Since the beginning of the year, 2012, Liberty Wildlife’s Education Team has traveled out of the valley to celebrate and educate on at least five occasions.  They saddle up, pack up, and belly up to the car and hit the road with ambassadors, necessary food items, first aid kits, educational literature and collateral, perches, boxes, Astro turf, leashes, and their own needs for overnight travel….it is a load.

The 19^th annual Wings over Wilcox was a destination of the group early this year.  Five hundred registrants came to the area to celebrate the presence of the sandhill cranes and the Centennial celebrations focused around the hundredth birthday of the State of Arizona.  People come from far and near to see artists, birding experts, and lots and lots of birds.  This year there were 135 species of birds identified during the event, 20,000 lark buntings in one flock and 20,000 sandhill cranes.   The up close sightings of Liberty’s wildlife ambassadors added a critical element to the success of the event.  Trip number one……….

A second journey took us north to Flagstaff to help with the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Bald Eagle Workshop held at the Willow Bend Environmental Education Center.  The workshop is designed for the public of all ages with events specifically designed for age appropriate groups.  One class included “dressing” a student up as a bald eagle to illustrate the aspects of the eagle that make it such a successful bird of prey.  Liberty Wildlife provided examples of eagles of different ages with their varying plumages.  It is inspiring to see all animals up close, but to look eye to eye at a bald eagle is indeed a memorable happening!

Then came another Centennial Celebration at the Verde Canyon Railroad. For two days the railroad celebrated with the State of Arizona and the cities of Clarkdale and Cottonwood.  On Feb 11^th a group of Liberty Educators and their ambassador companions took a living display to the special events tent at the Railroad.  Open to the public, the event showcased the Verde Canyon….agriculture, history, wildlife conservation, and Native American cultures.  On the following day, two of our Eagle Team arrived, ambassadors in tow and continued the celebration with the Railroad….trips three and four…

And last but certainly not least, trip five, was a journey by yet another group of educators to Wickenburg, Arizona’s resort ranch, Rancho de los Caballeros.  For many years now we have made pretty regular jaunts to this lovely spot back into the desert and back into time.  Among the many amenities offered at this lovely place is an effort to introduce folks from all over the world to a spot unlike most they have ever seen, and Liberty Wildlife’s Education team and its travelling buddies insured that these visitors to the Sonoran Desert got to see up close and learn about the desert denizens with whom we share this beautiful country.

So, it’s “On the road again” when we can make a difference, and we always do.

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 140.

Welcome to the “Condor Surgery Special” issue of TW@L (The only thing missing is George Clooney!).  It’s not that this is the only thing that happened last week, but I got so many usable photos that it kind of took over the update.  I hope everyone understands and learns something about our process as we look at the Valentine’s Day – Arizona Statehood Centennial event at Liberty Wildlife last week…

1st condor of the year - no.246

X-rays show the pellet he has ingested - just a part of he problem...

Last Tuesday was not only Valentine’s Day, it was the day of surgery for the latest California condor to arrive at Liberty Wildlife. As with almost all condors who come to us, this bird has very high levels of lead in his blood from ingesting bullets and fragments of bullets that permeate many of the animals that they find and eat. This particular bird also showed, via X-ray, the presence of an intact pellet in his crop which would have added greatly to the severity his condition if it were allowed to pass further into his digestive system.

The patient is carried to the OR

Going under anesthesia

Getting sleepy...

Dr.Orr inserts the intubation tube

The incision is made

Dr.Orr examines the crop interior

The crop is irrigated

Dr. Wyman gets some "hands-in" experience

Dr. Orr sutures the opening

The incision is closed

Finally, some fluids are administered

Pleased with the results

Susie, Missi, and Donna determine his weight

So, while most Arizonans were celebrating the 100^th anniversary of our statehood, Drs. Orr and Wyman, Jan, Missi, Donna, and Susie brought no.246 up from his enclosure to the ICU and readied him for surgery. A large cup was used to cover his head for the initial anesthesia, and after he was unconscious, an intubation tube was inserted. Then Dr. Orr made an incision in his crop and proceeded to empty and clean it. The noxious contents had to be salvaged for later examination. Since one of the symptoms of lead poisoning is the inability of muscles (in this case the crop) to function properly, the organ was then sutured back on itself so it remained open. This allows the bird to be fed with a tube directly into his stomach, by-passing the crop which can be cleaned and checked daily while the lead levels in his blood drop through the usual chelation treatment. When it again begins to function and the bird again starts to eat solid food, it will be surgically closed and 246 will again be released to the wild.

It's not "Alaska Gold," it's "Arizona lead" they're panning for...

The pellet is found! (He was NOT shot, this was in some food that he had eaten.)

After the incision was closed and the bird taken off anesthesia, Dr. Wyman and Jan had the “pleasant” task of carefully going through the recovered contents of the crop to look for the lead pellet that showed up in the X-ray. Luckily, they found it!

No.246 is an 11 year old male who, although he is well into his sexual maturity, has never mated. It seems that every time he is about to enter into the breeding season, he is brought in for chelation to remedy his high lead levels. Hopefully this cycle will be broken soon and he can get about his business of contributing to the condor gene pool.

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After all of my bragging on the accomplishments of the Education Group, I am here to tell you that, yes, there is more.  A main message of the group is to create a world where wildlife isn’t injured by our activities, intentional or not.  Achieving that scenario, we would only need to share with you the beauty and benefits of non-harmful co-existence with our wild brethren….rehabilitation wouldn’t be the necessity that it is now.  Unfortunately we aren’t there yet…as hard as we all work to reach that goal.

Nevertheless, just when I thought we had fleshed out our message to the nth degree, I am shown the latest endeavor by our esteemed Education Team.  Last Thursday we presented our first Continuing Education class for the US Green Building Council, Arizona Chapter’s State Conference.  Thanks to the efforts of Tony Sola, and the added help from Claudia Kirscher, Jan and Joe Miller our word is spreading to an important group of learners.

The US Green Building Council awards credits to LEED professionals for learning about Wildlife Friendly Deterrence, which was addressed in Tony’s continuing education class.  For those of you who haven’t heard (wake up out there!) LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.  It is an internationally recognized mark of excellence in design, construction and maintenance, and it is changing the look of our cities, new developments, and gentrified areas across the U.S.

