Eagle Rescued By Bixby Man Takes Flight Back Into Wild

A Bixby man rescued an injured eagle found in his backyard and after months of rehabilitation, that eagle was released back into the wild.

"Go with God, my beautiful bird. Go with God," Jim Hubbell said as it was released.

By watching the eagle glide into the sky, it's hard to tell she was ever hurt. 

"Oh, what a thrill that was!" rescuer Jim Hubbell said.

Hubbell found the bird in his backyard after she hit a radio tower guy wire.  Her right wing was injured and she couldn't fly.  That's when Dr. Paul Welch jumped in to fix her.

"Those injuries are quite often known not to heal real well," Dr. Paul Welch said.

But with the help of the Iowa Nation's eagle rehabilitation center in Perkins, the bird gained strength to eventually be released back into the wild.

"There's no words to describe when that bird leaves your hands and it's back out where it belongs. It's fantastic," said Victor Roubidoux of the Iowa Nation of Oklahoma.

They all watched in awe as it took flight.

"When I let her go, I could feel the power of it," Hubbell said. "You saw my reaction. It was a wonderful, wonderful thrill."

Welch said the eagle did exactly what he hoped.

"You'll notice that she just kind of glided up and they find the first good, solid branch that they can find and try to figure out where am I and where do I need to go," Welch said.

While she was figuring that out, another eagle decided to come and stir up the happy celebration.

What Hubbell didn't know when he released the eagle in this area is that there's another eagle nesting nearby.

That bird came to protect his territory, by running away the newly released one.

"It was good for her because she knows, 'Hey I'm in the wild again. I've got to take care of myself,'" Hubbell said.

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Although we couldn't see where the eagle ended up going, Welch said the bird is familiar with this area and he has no doubt that she'll survive in her natural habitat.

"She was keeping up. Speed wise, she was doing beautifully," Welch said. "Although I didn't want to see an asset test, this was the asset test and she passed. She's good to go."