A crowd of about 50 friends and supporters migrated to the Kodak Watchable Wildlife Area on a bright and clear Saturday morning in Windsor, Colorado. It was May 9, 2009, and the gathering eagerly anticipated the eagle's arrival. The rehabilitated immature Bald Eagle arrived by van with those who had lovingly cared for her since her admission on December 27, 2008.

The onlookers followed as the two volunteers carried the large travel box 100 yards to an open field.

This immature Bald Eagle came to us from near Crook, Colorado, a town of about 150 people in northeastern Colorado’s high plains.

Though we’ll never know exactly how this beautiful eagle was injured, it’s certain that it was traumatic. A costly surgery aligned the broken wing with a ‘tie-in fixator’ that held the bones in place so they could heal. Follow up radiographs and ongoing care confirmed the healing process was continuing.

As the bones healed, the fixator was removed, and she was eventually moved through a progression of caging that allowed more movement, encouraged rehabilitation and full range of motion. The feathers re-grew, her physical strength improved, and she began flying again; unsteady at first, but a little stronger every day.

And after 134 days of several-times-a-day, hands-on care, this brave fighter took a hop out of the travel box then flew 75 yards to a nearby tree where she perched for a few moments before taking off again, this time flying a quarter-mile to another tree. Those on hand celebrated and applauded as they knew that this magnificent eagle received A Second Chance At Freedom.

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Photos by George Tomasevich, Doug Johnston and Bob Francella.