In Tony’s words, …” every one of the attendees approached me throughout the day to say how much they enjoyed the presentation, how much they learned, how it was the highlight of the conference, etc.  I had heard that (even though this is a group concerned with protecting the environment) a couple people had said beforehand “Why should we care about birds?”   Based on this, Claudia set out to get some converts.  I had one

gentleman approach me that afternoon to say, “I have to be honest. When I first heard about the presentation, I said ‘Come on guys! Birds?! Why would you do that to us?’ But your presentation was very enjoyable and taught me a great deal, and I really see how I can apply this to my practice.”  I asked him, “So, we have a convert then?”  He said, “Oh,

Tony presents a GHO to the Green Builders

yes.” Someone else said, “You have 80 converts!”  Technically, we had about 90-100 attendees, but they meant we had converted them all.  I heard that at least 3 people went immediately to the information table to get our number to sign up to become volunteers.”

This has all of the earmarks of a totally successful, motivational, and innovative program.  I continue to be very proud of the volunteers and all of the work they do to help change people’s blasé or even negative attitude toward the environment and especially wildlife.

If you want to know more, and I KNOW you do, race to your computer or smart phone, click on to your browser and look up www.flap.org and learn more about the efforts of an organization in bringing awareness to the Fatal Light Awareness Program.  It will show you one truly serious concern addressed by our Wildlife Friendly Development class.  Also, stay tuned to learn more about what we can do to alleviate many of the unnecessary problems that we have heaped upon our wildlife neighbors…problems that can and should be fixed….posthaste!

Thanks Tony, Claudia, Jan and Joe for your intrepidness into new worlds.

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 128.

The arrivals are slow, but steady as we approach the really busy season. Preparations for the opening of the Orphan Care Operation continue as the intake of the “usual suspects” continues. We also add to our coverage of the Lush Cosmetics people who helped us out with some of our field efforts last week. Plus, there’s always more education programs being done as we get the word out…    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Claudia, Anne, and Craig present eagles for AZG&F

Whenever the Arizona Game and Fish Department does a presentation about eagles, they almost always call on Liberty to help out. Last week, Kyle did one of the Az Game & Fish Bald Eagle Management Workshops at the Willow Bend Environmental Learning Center near Flagstaff and the Liberty Education team stepped up. Claudia, Anne, and Craig brought three of our education Bald eagles (in various stages of development) to demonstrate the changes BE’s go through as they mature.

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Sharon and Joanie check a sharpie for injury

On the other side of the rehab coin, a nice lady and her husband brought in a sharp-shinned hawk that had collided with a window and at first appeared dead. When the bird was seen breathing, they brought her straight to Liberty where she received care and medicine to which she responded immediately. The next afternoon upon being examined by Jan and Dr. Wyman and then test-flown by Sharon and Joanie, she was released!

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Susie, Laura, Jan, and Nina do some maintenance

Somebody obviously likes this one!

Some of the Lush crew working on BuOw burrows

The construction continues apace

 We mentioned our teaming with the Lush Cosmetics firm last week. After we did the programs for them, a bus full of Lush volunteers came out to the burrowing owl relocation site, ready to cut, saw, and dig. With their help, and that of Bob, a retired equipment operator who drove our Bobcat, we were able to install 10 artificial burrows in one afternoon! The next day some were already being claimed by some of the local BuOw’s.

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An oily RTH

A break is found

An RTH came to Liberty last week that appeared to be coated in some kind of oily film. Birds have natural oil on their feathers which help keep them water-proof, but any external application of a foreign oily substance can be extremely harmful. The bird was washed several times and we never did ascertain what the film was, but further examination revealed a broken wing which probably lead to the oil problem as the bird tried to forage on the ground.

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Injured screech

Dr. Wyman evaluates the healing

One of the birds x-rayed last week was this little screech owl. A small break in a small wing was splinted and wrapped and it seems to be healing fast and well. Keep a good thought for this little bird.

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WIN THIS BIKE!!! (And help Liberty in the process!!)

Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve… You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love…
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

And I would like to add to that you don’t have to serve only where you live.  Volunteering at Liberty Wildlife is proof of this.  As I have said many times before we have the best, strongest and most dedicated group of volunteers that exists on this planet…according to me!  Some of these people come from down the street.  Some of them come from far reaches of the Valley….often enduring long drives in unforgiving traffic.  Some volunteers work in different parts of the State and either do triage at veterinary clinics, rescues, or transports of wildlife needing our help.  Then there are the national volunteers who man a hotline shift in other states using our hotline/rescue software to locate the closest rescue volunteers eliminating the need to “know” their ways around the Valley and State.

But now, it doesn’t stop with local, regional and national volunteers serving our mission.  We now have international connections.  A student on a work and travel experience from Brazil is lending a hand on Wednesdays to make a difference in the wildlife that we care for.  Wow!

And, it doesn’t stop there.  Recently we were contacted by an employee of LUSH Cosmetics from Canada.  The local presence had suggested Liberty Wildlife as a possible charity to support with their charitable giving program.  LUSH has an amazing corporate program to support activities of non-profit groups like Liberty Wildlife.  The Charity Pot, when purchased, provides 100% if the cost to their charitable giving program and from that program they select groups across the US and Canada to provide grant money to support programming.

Liberty Wildlife was chosen and soon our Charity Pot will be in 150 stores across the US and Canada.   They provided a party in their Scottsdale store to introduce the Liberty Wildlife Charity Pot, and we provided a successful educational presentation for interested folks in the area.  We also were able to provide educational programming for the conference of people attending their meetings here from all over the US and Canada….learning among other things about Gila Monsters and other wildlife from our area that was hugely successful.

And, then, 40 or 50 (I couldn’t keep the counting straight as they were so busy helping) of the most industrious, team-working, pleasant volunteers came out to help with installation of artificial burrowing owl systems.  It was hot, sunny and dry….not so familiar a set of conditions for many of them….and yet, I never heard a whimper, sigh or complaint.  All I heard was, “What can I do next?  Where can I help? How can we make this better?  Can I help you move that?”

I think all of our volunteers, from local to international can say with assurance that they are great, they serve, they make a difference, they make the world a better place.

We are enriched by each and everyone one of you…..those I see daily and those I may never see again…you all have “a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 105.

