Weary Eagle Takes Flight Again in Wis.

A young golden eagle returned to the wild Friday, days after being found in an eastern Wisconsin wildlife area weary and unable to fly.

Shawn Forrest saw the bird _ a species rarely seen in Wisconsin _ while walking Sunday at the Sheboygan Marsh Park and Wildlife Area. The large bird was feeding on a deer carcass when Forrest surprised it.

''When it jumped and tried to fly, it only went about 20 feet and then it went down,'' he said. It tried to fly again, but couldn't.

Forrest said he wrapped the bird with his jacket and put it in a cardboard box with some blankets. The bird eventually was taken to Jeannie Lord, founder of the Pine View Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in northern Ozaukee County.

Lord identified the bird as a golden eagle. X-rays found no fractures or other injuries, and the only problem detected was a high level of a muscle enzyme, indicating ''extreme exertion or injury to soft tissue,'' veterinarian Linda Mehoke said.

''Just like a person after running a marathon, you're not moving very well the next day,'' she said.

During four days of workouts, the bird recovered completely, Lord said.

Golden eagles commonly live in Alaska, western Canada and the mountains and plains of the West, although some have been known to winter at central Wisconsin's Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.