Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

It is nearing that time of the year when cages are burgeoning, to do lists are lengthening, tasks at the facility are demanding, and the need for dedicated volunteers surges to warp speed.  Especially needed at this time are Hotliners to answer the deafening cries from the wild.

The Hotline volunteer is the first line of defense for an injured or orphaned animal to receive the help they need.  When a compassionate member of the public, an agency, business, or another rehabilitation facility calls us to assist, we do not turn them down.  And, this happens as many as a hundred times a day during our busy season.

You could be the person who starts the ball rolling to save lives in peril most likely through no fault of their own.  Nests blow out of trees, babies get wafted out of the security of the only home they know, zealous dogs, cats, or other predators attempt to help themselves to an easy mark, and any other number of negatives can befall these innocents.  The cries begin.

And, the phones light up.  If you want to learn a great deal about native wildlife, the laws involved in dealing with them, the ways they can be helped and get acquainted with a great bunch of other volunteers who share your passion, compassion and dedication, then we have a deal for you.  Call or sign up on our web site, (www.libertywildlife.org , how can I help?) to come to an orientation to find out what the Hotline does and how it works seamlessly like no similar place in this state.  It is a finely honed department that has caused 3500-4000 animals a year to get the help they need.  You would have bragging rights like no one else around!  And, you would help to lessen the cries.

If transportation to the facility is impossible for you, if hands-on-assistance isn’t your cup of tea, if you don’t live in the Valley or State, this could be your dream position.  We have some volunteers from each of those categories.  The tools we have for insuring your success are impressive. A little coaching about the different areas of the Valley and State can allow a volunteer from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, or Colorado to help the wildlife in Arizona get immediate aid.  Our unique computerized program can assist Hotline volunteers to find one of over 200 Rescue/Transport volunteers to locate and fetch the cries.

Better yet, all of this training comes to you free of charge!  You will be equipped with a detailed manual, instructions on use of the programs, and assistance from the Coordinator as well as substitutes from your fellow Hotliners. All of this can be done from the comfort of your home in your jammies and bunny slippers, if you’d like.  The cries could care less how hope arrives.

Maybe you are reading this now and the job description doesn’t engulf you for some reason (or you are already helping), but your know a number of people looking for a way to be involved in a great organization with like-minded people providing a service like no  one else.  Then here’s what you must do.  Forward this plea to these critical people who are just searching for a way to play a part in answering the cries from the wild.

You will certainly be glad that you helped and your friends will thank you, we will thank you, and the wildlife in need will thank you….GET INVOLVED…STOP THE CRIES NOW!

This Week at Liberty

The intake total for the year is now at 193.

Posted by Terry Stevens

The golden eagle is still here and continues to improve, the orphans are trickling in, as are a couple of the usual injuries that we expect year after year: automobile and window collisions. Thanks to a small grant, we are also doing a study of lead exposure to various species in the state. And approaching rapidly is our Wishes For Wildlife 2013 event, being held May 4th this year. Read on…!

Golden eagle recovers

The golden eagle that arrived last week is recovering from his broken wing and the surgery it required. He is now outside and despite the cold temps of last week, he is doing well. The surgery was apparently successful and more x-rays are probably in order when the bandages finally come off. We’ll keep you all posted!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A male kestrel comes in after a cat attack

GBH gets treatment for a broken wing

New arrivals this week included a great blue heron with a badly broken wing and a male kestrel. The heron had a major break in a wing bone and is undergoing further treatment, while the kestrel was found on the ground being “menaced by a large cat.” From the comments by the rescuer, the bird didn’t go down without a fight and is doing well as of this writing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Car collision GHO

Jan checks the extent of the damage as Joanie holds

Dr.Wyman prepares the glue

The splint is glued in place

Now it won’t be so difficult (or painful) to eat

Finally, Susie gives him some fluids before cage rest

This great horned owl was apparently involved in an auto collision. His presentation was at first thought to include a broken wing but after a close exam and a review of his X-rays, it now looks like his most serious injury is a broken lower beak. this probably explains why he was not eating. Jan and Dr. Wyman decided to attach a stabilizing splint of wood to the break with surgical glue.  After then receiving a good feeding, he got some fluids and was placed in a brooder for some rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our first two orphan GHO’s

Our first two baby GHO’s are acclimating to their foster home and the local climate (which is improving since the big storm on Friday!) Many more are expected to arrive over the next few months.

Chloe feeds a baby bunny

Speaking of cute orphans,  Chloe, one of our volunteers, spent some time feeding this newly arrived cotton tail baby. For some reason, it’s not difficult to find volunteers to perform this particular task. Now, feeding the condors – that’s another story!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alex conducts tests for lead in some drawn blood

We recently were awarded a small grant to study lead poisoning in various native species.  We routinely test both eagle species for elevated levels of lead when they arrive, but now we will also test various hawk types as well as turkey vultures to determine how widespread the problem of lead contamination is in the raptor population. Our suspicion is that lead ingestion is affecting a lot more species than we originally thought.

************* SIGN UP EARLY FOR WISHES FOR WILDLIFE 2013

Go to www.wishesforwildlife.org for more information!*****************

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

Liberty Wildlife has a strong bench.  No matter what, we do what we say we are going to do.  We truly offer a service for an area that is local to national in scope.  This fact is brought home to me on a regular basis.  Here are a few recent “for instances”.