Megan gave a good overview of the Lush program as it applied to Liberty Wildlife in H3 above. This association took center stage last week as we integrated Lush into the normal schedule of rehabbing, education, and Research and Conservation work at Liberty. Plus, it was a big X-ray week for a bunch of birds!  Take a peek…

Pearl introduces the Liberty stars

Claudia describes a kestrel

Balinda presents a GHO

All eyes (and cameras) on Jan and Lance

Anne and her buddy Pawnee

Joe and Aurora are always show-stoppers

A special education event was put on for the Lush representatives last week. Six volunteers (Joe, Jan, Anne, Max, Claudia, and Balinda) explained what Liberty does and why we demonstrate living non-releasable birds to the public. The visitors got a very good view of lots of native Arizona wildlife and learned about their adaptations from the well trained Education volunteers. Kudos to Max for coordinating the Ed events!

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Sharon medicates a GHO

A possible head injury

It seems as if GHO’s come in all year, regardless of the season. This pretty owl arrived with some symptoms of a head injury, probably as a result of a collision with something – either a window or a car. So far, the damage seems minimal but time – and observation – will tell.

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Lots of birds heading to get X-rays

Jan and Joanie check a HaHa's foot

Sharon and Joanie wrap some toes

The cause of the problems...

This HaHa came in a while back with an old injury that had healed (note the X-ray). This cause him to stand with one leg canted in and the talons on that side constantly injure the toes on his other foot. His feathers are also in terrible condition leading us to surmise that he was being kept in captivity by someone who had no experience with this type of raptor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A young sharp-shinned (from last week's TW@L)

The injury becomes evident

The X-rays also showed the extent of the damage to the wing of the young sharp-shinned hawk from last week. It’s actually in a good position – mid-shaft and below the wrist. The bird’s youth also is a factor on the plus side, so we’ll watch this bird closely and see how good it’s flight is when the break heals.

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Now, for one of the rare commercials you’ll see on TW@L,  if you don’t ride bikes yourself, pass this on to your friends who do!

]]> http://www.libertywildlife.org/2012/02/07/this-week-at-liberty-february-6-2012/feed/ 3 http://www.libertywildlife.org/2012/01/31/this-week-at-liberty-january-30-2012/ http://www.libertywildlife.org/2012/01/31/this-week-at-liberty-january-30-2012/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:02:54 +0000 admin http://www.libertywildlife.org/?p=3830 Continue reading →]]> Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

Rescues are an integral part of the rehabilitation business.  Rescues come in all shapes and sizes…read humdrum to exhilarating….adrenaline surging to hysterical….sad to euphoric.

For example:  In the early days the volunteers kind of did everything.  We weren’t nearly as organized and efficient as we are now.  To that point, I (yes, me) answered a call with Deborah and Andy to rescue a burrowing owl that had sneaked into the new Wal-Mart through the opening in the garden department.  This presents many problems related to the vastness of the floor plan of Wal-Mart stores, the plethora of hidey spots, and if those two things weren’t enough…it was the Grand Opening….swarming with people.

Enter this small band of dedicated rescue volunteers…two spotters and me with the huge net.  The Public Address system announced, “The owl is in sports.”  We sprinted to sports only to arrive in time to hear, “The owl is in men’s ware.”  (It is very hard to catch a bird that can fly in a vast space with people in the way, with shelves in the way, with salespeople in the way, but all trying to help.  After many attempts, many cross store sprints, the owl was nabbed, I meant netted, in Photo and we left happy and exhausted and able to release the owl away from Garden!

There are so many stories.  Carl could write a book about crawling into coyote dens to rescue pups whose mom was hit by a car.  He can tell stories of climbing out on a limb over a murky body of water to rescue a great blue heron hampered by fishing line.  It didn’t matter that the limb broke and Carl went into the brink.  What did matter is that he surfaced with the bird! And, there are always the javelina chases through neighborhoods with media documenting everything…even things you would just as soon not have broadcast….releases can be stressful.

coal miner bird rescuer...

Two other kinds of rescues stand out as exceptional experiences.  Over the years we have had rescuers who specialize in chimney trapped animals.  The poor guys get trapped and the dampers often keeps them from coming out the fireplace opening and the lack of space for winging their ways up the chimney creates difficulty for them to fly to the light.  Sometimes the only option for the rescuer is to go in after them.  Soot and skin don’t go too well together and the bird in question definitely comes out “in a dark morph” if only temporarily.

The other always interesting rescue concerns obtaining skunks or owls that had been eating skunk.  One family of volunteers rescued a skunk while on their way to finish Christmas shopping at a mall…a family outing in the van.  Unfortunately, the live trap that the skunk was captured in wasn’t covered fast enough and all of the family of future Christmas shoppers took a hit.  They had to cut the shopping adventure short when they realized that everyone in the mall fled from them including sales people.  Great horned owls don’t have a sense of smell so the spraying of the skunk falls on dulled nostrils…not so for rehabbers and people they must interact with after being skunked.

Then recently one of our rescuers was sent out to check out two bald eagles downed in a field in an area they probably shouldn’t have been in.  A second rescuer was sent out as back up as this could have been a difficult situation.  The second rescue transport volunteer called the office and in the process of reporting on the rescue, announced that the first volunteer was being pulled over for trespassing…Yikes!  The showing of badges and credentials set him free, but that is certainly a hazard that we don’t count on encountering.

Reminiscing on these stories makes me realize how many other wonderful stories we have to tell.  Stay tuned…it will be worth it!  I am sure Terry has a tale of two.

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 84.

The intake rate may be slow but it’s steady, much like the level of activity in the ICU. This week we take a quick look at a couple of patients in our care and their continuing treatment by the dedicated staff and volunteers at Liberty Wildlife.

Snowy egret gets examined

The little egret that came in with the small puncture wounds is doing well.  He was checked over and moved to the outside enclosure last week.  If he continues to improve, the next step will be release!

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A young sharp-shinned

The previous wrap is removed

Dr.Wyman cleans the wound

Susie holds as Sharon wraps

Dr.Wyman works on a cooper's hawk wing

Two accipiters made the photo list this week: the pretty young sharp-shinned hawk in the first four photos and the cooper’s hawk in the bottom shot. Both have wing injuries, as always not uncommon with these high-strung avian hunters. Both will have x-rays to determine the extent of skeletal damage, but both are doing fairly well.

