Big golden bird - omen?

I've been stressed and depressed in recent weeks.

This morning, after an upsetting evening, I took my dog out for her usual morning activity. While she was doing her thing, I looked up at the big silver maple tree growing behind our house.

The early morning sunlight came from behind me, and looked beautiful on the remaining leaves. Close to the top of the tree there was something that looked at least 18 inches long. I thought that maybe a plastic shopping bag had blown up there, but it could have been a large bird. It was lit up by the sunlight and looked like a statue made of pure gold.

At first it didn't move. Then I saw it turn its head a couple of times. It seemed to have a hooked beak like a hawk or eagle. My eyesight isn't that good so I raced inside with the dog to get a camera, hoping the close-up setting would capture its image. But when I got outside, it was gone. It was an amazing sight.

My neighbors, who are into birds, say there are red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks and a peregrine falcon living in the neighborhood. Maybe it was one of them, or an eagle, or some other raptor.