Check Out These Cool Pictures From a Recent Bald Eagle Release

It doesn't get any more patriotic here in the United States than a bald eagle. And luckily, when a bald eagle is injured, there are folks ready to look after it and rehabilitate it back to its full health.

Officers from New York's Department of Environmental Conservation recently oversaw a bald eagle release in Schoharie County and the pictures are nothing short of beautiful.

What a great face!

Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center in Hunter has been caring for the bald eagle since March, when it was shot in Howes Cave. The bird has been suffering from lead poisoning and after months of rehabilitation, it was ready to be released back into the wild. Members of the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society have been asking the public for donations since early June to purchase a GPS tracking device for the eagle.

"We saw a tremendous and immediate outpouring of support for this effort, with DOAS members Jack and Nancy McShane making a generous contribution to cover the entire cost of one unit and other donations coming close to allow for the purchase of a second one," DOAS Treasurer Charlie Scheim said in a press release.

The recovered bald eagle at Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center was outfitted with the tracking device, which will allow wildlife experts to gather information about what happens to the bird after rehabilitation, treatment and release post-lead poisoning. The DOAS also said in the press release that if the GPS device stops moving, officials can track it to find the bird and determine if the cause of death was related to the lead poisoning or not.

Read more about the DOAS's efforts to raise money for the GPS units and why they are encouraging hunters to switch to non-lead ammunition on the DOAS website.