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A young male harrier

The Vet Night staff evaluates the injury

Starting to get sleepy

Dr.Wyman works as Jan assists

Jan wraps the wing after surgery

Time to wake up (photo by Toba Robinson)

Most of the northern harriers that come in to Liberty are either adult females or juveniles. A few weeks ago this young male arrived with a broken wing which was then surgically pinned by Dr. Orr. This week, the bird was examined by Jan and Dr. Wyman and it was determined that the time had come for the pin to be removed. The handsome harrier was placed under general anesthesia as Dr. Wyman, with the assistance of Jan, Toba, Sharon, and the Vet Night staff went to work to remove the small steel rod that had been inserted into the bone. Afterward, the wing was again wrapped to allow healing and then Sharon played “recovery room” as the bird gradually woke up and was placed in a comfortable brooder.

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"If I can't see you...You can't see me!"

For my “Shot too good not to post” photo of the week, I had to use this picture of our little burrowing owl Frodo.  Recently, Education volunteer Carol Marshall made this small ‘burrow simulator’ which is inside Frodo’s enclosure. The little owl loves to go inside and hide, obviously believing that if she can’t see anyone, nobody can see her!

********** DON’T FORGET!!! ***********

Liberty’s 5th annual BORN 2 B Wild Motorcycle Run is coming up March 24th!!

*************** BE THERE!!! *****************

This blog goes under the heading of “with a little help from our friends”.

Over the past three years we have related stories, most of them sad, about baby eagles inflicted with tick paralysis from the Orme nest at the confluence of the Salt and Verde River at the Ft. McDowell Indian Community.  For three consecutive years the solid pair of eagles laid and hatched three eggs…bountiful to say the least.  Sadly all nine of those babies found their ways to Liberty Wildlife and only the last one last year survived.  They were discovered to be infested with tiny ticks and most of them bailed out of the nest before fledging and died due to the paralysis caused by the ticks and difficulties suffered when they fell long distances.

The eagle experts at Game and Fish were finally able to get permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take down the nest….something that only is allowed after a good case can be shown for continued failures. Despite all efforts to rid the nest of the ticks, removal was the only good choice.

Joe Miller was asked to help in this endeavor and began building two triangular shaped platforms 7ft X 7 ft. X 7 ft.  In the meantime, Tuk Jacobson of Game and Fish climbed the tree and with assistance of two truck jacks and other biologists was able to lift the infested nest out of the tree and shove it to a waiting 20 X 20 ft. tarp, pretty much filling it up.  They gathered all of the other pieces strewn by the fall and loaded in trucks to take out to be burned…hopefully removing all ticks from the area for good.

The next step was to find two suitable new locations for the nest platforms.  One of the selected trees was 50 ft. from the original nest and the other one was about 100 ft. from the tick infested one.  The platforms were stabilized in the best part of the trees and bundles of sticks that had been gathered from the Millers’ home and the area surrounding the new nests became the beginnings of a potential home for the pair and their offspring.  Grass and leaves were packed into the holes and a decent looking abode resulted, but the finishing touches had to be supplied by the lovely couple…..and only time would tell if they liked the real estate or not….what do we know about curb appeal?

On Christmas Day, Liberty Wildlife volunteer, Claudia and a friend decided to see what progress if any had been made.  Using scopes they were pretty sure that they could see the selected nests and that it appeared some work had been done.  No sign of eagles that day, but hopes were high.  The following week…just one week…Joe and Jan went to check on them and voila, the tree 100 ft. from the downed nest had been enhanced by a full three ft. Someone had been very busy.   The eagles were back and had chosen the artificial nest closest to the Verde River and all signs are good that the nest will be occupied this year.

So keep your fingers crossed that in the next few weeks the biologists will report to us that the pair is down on the nest and with a little help from their friends, the solid pair will fledge three babies….tick free, happy and healthy and with no need to visit us this year.

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year now stands at 65.

Believe it or not, things are kind of slow right now, which is a good thing as we take on projects for the upcoming busy season. Training is going ahead in most areas and soon we’ll begin adding volunteers for the Orphan Care area (Liberty’s “neonatal care” wing…) Repairs and modifications are being made to some of the structures and the ED team is practicing up a storm. And although it’s not terribly busy at the intake window, animals still come in at a slow but steady pace. Plus, some of our volunteers make personal progress that encourages us all… ————–

A bunny gets fed (photo by Allen Spencer)

A caring lady brings in a bunny

Custom carrier?

Cottontails don’t seem to have (or require!) a season for breeding and we have gotten in several baby bunnies lately. A couple came in last week, and one very thoughtful lady, Maggie Freund, brought in one today, along with the super-plush and well equipped basket/carrier she made for him to stay in. I wish all people carried for wildlife so much!

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Diane checks in a sharp shinned hawk

Karen gives fluids

The wing is wrapped

A pretty sharp-shinned hawk arrived yesterday and was assessed and treated by Diane and Karen. Presenting some wing damage, she received some fluids and a wing wrap and is now in a brooder for cage rest and observation. The color of her eyes indicate a young bird and this might be a help in the healing process.

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Snowy egret

This pretty snowy egret came in recently with injuries from an unknown source. However the nature of the wounds (small punctures) could be indicative of an attack by a hawk from which he somehow escaped. His condition is good and at this writing, he is doing well!

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Formerly R-7

OK, this is NOT the result of a tornado hitting Scottsdale, nor is it a replica of the Beirut Holiday Inn.  This is one of the oldest flight enclosures at Liberty in the process of being rebuilt. Art Smith is heading up the project which should be done in time for the expected rush of raptor orphans in a few weeks.

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People proudly performing "practice partnering" (perfectly!)

What's wrong with this picture?

One of the innovative tools our Education group uses to train new volunteers is called “Practice Partners” in which veteran experienced Ed presenters team up with people new to the Ed group to help and mentor them as they add birds to their list of “sign-offs” – that is, birds they are qualified to handle at presentations.  They get to spend time with each bird and rehearse their presentations with their Practice Partners before going live at a public event. These volunteers were out in the front area with Linda and Wendy on Sunday afternoon. (note the flock of watchful feral lovebirds behind the peregrine falcon!)

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John after graduating from basic training (Photo by Wendy Bozzi)

Most volunteers might remember John Spencer (Wendy Bozzi’s son) as that little kid who has been hanging around Liberty since he was a youngster, helping his mom (and all the other volunteers) and learning what was involved in being a Liberty volunteer. He has helped in several areas from Daily Care to Education and has done a great job for years. A few months ago he joined the National Guard and has just finished basic training. John plans to return to Liberty as soon as his obligation to the military is over. A dedicated young man, we are lucky to have him as a volunteer! (As soon as he gets a new address, I’ll get it from Wendy and post it. He loves getting mail from Liberty!)