On this past Saturday, a caller left a message on the Hotline that there was a bird trapped in the chimney of a rental she was temporarily living in.  The land lord assured her that the chimney was covered, but the pitiful flapping of wings of the panicked bird led her to believe she wasn’t getting the real facts.  The hotline called her back to get the critical information well within the 30 minutes promised.  When the Hotliner started down the list of Rescue and Transport (R/T) volunteers in her area (a list produced by our one-of-a-kind computerized R/T Program), Pam, on the Hotline that shift, found that the ‘regular’ chimney rescuers were out of town or otherwise unavailable. Yet, in no time at all another R/T volunteer, Cheyenne, agreed to go to do the chimney rescue…not an easy or tidy job…but she succeeded.  The caller was thrilled, the bird was relieved, and the rescuer was elated.  Strong bench!

Recently one of our star educators, Doug, injured an eye and needed surgery and recuperation time.  He put in a call that substitution would be needed for the programs that he had committed to do.  None of the programs had to be canceled because another of our strong educational team stepped in to make the program promises good.  He also needed help on the days he had committed to hand feeding the educational ambassadors.  The consistency in care of these animals wasn’t interrupted at all.  His Hand Feeding compadres stepped in and covered for him…protocol remained in-tact…Strong bench!

Anna’s job schedule changed unexpectedly which altered her ability to do her Medical Services shift on an evening.  The animals need to have all medical protocol covered and incoming animals need to be assessed and dealt with on arrival.  No glitch here either.  Until she can come back to this shift or until the next class produces newly trained Medical Services volunteers, Jan will cover making sure all jobs are successfully tended to….Life happens along the way, but the stresses and changes don’t negate the need for our consistent services….Strong bench!

Just because it is a busy season, just because it is a Saturday afternoon or a big holiday, just because there was a volunteer absence, just because the phones are ringing off the wall, it is no excuse not to do the job we are committed to doing, that we have promised the community we would provide for them, that we believe our native wildlife deserves.

At Liberty Wildlife we have a very strong bench, and that is why we are winners.  I am not sure who else can say this with the same assurance as I do.  Strong bench, indeed!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year now stands at 165.

The Education team is on the job continuously, as is the Med Services crew, always ready to respond to injured animals of all species from eagles and condors to doves and hummers. Needless to say, the Daily Care grew is there 365 days a year, making sure all patients have clean enclosures and enough food, which is the main task at hand until the orphans start showing up – WAIT! They already have!!! Aaauuggghhh – curse you, climate change!!!

A Health World program with Joanne, Nicole, and Cecile

John, Balinda, Joe, and Sonora ride the Verde Canyon Railroad

The Education team at Liberty provides quality, professional educational program all over the state – over 850 last year alone. From the “speed treating” at many Health World programs to monthly rides on the Verde Canyon Rail Road, the public has a great opportunity to learn about all the various species that inhabit our great state – and the chance to see some of them up close and personal!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Improving burrowing owl

Jan and Dr. Wyman are pleased with his progress

It’s great to see Dr. Wyman helping at the Tuesday “Vet Night” operation. She recently returned from a trip to Scotland and lent her hand in assessing a harris’ hawk with some flight problems and a small burrowing owl who also presented a wing injury. The HaHa is getting better and the BuOw is also healing but both will still require some additional care and flight testing before they can be released.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First orphan GHO of the season

A lot of pretty little flight feathers growing in

Although it’s still early in the year, we got in our first orphan baby GHO last week. Beyond cute, he spent some time in a brooder and is now being cared for by some foster parents while he gets used to some new unfamiliar surroundings for a few months. As of this writing, a second baby owlet showed up and I hope to have pictures of him next week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katrina assists Jan in preparing the golden eagle for surgery  (Photo by Craig Fischer)

Drs. Orr and Sorum check the X-rays  (Photo by Craig Fischer)

Dr. Orr inserts a pin to align the broken bones  (Photo by Craig Fischer)

Some of the volunteers watch the process from the “surgical gallery.”  (Photo by Craig Fischer)

In great hands…  (Photo by Craig Fischer)

Golden on the operating table  (Photo by Craig Fischer)

Waking up and heading to recovery  (Photo by Craig Fischer)

A golden eagle arrived a little over a week ago.  The bird had apparently been involved in an automobile collision and had more than one broken bone in his wing. He came in at an opportune time as the next day, Dr. Orr was able to attend and Dr. Sorum was on the Med Services team and brought in his portable digital X-ray machine. Surgery was performed and the broken wing was pinned, allowing the bones to be aligned as they healed. Thanks to Craig Fischer for recording the event with his camera! The bird is now outside and doing well. We’ll keep you posted on his recovery.

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

As the Med Services folks at Liberty Wildlife work with the two condors in our care, attempting to leach out the lead that is causing their crops to stop functioning properly, these dedicated ones are made keenly aware of the important niche that vultures fill in the environment, scavenging carrion.  Emptying a crop of undigested food is pretty ghastly, and this store-bought food we use hasn’t been sitting in the desert decaying for two or three days.  Also, it isn’t filled with potentially deadly bacteria or disease causing organisms.  Vultures, including condors, are scavengers who interestingly enough have the effective defense of spewing their “meal” as much as 6’ to run off an unsuspecting predator….bad going in the first time, scary and horrendous coming back out!  But, a great adaptation for defense….

It appears that just scavenging for “garbage” isn’t the whole story. The upside isn’t just a cleaner environment. There is some discussion about the possibility that vultures, like the turkey vulture, might be a key factor in lowering the incidence of rabies in areas where vultures are found in abundance.

Think about it.  Vultures are carrion eaters….they eat already dead things.  Now some of these dead animals could be dead because they were hit by a car.  They could just be inefficient at feeding themselves thus starving to death (not a lot of meat there).  They could have been trapped, electrocuted or downed by some other fallout from civilization.  And, they could have been shot and left to die with all of the implications of that nasty subject…lead fragments.

