Bald eagle returns to the wild at Fort Hunter Liggett

A female bald eagle nursed back to health after being found injured and emaciated at Fort Hunter Liggett seven months ago, was released back into the wild Wednesday.

After emerging from her crate under the watchful eye of several observers, she blinked in the sunlight several times before taking off and eventually finding a perch in a nearby oak tree.

The 12-year-old bird, known only by its A23 tag, was hatched in captivity from an egg taken in 2004 from Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands. She was one of more than 100 bald eagles introduced back to the Channel Islands as part of a breeding program conducted by the San Francisco Zoo.

She was first spotted in the Hunter Liggett area in 2009 and has raised two chicks there every year since.

She was rehabilitated by Pacific Wildlife Care.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Bald eagle returns to the wild at Fort Hunter Liggett."