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

I have applauded our education group for the numbers of venues, programs and people touched in a year.  They have also driven miles a plenty…in fact enough miles to travel back and forth to Paris, or to walk 85% of the way around the earth at the equator, or to travel back and forth 30 times to San Diego from Phoenix.  It was 916 hours of scheduled programs and 796 hours traveling to programs….21, 128 miles just between Liberty Wildlife and the destination…not counting the time and distance traveled between the volunteer’s home and Liberty Wildlife!

Then there are all of the facts and information imparted to our “students”. Take the following story from John for example. One of our teams presented to a third grade class at Anasazi school.  After unloading the birds at Liberty John went out for some lunch before finishing his time feeding the eagles.  Upon arriving back at Liberty at about 4:00 he noticed a young girl, Tori, with her whole family talking to Anne, another education volunteer. Anne had spoken to her and found out that she knew quite a bit about some of the birds.  When she asked how Tori knew so much about falcons she said. “Max and John were at our school today and brought Ace (one of our educational Peregrine Falcons) which is the fastest animal in the world.”

By this time John recognized her as one of the students at the school program that day and Joe Miller who was also engaged in the conversation by now invited her back to watch John feed the eagles…this is sounding convoluted but stick with me.

In the course of the feeding they found out that Tori knew and remembered many things from the presentation earlier that day.  Bingo!  Success No. One for our educators….and a huge success that scientific facts are presented, absorbed, and correctly used.  But the other part of the success, this would be Success No. Two is that while doing her homework outside after school she discovered an injured dove and her awakened compassion kicked in…thus the rescue to help the injured dove.  And, yes, there is a Success No. Three….a successful call to action.  So the message our groups put forth contains more than just the facts and the meeting of state standards for science education for the third grade.  It also includes the message of caring, compassion, connection.  And it doesn’t get much better than seeing all of that come together in action designed to make a difference…even if it is “just” a dove.

It doesn’t get much better than that!  And, if my guess is correct about our education group, I’ll bet next year’s statistics show them stacking up enough miles to walk all of the way around the earth at the equator, besting the 85% from 2011.  Watch out and get out of their way!  They have so many important things to teach…many of which don’t often get enough attention…..compassion, ethics, action.

I am climbing off my soap box now!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 48.

It looks like we’re hitting this year running. We’re only two weeks into 2012 and we might top 50 before the day is out. Water fowl, falcons, hawks –  you name it, we’re getting them in. In addition to the more common species, a few of the more rare types are also showing up at our facility. Let’s take a peek…

Cat attack hummer

This little humming bird was brought in after a house cat had attacked it.  Birds in general are kind of fragile, and hummers even more so. Audubon estimates over 1 billion birds each year are killed by cats. This little guy was probably moving slowly due to the low temperatures and fell victim to a stealthy kitty…

Stanfield RTH

I just got back from flying last week and was pulling in to my garage when the hotline called.  I was on my way to Maricopa to meet a man who had an injured hawk that had been found in Stanfield. The unfortunate bird, a young red tail, had some serious head injuries and was having seizures when I picked it up, but it did survive the trip to Liberty. Immediate treatment involved dex, heat, and cage rest. Unfortunately, he failed to respond in a meaningful way and was gently helped over the rainbow bridge.~~~~~~~~~

A canvasback arrives

Dr.Wyman looks for injury

Most of the ducks we see in the Phoenix area are of the non-migratory mallard type.  But the same type of landscape that attracts them also brings in some of the more exotic breeds, like this canvas back duck. A very handsome duck, this little guy seems to be in relatively good shape and with some rest, food, and maybe and X-ray, should be headed back to the wild soon! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Breeding cormorant

Gorgeous feathers

As long as we’re talking about waterfowl, this cormorant came in with an unknown injury. We seem to be getting more of these birds in as time goes by, and when they display breeding plumage, they are striking! (I’m also totally taken with the patterns and texture of bird feathers, so forgive me for including these shots from time to time!)

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Jan and Joanie examine a new HaHa

The mouth is checked

Last week this young harris’ hawk arrived from a local casino on the reservation.  He had flown into a window in an upper story and fell almost 70 feet to the ground. A short trip to Liberty ensued and here he was. He presented no overt trauma but he may take a trip to be X-rayed this week. His prognosis is fairly good.

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"Take that!"

Little kestrel gets ready to go outside

To start the falcon section this week, this little female kestrel is in our care. Her wing was wrapped earlier and when it was removed, she appeared to have made significant progress. One ID band later, she was on her way outside to acclimate to the ambient climate – one step closer to release! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Handsome young peregrine

Jan assesses the arrival

A wound is discovered

Dr.Wyman examines the damage

The injury is cleaned

An extremely handsome little peregrine came in last week. His presentation was not obvious at first, but he couldn’t fly – according to the intake form. Upon careful examination by Jan and Dr. Wyman, his true injury was discovered: a broken keel and a large hole in his chest. The injury is serious but he’s in the best hands in the world. Dr.Wyman cleaned the wound and he was wrapped and given medicine to prevent infection. Now it will take time to see how well he heals…

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Spot, one of our new "maybe a new Ed bird" burrowing owls

And just because he’s so darned cute, a shot of “Spot,” one of our non-releasable burrowing owls. If his personality develops to match his appearance, he will be a great Education bird!

All too often we find that it takes a “village” of good hearted people to help just one critter in need.  Here’s an example.

