Re: Very cool and moving picture !
This photo was taken in the Ft. Snelling cemetery in Minneapolis, very near the Mississippi river. It's pretty easy to go there or to nearby Minnehaha Falls park and see bald eagles, more typically flying or sitting in higher trees but sometimes sitting lower.
The photographer had about 60 photos of eagles in the cemetery that day, and the photographers at the local paper said this photo is consistent with all the others. Since it was published, the Department of Veteran's Affairs, Arlington National Cemetery, the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles, and a bunch of other organizations have requested use of the photo.
In short, quite likely a real photo, and a cool one at that.