AN Osprey which has been painstakingly nursed back to health after being shot has been released back into the wild in the Romsey area.

And his release coincided with a police announcement that a £250 reward is being offered for information on his shooting.

He was found at Alderbury on September 1st with a large ball - probably fired from a 12-bore shotgun - embedded in his left wing.

As a police inquiry into the shooting got under way, the bird, nicknamed Ossie by the police, was taken to the Hawk Conservancy Trust at Weyhill, near Andover and chief executive Ashley Smith recalled: "He was in a poor condition, was quite thin and didn't eat for 11 days.

"But he started to eat fish which were provided especially for him by the Waitrose home delivery service and the fish that went down best was haddock. "Then when he started to eat for himself, he changed to small brown trout and he has now built himself up with a good layer of fat." Mr Smith explained that the Trust's vet John Chitty discovered the shotgun slug when he x-rayed the bird and added: "He decided to leave it in because he didn't want to be invasive and it wasn't harming the bird."

And when Ossie was taken to a secret location on Tuesday and freed into the wild, there were no tell-tale signs of any injury as his powerful wings took him on a gradual climb over the Hampshire countryside and out of sight, making a couple of osprey calls on his way. Conservancy curator Andrew Hinton, who released him, said: "It was a wonderful feeling.

"He came from the wild, he belongs in the wild. We did everything to the best of our ability to get him back into the wild and now he looks so strong."

And Mr Smith commented: "When he's in an aviary you can't be sure how well he will fly and there have been occasions when I have released birds, they haven't looked too good and I've decided the only thing to do is get them back.

"But he went off really well. You'd never catch him."

When he gets his bearings, he is likely to migrate to West Africa and his route will be tracked by the Conservancy through a satellite-linked radio transmitter thanks to donations totalling almost £3,000 from three Alresford residents.

Meanwhile, the police hunt for the shotgun menace goes on and Alderbury-based Wiltshire police wildlife officer Pc Richard Salter revealed: "A reward of £250 is being offered by a member of the public with regard to any information leading to the prosecution of the perpetrator.

"Killing or injuring a schedule one protected bird with intent is an offence against the Wildlife and Countryside Act and carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison or a £5,000 fine."

Anyone with information should contact Alderbury Police Station on 01722 710208 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.