On last Friday a call was left on our busy hotline during veteran volunteer, Pam’s shift.  She flew into action.  But, as is often the case, the call had complications.  The caller, Charlene, had found a great horned owl with a broken wing in Ft. Thomas which is east of Globe, Arizona and Globe is about 75 miles from Phoenix.  It appears that other rehabbers had also been called and rescue volunteers had been unable to help at the time.  Pam thought it might be on the San Carlos Apache Reservation and knowing that our volunteer, Amanda works on the Gila River Reservation that she might have some connections or knowledge of potential help from the San Carlos community.  Pam also put in a call to a rehabber, Betsy, closer to the area, at Pinal Wildlife Rescue.  Betsy agreed that if we could get the bird to Globe that she would drive to Globe, pick it up, triage it and send it to Phoenix if she felt like it needed our assistance.  In the meantime, Charlene (if you are following this she is the originator of the first call) agreed to put the owl in a box, in a shed, covered with blankets to spend the night out of the clutches of a coyote of bobcat.  But, because Charlene had difficulties with the part about getting the owl in the box, Amanda, now invested in the owl (and unable to find a vet in the area that could help), creatively called the Ft. Thomas volunteer fire department who helped Charlene with the transfer of the owl to a box for safekeeping overnight.  Then Saturday morning Charlene drove the owl in the box to Globe to meet Betsy who was to decide if the owl should come to Phoenix or it was something she could handle herself.

As it happened, and not to bum anyone out, the owl’s wing was not reparable, and it was painfully thin so it was humanely euthanized….but as sad as this outcome is, there is an up-side.  It has spurred efforts on our part to look for rural veterinarians who might serve as drop off points for us across the state.  We do have a few already but more would be helpful.  Looking into other emergency organizations like rural fire departments, sheriff departments, and local police to help in situations like this and of course, rescue and transport volunteers in the outlying areas might make a huge difference in the lives of many injured wild animals.

A network of “around the state” volunteers who could be on call to help to transport animals that have been dropped off in far flung areas would be beyond wonderful.  If this is something you might be interested in please call our hotline or go on line and sign up on our volunteer site.  You, too, could be part of this amazing “village” like Pam, Charlene, Betsey, and Amanda who went beyond the call of duty, who showed good Samaritan qualities, who are filled with boundless hearts, dedication, and goodness.

My thanks to all of you for a job so well done.  I love being part of your “village”.

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 22.

Well, we’re off to a running start for 2012. Owls and hawks, ravens and squirrels, you name it, we’re taking it in! It just goes to show you that the work of Liberty Wildlife will never be over. Let’s see the latest…

Raven from Cordes Lakes

A wing gets an assessment

Now he's "Gold 32"

As I mentioned last week, the trip to Dewey produced an injured RTH, and also an injured raven. He had been injured a couple of weeks earlier and some kind people found him and took him to a vet near Prescott. His wing was broken and they had wrapped it and were treating him themselves since no one else seemed interested until they called Liberty’s hotline. They were told by the vet he would never fly again, but this week, he was transferred to an outside enclosure with lots of other ravens.  Fingers crossed, please!  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Classic western red tail

Joanie makes a tail guard to protect the lovely feathers

The year’s first intake is doing well.  He is getting better quickly and got a tail guard to protect his beautiful empennage while he is in the ICU. Next step: outside!!  ~~~~~~~~~

Former falconer's bird

Joanie holds as Jan checks a leg

We took in a young RTH on Christmas Day.  This bird injured his leg while in the care of a local falconer who was unable to provide the care the bird required. He is now with us and is doing well under the care of the Med Services team. If he continues to improve, his release is on the horizon.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jan studies the Xray

Toba and Joanie check for progress

Looking good, Dude!

The long eared owl we have in our care is improving. He was X-rayed and showed no fractures or other obvious breaks or trauma. The next increment in his treatment will place him in an outside enclosure, one step closer to release.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beautiful GHO with a head injury

A very dark GHO came in last week with signs of head trauma. At first his eyesight was thought to be impaired, but the team discovered he could see, at least with one eye.  As the swelling subsides, his eyes will be tested by a specialist and that will determine the extent of his impairment. What a gorgeous bird!! (Imagine him next to Heddy?) ~~~~~~

Video star eared grebe

Whadda YOU lookin' at?!

The little eared grebe from last week’s video is also improving.  Since the video was a bit grainy, I thought we’d give you a better look at him this week – before he gets released. He is just too cute for words!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A rock squirrel has a problem

His dosage is calculated on a "seasonal" note...

Dr. Wyman administers the medicine

Rocky gets some food (Photo by Allan Spencer)

Sharon prepares a stool sample...

OK, this one was just too much fun to leave out…  Sharon Sneva can do everything!! (Can we clone her, please?)

This is a time for us to gather the data from the past year for our End of the Year reports required by US Fish and Wildlife Service and Arizona Game and Fish as part of our permit responsibilities.  And, this is the time that we realize why things always seem so busy.

First I want to focus on our Education Department and our Medical Services efforts.  Thanks to the details kept on Max Bessler’s Excel spread sheet, we have been able to get very detailed information on the numbers involved with that group’s activities.  For now here is what we have.  We attended 487 educational venues during the education season which is generally from September through May with a few out of the valley events during hot summer.  At those 487 venues we provided 719 educational programs reaching 74,586 students of all ages…..  record statistics for us this year!

The system that we are using is so sophisticated that we are able to gather information we have never been able to access before.  Soon I will be able to tell you how many miles our education group traveled from Liberty Wildlife to the destination and back.  That won’t include the miles covered by volunteers traveling to and from home as part of their trek to provide these educational opportunities all over the state and in some instances out of state.  We are also in the process of gathering the hours donated by these volunteers as they drive to Liberty, box and load animals and other educational needs, travel to the venue, provide the programs, pack up and drive back to Liberty, unload animals, clean up equipment and end up at their starting points.  Those will both be interesting numbers….all available thanks to Max’s dedication to keeping the data organized and available and the diligence of volunteers in providing the basic information.  Most impressive!!!

On the Medical Services side the details are also shaping up and will continue to come in as final dispositions are logged in and tallied.  At this point the log book shows that our Medical Services group assisted around 3900 animals over the past year.  Almost 3400 of those are native animals in need of help.  We will provide a list of species in an upcoming blog, and I can guarantee you will be impressed.  As a result of their professional efforts, I released a great horned owl on New Year’s Eve. I can’t think of a better way to end the year.  Our tradition at Liberty when releasing an animal is to make a wish for it, for yourself, for someone else, for the planet…whatever….and allow the animal to carry those wishes out to the ethers or to whomever you would like your wishes and dreams to be heard by.

I couldn’t have been luckier.  This owl was proof positive that rehabilitation works.  He/she was tough, wild and shot out of my grasp with the intent of never coming into our grasps again…..just what we want from an animal that has spent unnatural time with humans.  I am pretty sure that my wishes and dreams made the trip in time warp speed.

And in case you were wondering….we still have some calendars left….don’t let this opportunity get past you. As it says…2012, A Year to Soar!