But, many of these objects of the vulture diet might have died from naturally occurring diseases like rabies, tularemia or canine distemper.  Their very acidic digestive system allows vultures to consume these otherwise deadly organisms without being impacted in the same way as other animals.  Scavengers like coyotes or rats lacking this acidic system can consume the same carrion and end up with the disease that took down the free meal….not such a good deal for them or the environment they move around in….playing their part in spreading the disease.

Old World vultures, a member of a different family that is more closely aligned with eagles, have developed the same niche as our New World vultures (found in the family tree with storks) and are an example of convergent evolution.  Their way of making a living has resulted in birds that resemble each other in appearance though they are actually separated in their ancestry.  Studies in India are looking at the possibility that there is a connection between areas where Old World vultures are few in number and the higher incidence of rabies.

This is an interesting study that may or may not prove to be fact, but if it is shown to be accurate, we can add that to the many other values of having vultures in our midst, for doing what we can, when we can, to make sure they continue to grace our environs (and I mean that)…starting with allowing them to feast on the less lucky creatures without the fear of ingesting something that they aren’t able to adapt to….like lead!  We owe them that.

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 145.

OK, sunny Phoenix was “snowy Phoenix” last week as the temps dipped and the precipitation turned white – as in ice pellets and snow. For an afternoon, Liberty was inundated with frozen stuff from above. But as we all know, in a month or two, we’ll all be lamenting the arrival of the heat that is surely on the horizon. In the meantime, we’re still doing shows for schools, and still providing care for Arizona’s wildlife, from the smallest hummingbird to the largest condor.

An injured hummer comes in

On the bottom end of the size scale, this little hummer came in with a damaged wing.  Hummingbirds are very fragile and great care is used in treating them. They don’t do well in cold temperatures so last week was tough on the hummer population.

A gorgeous RTH comes in from Luke AFB.

In a trap too long?

Luke AFB has a continuing issue with birds in general and raptors in particular (and I don’t mean F-22 type raptors!) Hawks and falcons are regularly trapped as they are considered hazards to the fighter jets that fly in and out of Luke and recently several dead hawks were brought to us for use in the feather repository. Along with the carcasses was this beautiful dark RTH who seemed to have some residual effects of being trapped for an extended period of time. Hopefully the bird will recover and again fly the skies of Arizona.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alex cleans out 409′s crop with the help of Denise and myself.   (photo by Jan Miller)

The male is not as belligerent, but he’s a biter!l   (photo by Jan Miller)

“I think I’m getting better”

The two condors we are treating for lead poisoning are improving but very slowly. As the symptoms of the toxin subsides, their crops begin to function again, but the process is not rapid. In the interim, they must be caught and their crops cleaned of not yet processed food.  This rotten material is quite “fragrant” and since the birds struggle a lot, the task of holding them, flushing the crops, weighing them, and feeding them is not overly pleasant. Who says wildlife rehabilitation isn’t fun?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First place for Kathy – obviously!

Is it live, or… Memorex?

Kathy Hagerty, one of our star Daily Care volunteers is also a prize winning artist, doing bird carvings in astonishingly realistic detail. She recently competed in the Desert Woodcarving Show with her breath taking rendition of a male kestrel. In her own words…

“The kestrel is made of basswood and started as a block of wood. I made a clay model to determine pose and dimensions. Everything was hand carved…each toe took 90 minutes. All the feathers go through a process: rough out, shaped, sanded, texturized and many washes of acrylic paint…so each feather has been touched at least 8 times. Each individual feather barb is burned by hand. Measurements are taken everywhere, feathers are counted all for anatomical accuracy. This year, I was fortunate enough to receive a 1st place in Realistic Bird of Prey, life-sized, painted.”

Outstanding!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sharon and Joanie clean up the north side

Some volunteers just never stop working, finding things to do even when things get slow. Sharon and Joanie are in this category.  Last week they got tired of looking at the disarray on the north side of the building and cleaned and straightened up all the carriers and donated materials that were piling up on the shelves. Now, Tim and Joe are going to build doors on the shelving to cover the equipment and stores. Our people are GREAT!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The show must go on – even if it’s really cold!

Beau’s icey perch   (photo by Jan Miller)

Frozen precip on the bench under the intake window (photo by Jan Miller)

Yeah, this is the “Valley of the sun”, or so we all thought until this week. On Wednesday, a storm system came across the southwest and dumped lots of frozen precipitation on us in the form of snow and a kind of slushy granular hail (called ice pellets by pilots.) Since most of the year we have very high ambient temps, anytime we get to see solid stuff falling from the sky, it’s an unusual day. Jan was quick enough to take some pictures of this uncommon event as Liberty turned white for a while.

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

One never knows where a blog will go once it has left the computer and entered the ethers…that is part of the fun of the whole endeavor.

Last week I wrote about a remarkable Laysan albatross extolling the virtues of the single minded task she had for survival and the survival of her species….she was doing everything that she could do in her 62 years.  I expected comments about her seeming “cougar-ness” from my female readers but instead got a wonderful memory shared by our long time medical services volunteer and ex-navy guy, Art Smith.

