BLUESTONE STATE PARK, WV (WVNS) – Fly Eagles Fly! No, we don’t mean the football team, but an actual Bald Eagle released at Bluestone State Park.

Nicknamed “Monroe the 4th,” the bird was first caught last October when it got stuck in a fence.

Wendy Perrone, Executive Director of Three Rivers Avian Center, wasn’t even sure if the bird would be able to make a full recovery.

“It broke the mid-shaft of the Humerus and it flopping around, the edges of the bone had lacerated a lot of the muscle tissue around the bone area…so it just looked horrible when we first got it in” Perrone says.

Thankfully, the Eagle exceeded expectations and was able to be released back into the wild. Perrone says this release will add to West Virginia’s recent trend of being home to Bald Eagles.

“In 1981 was the first documented nest of Bald Eagles in West Virginia…that was up near the Moorefield area…from there, on their own, they have been spreading out across the state and now you’ll see them in just about every waterway during the summertime” Perrone says.

West Virginia is now home to over 200 active nests, which helps with balancing the local ecosystem. Perrone is confident that the eagle will thrive in its new habitat.

“Very, very optimistic. Whatever he wants to eat, its probably here in plenitude. He’s got buddies to hang out with, they are very social. This is the perfect habitat and its a perfect time of the year for him to go out” Perrone says.

“Monroe the 4th” was only 2 years old when he was reintroduced to the wild. Hopefully, hewill soar over the Mountain State for a long, long time since healthy eagles can live 20 to 30 years.