…….wishing all of you a Happy, Happy, Soaring New Year!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The total for 2011 ended up at 3332. OK, We’re baaaaack! So this should probably be titled “The last couple weeks at Liberty” but that’s too much to type, so lets start off with the few birds that came in at the end of the year and move on to 2012! My thanks to Craig, Michaela, and anybody else who contributed photos and video – it takes a load off of me… And we’re off!

Holiday fixin's

To begin the holiday season, DC Coordinator (and tour guide, and ed volunteer, and power birder, and good friend…) Claudia put this spread together for her team of volunteers – and everyone else who was there as well.  (Note the sections designated Vegan, Vegetarian, and Carnivore.) Thank you Claudia!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Claudia examines a kestrel

This doesn't look good...

Purple wrap for a little girl

We get a number of birds from a vet clinic up in Ft. Mohave each year. Unfortunately, since it’s such a long distance, we have a difficult time finding transport volunteers at times.  Such was the case last month when they got in a little female kestrel with a broken humerus. In the 4 weeks it took to arrange a trip for her, her unwrapped wing got little or no attention and looked pretty bad when she arrived. But the Med Services team jumped on it and every effort will be made to help her heal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An RTH from Dewey is checked by Dr. Wyman

Dr. W applies sutures

RTH gets fluids

And while we’re on the subject of long-distance rescues, I got a call around 715PM last week about a hawk at the Dewey Fire Department. I was getting ready to go and then got another call about a raven at Cordes Lakes. WOO HOO! It was right on the way and only 15 miles from the hawk! The next day, the vet night crew + Dr. Wyman checked them out and their treatment began. (And the round trip was only 212 miles!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Wyman evaluates an osprey wing

Susie and Sharon wrap the wing

It’s always good to have Dr. Wyman attend vet night.  This osprey had some major issues with his wing and  she was on hand to evaluate and advise on treatment.

Joanie checks on a long eared owl

LEO's are always impressive

Long eared owls are not all that common a visitor at Liberty. When one comes in, it’s always an interesting addition to the patient roster. This little guy has a wing injury of unknown origin and is currently improving slowly under the care of the Med Services team. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carl brings in 12-0001 (Photo by Craig Fischer)

Carl holds the RTH for Andrea (Photo by Craig Fischer)

And the first intake for the year 2012 is a red tail hawk, brought in by Carl Price! And so it begins again… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A short video by TW@L

Click below:

Happy bathing grebe

One of the last intakes from last year was a little eared grebe that came in from up in Payson. Like loons, grebes aren’t really designed for mobility on the ground and prefer to be water-borne.  This little guy was ecstatic to be back afloat, even if it was in a sink at Liberty. (Tempe Camera was very kind in making a generous donation of a small HD video camera that now resides in the ICU. Micheala used this piece of equipment to shoot this video and we wish to thank Tempe Camera for this cool donation.)

I realize that life is getting pretty busy for everyone as we near the holiday season, but I thought I would just add a few more things to your “to do” list… just three things…no thanks necessary.

No. One:  Believe it or not, the folks at Liberty Wildlife are finally sending the last of last year’s late orphan or injured babies back into the wild. If all things go well, this will be done before the end of the year.  And, that makes us realize that the orphan season, 2012, is soon to be upon us.  With that in mind, we have already started preparing by looking closely at the ways we can improve our services when these orphans come sailing from their nests way too early to survive on their own….and when you, the caring public, needs our help.  Upgrading our Rescue and Transport (R & T) process and our Hotline’ access to them will hopefully get help to you quicker.

And, there is something you can do to help also.  In case you have a little time on your hand and the urge to get outside, this would be a good time to finish pruning your native vegetation.  If you wait until the spring you will run into the recurring problem of pruning babies out of their nests making frantic parents out of adult birds who are only trying to successfully hatch a brood of babies.  As a result, we need to step in to raise these babies instead of their real parents who admittedly do a much better job!  While you are out there pruning, why don’t you get creative and make your yard wildlife friendly.  I get great pleasure watching the birds at my feeder and fountain.   It is relaxing, meditative, and just plain enjoyable.  More on this later.

No. Two:  As you make your resolutions for the New Year, maybe you feel the time has come when you can spare a few hours to volunteer with an organization that could use your talents.  Of course, I am thinking of Liberty Wildlife.  We depend on volunteers!   Our native wildlife depends on volunteers!  You in the community depend on volunteers!  We have a huge variety of “jobs” (all training provided by us) that need to be done both on site and from the comfort of your home.  The process is easy.  To get started go to www.libertywildlife.org.  From there you can click on “Volunteer” and make a commitment to help.  You will feel good about your efforts; you will help native wildlife; and you can hang out with a team of other like-minded folks with big hearts and many, many talents.

No. Three:  If you have a little money to spare, you could make an end of the year tax deductible donation.  You could make a monthly sustaining donation.  You could attend one of our pretty special fund raisers.  You could donate an item or three to our auction.  You could shop at our store (www.libertywildlife.net . Or you could just be creative and think of your own way to help financially.  We do a lot with very little and your donation will go far to help a cause you believe in.

No. Four:  Ok, there is one more….Have a blessed and bountiful holiday fulfilling all of your wishes and making dreams come true.

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 3312.

We had lots of helps last week during the Tuesday afternoon “Vet Night” activities.  Several animals made the move to outside enclosures (always a good thing!), and a few more had their prognoses upgraded as they were treated. It may seem like an endless stream of RTH’s and GHO’s but it’s the true, solid work of Liberty Wildlife…

Sharon and Joanie get the RTH ready for exam

A wing injury is checked by Dr. Wyman

In addition to Jan, Joanie, and Sharon, Dr. Wyman was also on hand to help with the assessments The afternoon began with a large red tail with a wing injury…

The wound is rewrapped

The next patient was the prairie falcon with the damaged wing. It was time for the sutures to be removed and Dr. Wyman was nominated. After the stitches were out, the wound was wrapped to allow thorough healing.

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A magnificent GHO

A fine display of a "muffle feather"

Dr.Wyman makes the call as Susie holds

He becomes "Blue 2"

New surroundings

A particularly good looking GHO with spectacular dark feathers was examined last week. As he had no permanent injuries, Dr. Wyman and Jan decided to place him outside with some other rehabbing GHO’s. After tagging him with a blue no.2 band, he joined some new friends and will soon be released. Another success story!