Here’s what he had to say about the albatross around the Midway Atoll:

Hi Megan…..seeing TWAL and the Albatross story brought back a lot of memories for me.  In the late 50’s-early 60’s watching the “Gooney Birds” on Midway was great fun for those stationed there and those visiting for fuel etc.  Used to see them nesting, chicks, juveniles, adults, the full range.  To watch them get off the ground was really fun.  They would run and run and flap and flap until there was just a little hummock of grass sticking out of the sand or where the sand had drifted to make a hill only a few inches high.  At the top of that “hill” they would launch themselves airborne.  It would take until they were almost out of sight to get more than a few feet off the ground or the water.  Watching them come in for a landing was beautiful.  Wings set, soaring, gliding, looking for the landing spot all very, very graceful then…………train wreck.  Ass over teacup is how it was often described.  The beauty of the landing ended with touchdown.  Who knows, Wisdom might have been one of the ones we saw………

On the second Destroyer I was on there was an Albatross that followed us for 91 days.  I would see it off the fantail and I always figured it came and sat on the rear most gun mount at night.  But, every night at midnight when I would come out of the main engine room I would go back to the fantail and there would be the Albatross.  It had the same steady, slow wing beat and sometimes just was gliding on the bit of air created by our movement through the water.  It would be lit up by the phosflouresence of the water churned up by our propellers and the moon when there was one.  When we approached an area in the South Pacific where we were to be in the target area for one of the Atomic Bombs to be dropped from a B-52 it went off somewhere else.  (Smart bird)  That is the longest that I kept track of one following us.  We would have them for 15-20 days at a time on a regular basis and they would only rarely be seen sitting on the water.

Funny how a story can make one think of something so long ago like it was yesterday……..

What a great memory!  Thanks Art, for sharing it with us….I can see those landings now!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 131.

A short redcap this week as I was gone most of the time (my bad?) Liberty made an appearance at a local parade, the goose with the arrow got released, and one of our superlative rescue volunteers made her first rescue! Both condors are making slow improvement and we’re gearing up for the deluge of babies that is sure to come. Here we go…

“Can I go to Liberty too?” (Photo by Alan Holmquist)

This looks familiar…  (Photo by Alan Holmquist)

“There’s NO place like home!”

If you can remember a few weeks back, Carl Price drove up to Pine, AZ, to rescue a canada goose that had been shot with a large arrow. After the trip down to the valley, Dr. Orr and Jan removed the arrow and the healing process began.  Last week, the goose was deemed well enough to go home and R&T volunteer Alan Spencer drove the bird back to the small lake where it had been found. With the folks who originally made the call  to Liberty (and a couple of other barnyard denizens!) watching, Alan released the goose who immediately entered the pond and appeared to relish being back in familiar surroundings. Thanks to all who helped make this a success!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Susan’s first rescue (photo by somebody…?)

This is a bit early – even for a GHO! (photo by somebody…?)

Rescue and Transport volunteer Susan Nicholas made her first rescue last week.  It seems a very early nesting GHO mom lost her baby who left the nest prematurely. Susan went out and got the little(?) bird back where it belonged.  Here is the report she sent back on her effort:

I’m so excited, can hardly stand it!  This morning I received a call from a neighbor who informed me one of the baby GHOs was on the ground.  I hauled all my stuff over, gloved up and long story made short, after making sure he was ok, no broken feathers or parts, securing him in the transport box, climbing up a 20+ ft. ladder and on to the roof, I was able to get him on a branch not too far from the nest, with mom up there watching. Someone said they had called an animal rescue so I asked them to cancel and cancel a call to Liberty but by the time Tony got the message, he was already on the property and I had the bird on the branch.  It  was especially good to see Tony and thanked him for training me so well!!!   The little guy is doing fine.  The instruction manual that you all put together is THE BEST!Because of Liberty Wildlife, today I feel 10 feet tall (not 4′ 11″) !!!  And my heart feels gigantic.I’ll fill out the paperwork and drop it by the office later or on Monday.  Also gave out the thank you cards to the folks that helped.
Sincere thanks again!
Susan 

So who was happier about this – the owls, or our rescue star, Susan?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joe and Aurora in the PDS parade (Photo by Patricia Quinn-Ortiz)

Aurora on the fire truck with Joe (Photo by Patricia Quinn-Ortiz)

The Parada del Sol parade in Scottsdale has been an annual event since 1953.  It is known as the world’s largest horse drawn parade and attracts thousands of horses and spectators.  This year, our own Joe Miller and bald eagle Aurora were featured on one of the antique fire trucks (one of the few non-horse drawn vehicles!) The weather was perfect and gave us another chance to get Liberty’s name and message in front of the public in a family venue. Nice job Joe!

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

So, love is in the air….hearts cropping up everywhere. By now many of you have heard about the accomplishments of Wisdom….the Laysan albatross who at the ripe old age of 62, the oldest known living bird in the wild, has laid, hatched, and is raising what is probably her 35^th chick.  Albatross couples pair up for life, but it is thought that Wisdom has outlived at least two and maybe three males in her long and productive life.  I guess you “gotta do what you gotta do.”

These birds are amazing in the feats that they accomplish.  On their impressive 8 foot wingspan, in the first 3 to 5 years of life, they fly constantly, rarely if ever touching ground.  It is thought that they may even sleep on the wing while flying over the ocean.  Nineteen of the 21 species are threatened with extinction because of conditions related to life on the oceans like exposure to lead poisoning (that nasty issue again), ingestion of plastics and other garbage so prevalent in our oceans today.  They are also victims of weather conditions possibly caused by stresses of climate change, hurricanes, tsunamis and the accompanying tidal waves.

