Riley Walsh and Carol Holmgren from Tamarack Wildlife and Rehabilitation and Education Center release a juvenile eagle rescued from the banks of the Connoquenessing Creek in Butler County last year. It was one of two young eagles recently returned to the wild in Crawford County.

A young bald eagle rescued by a group of kayakers in Lancaster Township last year was successfully returned to the wild last week.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission on Wednesday announced that two rescued eagles were released State Game Lands 214 in Crawford County near Pymatuning Reservoir.

The boaters, paddling the Connoquenessing Creek, came across the female eagle on June 19, 2017, said Chip Brunst, state game warden supervisor.

The boaters brought the bird to the Lancaster Township Police, who contacted Jim Kappler, a local man familiar with the Game Commission officers, Brunst said.

Kappler called Game Warden Randy Pilarcik who took the eaglet to Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Saegertown, Crawford County.

Animal rehabilitators there determined that it had a bacterial infection and several deformed and damaged feathers.

After 49 weeks, the eagle made a full recovery and was released in the Pymatuning area, where there are numerous eagle nests and plenty of food, Brunst said.

“Pymatuning has plenty of food and there are a lot of eagles already there, so the youngster being in the area will not be noticed as much,” he said.

Nicknamed “Luna,” she experienced extensive feather growth over the last 11 months, according to Tamarack's Facebook page. Tamarack credited Adam Speer with finding the eagle.

The second eagle, an 8.5-week-old female, was rescued after its nest was blown down in a storm along Millbrook Road near Jackson Center, Mercer County on May 4. After it was treated for a broken leg it was placed in a “foster nest” near Pymatuning with eaglets of about the same age.

A full story will appear in the Butler Eagle.