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She's a big girl

Jan attaches a tail guard

Another large female cooper’s hawk is in our care.  She is doing fairly well, but as with almost all accipiters, in extended captivity, they tend to destroy their tails. To prevent this, a tail guard made from old x-ray film was fashioned and attached to protect her tail feathers until she can go outside.

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Sharon checks the chart

Tony holds a big RTH for Dr. Wyman

Joanie wraps the wing

Tony put in an appearance and helped out while Sharon, Susie, Jan, Joanie, and Dr. Wyman completed the paper work and all the rest of the vet night duties. Several birds got to go outside as their conditions improved…

Dr. Wyman examines the one-footed GHO

Sharon wraps as Tony holds

The one-footed owl from last week is a strange case: it is now suspected that some of the injuries are from an electrical accident.  But that doesn’t explain all aspects of this little guy’s issues. The good news is the wing injury seems to be below the wrist and the location of the damage means there is some hope for his recovery.

The other day my friend Brooke brought in a Canada goose that she had rescued from a school’s batting cage.  Among other things at Liberty Wildlife Brooke has been a long-time rescue and transport volunteer.  In reality she has a list of accomplishments way beyond that.  She’s an author, an adventurer, and an advocate for all things “nature.” You can follow her and her passions about all sorts of issues and items at www.brookebessesen.com.

For many reasons I always enjoy comparing notes with Brooke, but one main one is that we both relish learning, observing, and promoting the less than charismatic creatures on the planet.  While I was reading about the ants that banded together for the safety of the whole, she was observing firsthand the natural history of ants at her father’s ranch.  We traveled to Africa together many years ago and mutually marveled at the minutia as well as the magnificent.

On this visit she introduced me to the wetapunga, an endangered species.  Now if you are at all squeamish or insect phobic you might want to stop reading now.  If, on the other hand, you are fascinated by all things different and wild…and in need of help…keep reading.

A cricket-like creature, the wetapunga is one of the biggest insects in the world and is currently being reintroduced on Little Barrier Island, New Zealand.  A female giant weta can cover your hand, measuring up to 8 inches in length and weighing as much as 70 grams when full of eggs….and for comparison,  that is bigger than a sparrow.  Now that is a bug to brag about!  Wetapunga are vegetarians although others of the species, about 70 in number, are omnivorous.  The wetapunga or giant weta live in the forests feeding on lichen, leaves, flowers, seed heads and fruit.

They, like many other creatures, were perfectly happy in New Zealand without any mammals to compete with.  Then along came humans and introduced cats, rats, and other somewhat destructive mammals who have wreaked havoc ever since with many of the island native species that have not evolved to deal with mammal predation and habitat destruction.  The wetapunga was a munchy treat, especially to rats.  Their unfortunate size and appearance might have also added to their demise.  Personally, I thought they looked sweet with their big brown eyes while gently gnawing rabbit-like on a carrot.

Now they are pretty much limited to the reintroduced individuals on a few of the islands around New Zealand like Somes and Little Barrier.  That is all I am going to tell you about this adorable little creature. It is my hope that you will be so intrigued that you, too, will go to the internet and do a little research.  If you do, you will find out among other things about Island Gigantism and Island Dwarfism….it can all be very addictive!  Enjoy!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 3294.

Sometimes animals pass through the facility in a few days (even hours on occasion), and sometimes it takes longer. Some volunteers stay a short time, and some stay here for – years!  Some animals are able to adapt to natural adversity in surprising ways, until things gang up on them. A couple of cases this week in the update…

Carl and friend (Photo by Carol Suits)

This little piggy came to Liberty... (Photo by Carol Suits)

Carl brought in a baby collared peccary (havelina) last week.  The mother had been killed and the little girl was an orphan who couldn’t possibly live by herself. She only spent a few hours at Liberty before moving on to SW Wildlife to be with others of her species. Carl is “da man”!!!

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Beautiful prairie falcon

Extremely fine sutures

A really pretty prairie falcon came in last week from north of town. The bird had been rescued and dropped at the Animal Health Services facility in Carefree where Liberty gets some X-ray work done sometimes.  The emergency staff there saw that the bird had some obvious tissue damage to one wing and they not only X-rayed her, they anesthetized her and put in several extremely fine sutures along with a very elaborate and accurate report as to the bird’s condition and treatment. Thank you, AHS – nice job!!

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Jan and Joanie look concerned

Toba reapplies a splint

We are currently treating a nice large RTH with a wrist injury. Jan, Toba, and Joanie all got a hand in the exam and re-wrapping of the splint last week. More rest and observation are in order.

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He'll have to grow lots of new feathers

Jan makes an ID band

Looking forward to a long haul

The GSW harris’ hawk is slowly improving, although he’s lost a lot of feather at the wound site. This is not uncommon when an injury of this type occurs. The injury is healing well and the bird can now go outside to a new enclosure. After an ID band is made and applied, he’ll join some other HaHas in a 30 ft flight cage (although flight won’t be possible for a few months) Here’ he’ll acclimate to the out doors and learn to adapt to the communal life style of the HH’s until his feathers grow back in over the next few months.

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A local bird

Let me check this out...

OK, this will work

Another bird that got to go outside last week was this little screech owl. In from a rescue just west of our facility, he presented no overt injuries except periodically “playing dead,” a characteristic of this species. He was placed outside in our screech owl enclosure in hopes of a speedy release and after a quick inspection, decide that it was adequate for his use!

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OK, what's wrong with this picture?

This handsome GHO is missing a foot!

A stalwart rescue person braved the cold and rain and brought this GHO in to the facility today. The most amazing thing is he is missing a foot, which didn’t seem to cause him too much of a problem as he weighed over 1100gr. The stump was completely healed and he seemed to be totally adapted to this limitation. His current problem is a shattered wrist which might change his future disposition but in any case, his demeanor seemed to indicate that he was ready for whatever life threw at him! Fingers crossed for this guy please! Even if he winds up being a foster parent, the gene pool would be better for him being present.

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Happy Birthday, Anne!

OK, Anne Peyton had a birthday last week, and Claudia brought in a beautiful cake to celebrate. Liberty is a big family and every member is thought of highly. (The photo was just because I thought it was interesting seeing this gastronomic delight on the table with the hand-feed team’s work for the day…!)