The fact that Wisdom was able to maneuver all of these hazards, avoiding predators, earthquakes and storms for 62 years when most of her species die at half that age, bespeaks not only of her “wisdom” but also of her savvy-ness!  She has worn out 5 bird bands that were replaced before falling off.  She has undoubtedly flown over 50,000 miles each year since reaching adulthood.   She has consistently returned to the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge to mate and raise her 35 chicks.  Apparently, she has really good genes, and hopefully those genes have been passed on exponentially through her each of her babies.

So much is known about this single bird because she was banded at refuge the  by Chandler Robbins, a now retired senior scientist, in 1956 when she was thought to be at least 5 or 6 years old.  Because she always returned to the refuge to mate and rear her chicks, scientists were able to keep track of her successful life. When contacted about this recent chick, 94 year-old Mr. Robbins commented that he was now old and gray and got around mainly with a cane, but Wisdom looked the same as she did the day she was banded in 1956.

My “take away” from this story has to do with the value of scientific research to report back on a species that is emblematic of the health (or lack of it) of the oceans, the albatross habitat.   (Research indicates that despite her success, there are problems.)  And, I can’t let this opportunity pass without applauding the strength and wisdom of older women!  What do they call a cougar in the avian world anyway?

And, lastly, since love is in the air…Happy Valentine’s Day to all of the Wisdoms out there who despite incredible odds manage to do what they are supposed to do year after year.  Oh, and a Happy Valentine’s Day to each of you for that matter!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 118.

Progress toward healing and release is always a good thing.  This week an RTH made a big step forward toward a recovery, plus a couple of very cute little owls showed up for treatment, plus a rarity: a cormorant that didn’t try to bite everybody in the room! Photos from the volunteers and an interesting food item round out this weeks update…

*********************************

Barbara, Joe, and Sonora

Friend of Liberty, Barbara Hassencamp, visited this week and got to tour the facility. In addition to meeting some of Liberty’s education ambassadors including bald eagles Sonora and Aurora, she got to converse with one of our recent international volunteers from Germany in her native language.   Liberty Wildlife ist jetzt aufrichtig international! Ausgezeichnet! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I hate needles!”

Yet another cormorant showed up last week. This one was a bit different in that he didn’t seem to want to bite everyone in the place! He’s now being treated for a broken wing and was voted the “Best Cormorant of 2013″…so far.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Screech owl gets some rest

A cute little screech owl is now in the ICU.  Joe noticed a plastic bag on the shelf by the intake window and when he went to dispose of it, this little bird rolled out! Apparently somebody just dropped him off and left without ringing the intake buzzer. He has a shoulder injury but is doing OK considering the extent of the damage. Cage rest and observation is now the order of the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wadda YOU lookin’ at?”

Getting his wing assessed…

OK, a purple wrap looks like it will do the trick.

Young burrowing owls are undisputedly cute, and this little bird is no exception.  Presenting a broken right wing, he was a big hit with the vet night staff last week. The wing was wrapped with purple vet wrap and he’s now getting some cage rest and allowing the wing to heal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This RTH has had this Schroeder-Thomas splint on for a couple of weeks

It must feel good to have that thing off!

Worked like a charm!

The red tail hawk that had a Schroeder-Thomas splint applied a couple of weeks ago finally had the apparatus removed last week. It appears that the appliance did its job and the bird began to stand on his leg when put into an enclosure in the ICU. Hopefully he will soon be using his leg normally and will go outside as a step forward towards release!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ll take a pound of ground lion please.”

It seems Max’s brother-in-law has a source of game meat from some unusual animals. Among some of the delicacies (all taken without using lead ammunition!) that we are able to feed our eagles and hawks are ground elk, bear, and this  ground mountain lion! Anne Peyton says that the birds really like the game meat and nothing goes to waste.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GHO nesting in Kathy Edwards’ neighborhood (photo by Kathy Edwards)

Yeah, it’s nesting season for GHO’s across the valley.  Recently, volunteer Kathy Edwards sent in some photos she took of some of the early nesters in her neighborhood.  It’s time to begin monitoring your small pets when they go outside at night!

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

It has been a long time since I have had the time and honor of participating with the education group at a booth setting….a big booth setting like the Waste Management Phoenix Open Golf Tournament.  If you follow this blog, you will remember that we were one of the chosen charities to get to spend a day in the Expo Village, greeting everyone who entered the event….and there were LOTS of folks attending!

A caveat is important here also…when I insinuated that I participated you need to know it was as a “watcher” ….not useful to anyone but me.  But as a “watcher” I came away with some pretty important observations.  I would like to share some of those with you.

First, I remembered how excited I got over 30 years ago, the first time I encountered an educational raptor at an event.  I was spellbound, couldn’t be torn away, knew that I somehow had to be involved in this movement to protect the environment including such charismatic creatures as raptors and how they fit into the “whole”.  It was my calling to support the balance.  Hopefully others there yesterday will feel the same strong calling.

As I performed my relatively useless role yesterday I began to watch the crowd, and I began to watch the educator/handlers and their educational ambassadors.  Here’s some of what I saw.

Our educational volunteers are beyond compare.  I say that with total confidence.  They are engaging.  They are informed.  They are kind.  They are aware.  They are professional.  They are indefatigable.   Their partners in the business, the eagles, hawks, owls, falcons were beautiful, intriguing, and totally bomb proof.  All of these characteristics and talents come from hours of patience, practice, and dedication.  It comes from an unmistakable bond between animal and handler that can’t be bought, bargained or bullied for.  It is built on trust on the part of both participants.  I am continually amazed and impressed, and I have been doing this for over 30 years.

