The female bald eagle that was at Red Creek Wildlife Center, Schuylkill County, has been let go near where it was found in Montour County.

“It was a beautiful release. She took a couple of hops, looked around and never looked back,” Mark Catalano, with Wildlife in Need, said of the eagle spreading her wings at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

This is the fifth time he has participated in an eagle release, but the first he helped transport and set free.

“It’s a wonderful experience that you get to see it go back with nature,” he said.

His wife and a game commission employee also watched the eagle fly to freedom.

It was taken to the center Jan.19 after discovered in a pasture. It had puncture wounds and injuries to both wings. Tests determined it had a moderate amount of lead poisoning. It received antibiotics, painkillers and calcium EDTA to eliminate lead twice a day. Other medical care was also provided.