THE magnificent sight of a wedge-tailed eagle soaring against the backdrop of the Grampians was seen up close last week as a rehabilitated young male bird took flight in the wild for the first time in 18 months.

‘Radford’, now a four-year-old raptor, was caught in April last year by Hamilton Wildlife Shelter after he had originally been sighted multiple times in the area being only able to fly at low altitudes and for short distances; it was suspected he had been hit by a car and may have even spent some time afterwards in someone’s chook pen in a misguided attempt to get him back to health.