Red kites are being reintroduced to the Derwent Valley

The bird was originally one of 20 released near Gateshead in 2004 as part of an ambitious project to repopulate the region's skies.

He was found with severe wing injuries at the side of the A1, close to the Angel of the North.

Experts from the Northern Kites project nursed him back to health.

The project, backed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and English Nature, among others, hopes to re-establish red kites in the North East after an absence of more than 150 years.

The Baldwin family from Birtley spotted the injured kite as they drove along the A1. He was thought to have been hit by a vehicle, and had a cracked wing bone.

He has now fully recovered and on Tuesday morning he took his first flaps to freedom over Gateshead's Derwent Valley.

David Hirst, from the RSPB's North of England office said: "It was a bit of a shock for him after so long in captivity, so we will be keeping a close eye on him for the rest of the day."