AN INJURED tawny owl that was rescued from a stretch of canal in Radcliffe has finally been released back into its natural habitat.

The owl, which had lost a lot of weight, was spotted by a group of volunteers who were out on a canal cleaning day.

It was collected by staff at Greenmount Wild Bird Hospital and taken into care, where it remained until its condition improved.

A registered charity funded wholly by donations and run by a team of volunteers, the sanctuary, based in Bury, cares for injured and orphaned wild birds and cares for them, with the ultimate aim of releasing them back to the wild.

Natalie Stewart, one of the volunteers, said: “We always try and release birds back to their natural home once they are fully recovered.

“We waited for a nice day and we managed to release this particular tawny on Monday. He went beautifully.”