The second awareness that I took away from the event was the reassurance that people actually really do care about our wildlife neighbors.  Sometimes in our business we see a lot of ugliness….bad things that happen to animals by people who appear to be hardened to the beauty and benefits of wildlife.  How this is possible is beyond my understanding.  But yesterday, as thousands and thousands (that is no exaggeration) of people were heading for a day on the links; they passed our booth and were stopped dead in their tracks.  Hardly anyone walked by and didn’t stop to ask questions, ogle, snap photos, donate, ask about volunteering, or just to let us know how much they cared!

The entire event lifted my spirits…the truth of the matter is people truly, truly care.  I was so happy to be a part of that if for no other reason than to help me remember all of these things!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 99.  Along with the approach of Baby Bird Season, we are entering the heaviest part of our education year as well. The rehab side is humming and the list of major programs is also growing. The Ed Team continues to showcase our overall efforts and teach the public about the wildlife around them and what we can all do to make our coexistence a peaceful one.

Dr.Wyman checks a red tail’s eye

Some sutures are removed from a peregrine

Dr. Wyman is a regular volunteer on Tuesday (“vet night”) when all the birds in the ICU are checked and treatment is reviewed (unless their chart calls for more frequent updates.) The patient’s progress is monitored and improvement is noted which may or may not indicate changes in treatment. On a good day, a bird may get to go outside into a flight enclosure as the next step towards eventual release.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meet the Cottontail family

A new yellow racing stripe!

Lilly gently dries the marking

Ahh, bunnies! We started getting our first orphan cottontails in last week with the arrival of a small clutch found by some children. They were assessed and charts begun for each one. Keeping track of the individuals means identifying them from each other.  This is accomplished by dabbing a small dot of non-toxic paint of differing colors on theirs heads. As they were marked, a gentle blow to the spot dries the marking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Yeah, I think I’m ready”

Successful flight test!

The young RTH that came up from Sierra Vista recently is now healthy enough to go outside in preparation for release. The bird got a full exam with a clean bill-of-health and after a successful flight test, is now acclimating to the ambient climate and exercising his flight muscles before the trip to the wild!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The folks from VCRR meet Anasazi

Some of our treasured friends from Verde Canyon Rail Road come down last week for a tour of the facility.  They have been a huge help to us as we partner with them to help educate the public about the wildlife in our state. This unique Arizona attraction is something no one should miss when visiting the area!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Does this logo look familiar?

Liberty drew huge crowds at the golf tournament this weekend

Carol has a great day with TS Elliot

John and Darwin work the crowd

Phoenix, as always, was very photogenic

OK, so if you’ve noticed a pop-up when you logged on to the website for the past few months, you probably saw the ad for the “Birdies for Charity” program of which Liberty was a part. Since you all pledged and/or donated, we were chosen as one of the prime charities to be benefitted by the WMPO event this year. This tournament has the highest attendance of any golf tournament.  On Sunday, Liberty had a large booth in the main entrance tent at the tournament and had the opportunity to do some more education to those in attendance. At one point, the crowd at our booth was so large people thought there must have been one of the leading golf pros in the building! It seems we were a major draw to the people arriving for the tournament. Thanks to all who donated and thanks to the Ed Team for the great show on Sunday!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Condor 441 gets some food (photo by volunteer Diane)

Last week, I made a quick trip up to Flagstaff to bring down another California Condor with high lead levels.  The bird, number 441, is a wild raised condor who is a true native Arizonan.  This marks the first time we have had two lead poisoned condors at the same time and it really puts an added burden on the staff who now have to wrangle two big birds between three and four times each day but no one is complaining – except about people still using lead ammunition…

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

Some months ago we introduced our Birdies for Charity campaign.  The gist of it is that a person can pledge as little as a penny for every birdie made at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.  The average of birdies made over time appears to be between 1300 and 1500 (so your pledge is 13.00-15.00 total)….amazing! It was also possible to make an outright bid to go to your favorite participating charity, a $20 minimum, and we hope you choose us.  The on line pledge procedure is very simple and you can easily access it from our web site, www.libertywildlife.org.

About a month out from the start of the event tallies were made and five of the charities were selected to be featured on a day in the Expo Village.  The choices were made based on which  charity got either the largest number of individual pledges or the greatest total amount of money raised in pledges.

You came through for us again!  Thank you!  It was announced that Liberty Wildlife will be the featured charity on Sunday, the final round of the Open.  We couldn’t be more pleased or excited to have this opportunity to share our native wildlife ambassadors with both local attendees and folks from outside of Arizona.  We will be able to spread our mission to nurture the nature of Arizona with a larger audience, and what a treat it will be for guests and participants to be able to encounter eagles, hawks, falcons and owls and maybe a reptile or two, along with our message of sustainability as they enjoy this international sporting event.

The ability to raise funds exists through the entire event and to add to the success of things, the Birdies for Charity organization will collect the money, send 100% to the charity plus a 10% additional donation made by them.  This is a win-win situation for all of us.  You, the donor, get 10% added to your donation.  We get to deliver our message at the Open, and Birdies for Charity will do the collecting part!

Please know how much we appreciate the efforts made by everyone to make this happen.  It is just another example of how every little bit helps, how if we work together, we can make things happen, and how the community rises to the occasion to support the critical efforts of non-profits in the Valley.

We hope to see all of you at the Open on Sunday.  Come by our booth and let us know of your support. And, thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts for helping us to make this all happen!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The total for the year is now at 82.

