How to take better Eagle pics

I was in Des Moines, Ia this weekend down town along the river and wonder of wonders - bald eagles. So I pulled out my new D7000 with 70-300 and took pics. Dumb on my part. But I know the camera is capable of great pics, so what did I do wrong? I must admit, I'm more than a little flumoxed with the whole metering A, S, C Auto, etc. So help me to take better pics. I think the EXIF comes along with these pics, so have at it.

The last pic of the cardinal shows that at least I can take a decent pic.

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Chip Doolittle