, and then, took off.