Well, with falling into a routine with condor 409 being fed, hydrated, and medicated, and the newness of 2013 beginning to wear off, the day-to-day work of Liberty comes to the surface, as always. We’re preparing for the big golf tournament next week and beginning to have planning sessions for the upcoming baby bird shower/season and the call is out for volunteers for this all important task.  In the meantime, things go on as always…

Round tail ground squirrel makes a visit

This little squirrel was brought in after displaying some abnormal behavior and is in care in the ICU. Since only volunteers who have been through the rabies vaccination process can handle mammals, we are lucky that Sharon and a select few others can treat these little guys!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christy’s latest RTH goes outside

Jan ponders treatment for a kestrel

RTH with a Shroeder-Thomas splint

The intakes are assuming the look of the ‘Usual Suspects” as we treat an array of red-tail hawks and kestrels. The latest RTH from our friend Christy V.C. in Sierra Vista is now well enough to go into an outside enclosure prior to eventual release. The hawk with the Shroeder-Thomas splint is making some progress (hawks DO need their legs!), and the little kestrel is also on her way to recovery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Wyman and Jan study a GHO x-ray

A very messy break

Nothing beats a hands-on examination

We’re really lucky to have Dr. Sorum as a Med Services volunteer on Sunday as he usually brings in his portable X-ray machine to provide instant (gotta love digital!!) X-rays of some of our patients. Pictures of this GHO showed a massive fracture to both wing bones that appeared to be forming a large callus around the injury. It looked extremely  doubtful that the bird would ever fly again, but when Dr. Wyman and Jan did a physical exam, it seemed possible that the bird might be on its way to a remarkable recovery. Nature might win again!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This foot has some electrical damage

“No, really! I’m feeling better…”

Joanie wraps the foot

Another GHO has been a patient for a few weeks, presenting some evidence of electrical burns.  His wing appears to be healing but his foot shows signs of more injury. The burns were wrapped and further healing and observation are in order.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anasazi makes her education debut! (photo by Claudia K.)

Our junior golden eagle, Anasazi, made her debut as an education bird last week at a Liberty presentation at the Scottsdale Hyatt. She came to us a while back as a baby who was being held captive by an individual with no experience, training, or permit. Besides being imprinted on humans, she has a remarkably deformed skeleton from an improper diet. She’s healthy now, and is making a fine ed bird!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

409 improves

Steve Bodinet and Channel 3 broadcast from Liberty

Our current condor patient, number 409, is making a little progress as she recovers from exceptionally high levels of lead in her blood. Slowly gaining weight, she is being fed four times each day along with hydration and the cyclic chelation that allows the lead to be removed from her blood and marrow. Last week Steve Bodinet, our friend at Channel 3, came out to cover her story and did a live broadcast to try to get the word out about this persistent deadly problem.

Click here to view story on Channel 3 TV

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We also did take in another adult bald eagle last Wednesday evening. The bird took a three part relay ride from the Pinetop area, arriving at Liberty in the late afternoon. Its lead levels were off-scale high and it died during the night. Another reason to at least consider the use of alternative non-lead ammunition while hunting…

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

An e mail last week alerted me to the sad story of a Canada goose on a lake frequented by the sender of the e mail.  It seems that someone had shot an arrow through the body of the goose.  The goose was still alive, able to swim to shore and do a little feeding but when the other geese in her flock flew away, she remained grounded, prey for a predator, except that she was able to float out to the lake center on pieces of ice.  That was the first clue that the goose was not in the Phoenix area, but instead was suffering quietly on a lake in Pine, Arizona.

According to the lady who contacted us at Liberty Wildlife, other folks and agencies had attempted to rescue the lonely goose to no avail.  At some point someone suggested that she contact Liberty Wildlife, and she did.  Although it was very cold and some distance from his home, Carl Price, a senior rescue/transport volunteer didn’t hesitate to take up the challenge to help this sad situation.

I had some difficult moments, after seeing the photograph that was sent, trying to understand the mentality of the person who would shoot a goose, not kill it, and leave it to suffer a slow death of starvation or a haunted death at the jaws of a predator, unable to defend herself encumbered by an arrow that went through her body….I just don’t get it and pondering it for any length of time only made me more and more depressed.

So, I decided that I would focus my thoughts on all of the good people who just didn’t give up on her.  They were observers of their surroundings, noticed her plight and took action.   A number of people were involved in trying to help, invested in the life and well-being of this one creature who was caught in a limbo not of her own doing,

Again, it makes me so proud to be associated with Liberty Wildlife.  One call was made to ask for a volunteer’s help and the job was done.  Waterfowl of any kind are one of the most difficult animals to rescue.  Being able to swim, fly and run, doesn’t give the rescuer a lot of easy options, but Carl did the job.  He let us know he was on his way down with her and Terry waited  at the ready to race her to the clinic for x rays and hopeful surgery to remove the arrow and correct any injuries caused by the path of the arrow as it plunged through the goose’s body.

Lucky Goose!  The invading arrow followed the keel and nicked nothing crucial on its path through.  The arrow was removed, and the very thin girl was sent to fatten up and recover from her assault.  She is eating, basking in the sun during the warm days and will soon be returned to her flock where she will once again be able to fly off with them at the end of the day with a life mate that I feel sure awaits her arrival.

No longer depressed about the whys, I choose to be hopeful about the whens.

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake total for the year is now at 63.

This will mostly be the “Wild Goose Chase” special edition of TW@L. If you read Megan’s HHH above, you already know the story, so I’ll try to illustrate the tale in my part of the blog. Plus, some more cool (or should I say “cold”) pics from the frigid spell we had last week.

