Picture a flat landscape of open fields ringed by distant mountains. Now imagine this isolated spot south of Farmington, where a small group of people gathers around a massive winged creature.

A woman holds the bird tightly, allowing it to orient itself. As the noble creature calms, a man whispers quiet words in his native tongue.

And then the bird is off, first flying a short distance. Two ravens immediately mob the golden eagle, alerting other creatures about a predator in their midst.

The bird shakes off the ravens, and this time lets her powerful wings take her higher and higher. She eventually disappears into the horizon — home again.

The sight of an eagle soaring free can mean many things to many people. For Lisa Morgan, a member of The Wildlife Center's intensive-care unit and home-rehabilitation coordinator, the bird's March 4 flight was more than spectacular.

"It was a blessing," she said. "You can't imagine. It puts into perspective why we do what we do. You can't go on every release, but I felt blessed to watch. She was such a powerful bird."

And lucky. Of the 10 golden eagles that came into the Arroyo Seco wildlife hospital's care last year, the bird was one of only two that made it back to its natural habitat. Some were too badly injured to survive, while others that could no longer fly found new homes in educational centers, said Katherine Eagleson, the nonprofit's executive director.

To Morgan, one of a core group of wildlife rehabilitators who worked closely with the injured bird, the golden eagle will always be "Big Girl." The female eagle weighed about 10 pounds when she was released. Female raptors are usually about one-third larger than their male counterparts.

Morgan learned the bird's moods, knew when it was feisty and marveled as it slowly healed. The bird suffered a left-wing fracture and a stress fracture in her radius, or smaller wing bone. The initial injury took about six weeks to heal.

"She was always real bitey, real aggressive," Morgan said. "She actually got to be fun to work with. You got to know her, and it became a game when we could come to weigh her and check on her feet. As she got stronger in flight, you knew to get out of the way; she wasn't going to move for you."

With a wingspan of almost 7 feet, Morgan said she could easily knock a person down. She often got hit in the nose. "She would give you a run for your money."

The bird, which arrived at the center in August, was found injured near Beautiful Mountain in the Navajo Nation of far Western New Mexico.

It's hard to know exactly what caused its injuries, Eagleson said, but most likely it was hit by a vehicle, probably while scavenging for food along the road. A protected species, more than 70 percent of all eagle mortalities are human-caused, said Eagleson, citing a 1995 study.

The 10 eagles brought in for treatment last year represents the highest number the center has ever received in one year. While eagle population numbers in the state are stable, Eagleson said the increase could be attributed to more awareness about injured wildlife. But she suspects it's more a sign that ever-more people are interfering with eagle habitat.

"In a balanced environment, wildlife can take care of themselves," Eagleson said. "But we have so tipped the balance that it's no longer possible to leave them at their own devices and expect them to stay at a rate where they can sustain the population."

Golden and bald eagles were once prevalent throughout the Northern Hemisphere. But their populations declined so rapidly — bald eagles largely through pesticides and golden eagles through hunting — that their numbers became dangerously low. Bald eagles first gained federal protection in 1940, when Congress passed the predecessor to the Bald Eagle Protection Act.

It was later amended in 1962 to include golden eagles under a special part of the Migratory Bird Act.

While the birds were recently delisted under the Endangered Species Act, they continue to be protected through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Possession of a feather or other body part is a felony, although Native Americans are able to keep feathers and body parts as a part of their traditional culture. Hopis have an annual permit to harvest eagles; other Native Americans of federally recognized tribes that want eagle feathers or parts must go through the National Eagle Repository in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Denver.

Eagle parts are used for religious and ceremonial purposes in many Native American tribes. But eagles are deeply ingrained in almost every culture where they exist. The bald eagle, of course, is the national bird, and the only eagle unique to North America.

There are only a few nesting pairs of bald eagles in New Mexico, Eagleson said, but the birds do migrate through parts of the state from southern Canada. The center just received a badly injured bald eagle into its care last week.

The golden eagle, the national symbol of Mexico, is much more endemic to the state. The birds, which feed on mammals, need open ground for hunting and tall trees or cliffs for nesting.

Because the birds live in isolated areas, those that suffer injuries aren't as fortunate as "Big Girl." Once the bird was spotted, it was transported to the center within 24 hours.

After the wing was stabilized, the bird was confined for about six weeks. As healing progressed, it was moved into larger and larger mews, or barnlike structures, at the center. One problem with larger birds is that they often develop foot problems, Eagleson said. That's because wing injuries force them to be on the ground more than normal.

"An infection can be very dangerous," she said. "We changed out perches often, so it had a variety, and it got lots of road kill — bits of elk, antelope and rats."

Exercise was critical for the bird, and volunteers and staff would go into the mew to make it fly back and forth. Finally, the bird reached the top perches, and live prey was introduced.

"We had to make sure this eagle could capture live prey," Eagleson said. "She was fabulous; she just nailed it. They are very effective hunters."

Determining time and place for release is often tricky. While weather patterns might not have been ideal for a release, the longer a healthy bird stays at the center, the riskier it becomes for a successful release.

Working closely with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Navajo, along with the Navajo game officers, a place was chosen near where the bird was found, but away from other nesting areas. The agricultural area chosen offered a great setting for plenty of prey but eliminated territorial issues.

"It's really wonderful to see them fly so successfully and be so strong," Eagleson said. "You never really know until you release them. We do the best we can with what we have, but the bird released beautifully. It's a very capable bird."

While eagles might not be considered a keystone species — those mammals, like prairie dogs, that help sustain other populations — eagles are an integral part of the ecosystem. Any animal taken out of nature's chain has an impact on other species.

And then there is a human need for eagles. "They are a noble species, and there aren't a lot of them," she said. "There is something really thrilling about watching an eagle sore over open lands, and people need their thrills. It helps keep us happy."