Ice stalagmite last week (photo by Carol Marshall)

Yeah, it’s warming up and might be hotter than normal this week, but last week, it was C-O-L-D!!!  We left the outside hoses drip to prevent freezing, but that led to this unusual ice formation under the dripping nozzle by the eagle enclosures.  Carol marshall was kind enough to snap this shot for our use next summer when it’s 120 outside…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A house finch gets some meds

Another young RTH up from Sierra Vista

Once again illustrating that “Liberty isn’t just for the raptors,” these shots of two rehabbing birds from last week show both ends of the food chain.  The little house finch above is getting some medicine from Tim and the juvie RTH below is another hawk from Christy, our friend in Sierra Vista who sent this bird up recently. As I’ve said before, if it comes to our door, it’s going to get the best help we can give.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Concerned neighbors sent this picture to us with a note asking for help (photo provided by Susie Holmquist)

Carl executes a successful rescue (photo provided by Susie Holmquist)

The shaft is shortened to prevent further injury in the carrier (photo provided by Susie Holmquist)

Jan holds her after arriving at the clinic…

Jackie helps Jan take the X-rays

Dr. Orr gently removes what remains of the arrow

Was this part of someone’s holiday gift?

Dr. Orr cleans the wound

Recovering from arrow hit (photo by Kurt Licence)

OK, the story is nicely recounted in H3 above by Megan, so here is what it looked like as it occurred. The bird is now doing well and hopefully it will be taken back up north and allowed to rejoin the flock that visit the pond daily.

*******************

We had a glitch in the website yesterday so TW@L is a bit late this week.  Hope this doesn’t cause anyone any inconvenience!

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

At this time of year it seems like we are all about teams, stars of the game, big names crossing the goal line, points scored, games won.  As I watched some of the football games this weekend while locked inside in response to the brrrrrrrrrrr cold weather, (Ok, I am a wimp and not used to these temperatures…and yes, I will remember this in August…) I realized that what we do for wildlife and nurturing nature is also about team work.

There are the obvious big stars crossing the goal line by fixing up a battered buteo or a rescuing an endangered raptor from harm’s way, or by presenting a charismatic owl to educate eager minds about the beauty and benefits of our wildlife neighbors.  But just as you can see the myriad of support entities on the side line of the football field, there are a myriad of support people and their efforts, not so obvious, in their nurturing but every bit as critical to the support of our more well-viewed wildlife players.

For example, you may have seen a sign along Eastwood Lane between Scottsdale Road and Doubletree Ranch Road in Scottsdale. This visual reminder was suggested and supported by two folks, Gorgonia and Dennis Beard, who go about their own ways of supporting wildlife…..part of the greater team who knows the importance of some way crossing the goal line to help score points for our native wildlife…..theirs is a powerful and to the point message some see every day.

Another less than obvious support for wildlife came as the result of an educational program that Max Bessler and John Glitsos provided at Anasazi Elementary School in Scottsdale.  In John’s words, “The teacher there, Amy Coleman, has had us over every year for the last 4 years to talk to the entire 3rd grade class. This year was quite exceptional. Liberty’s visit has become one of the most anticipated events of the school year, and the 4th graders tell their 3rd grade friends and family about it, growing the hype every single year. (remember last year we had the family come in with the rescue after the program?)  Anyway, this year they absolutely outdid themselves with donations. The 127 kids brought in $430 in donations, plus two cars full of medical supplies.”

Max and John also noticed how prepared the students were for the program. They already had learned about owl pellets and the food chain. Combine that with great listening skills, and insightful questions, and you have an educational program that is meaningful for everyone in attendance. They had the feeling that this group of students learned a great deal, and will apply that knowledge to conserving and protecting the wildlife of Arizona….touchdown!

This school’s third grade  class, their parents, teachers and principal are there on the sidelines helping our stars cross the goal line…we couldn’t score without their critical support, and they need to be recognized along with all of the other supporters including the “fans”.  You are our team….Folks for Wildlife and Nature.  Thanks for all that you do silently or not from your place on the field.

Go team!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The intake number for the year is now at 38.

As we slowly gear up for the new year, the planning is in place to add new volunteers that we’ll need as the year progresses. Cold weather is the order of the day this past week, and as you’ll note from the pictures, the volunteers were bundled up as the temps went down. You know it’s cold when you wear gloves not just to handle raptors, but to keep warm!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A ring necked duck in for treatment

Last week we took in a spate of ducks and other waterfowl. Two things seemed two precipitate the influx – some of the canals in the area are being drained for cleaning, and an apparent outbreak of botulism at a local lake in Ahwatukee. R&T volunteers Tim, Mark, and Tony did their best to keep up with the growing number of rescues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hummer gets a meal

Hummingbirds are very difficult to rehab, due mostly to their diminutive size and hyperactivity. The cold weather also causes them to slow down to the point of torpor leaving them vulnerable to predators as they sit and wait for warmer temps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Toba and Joanie work on an RTH

Tim holds a HaHa

Kurt brings out another HaHa for treatment

Not a very happy (or cooperative!) patient

Everybody gets fluids

Sharon makes an ID band

Young hawks of all local species are currently in treatment. Families of harris’ hawks are getting ready for the breeding season, as are local red-tails who are also looking for new – and old – territories. As always, the youngsters sometimes make painful mistakes as they learn their life skills…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another peregrine

A dove gets some medicine

It wasn’t long ago that peregrine falcons were on the Endangered Species List and as such, were not a common sight at Liberty. Doves, on the other hand, are extremely common. These two birds represent both ends of the food chain in the avian world, but both receive the same professional care when the arrive at the facility.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jan evaluates a screech owl

“Do not suspect that I am not a tree branch!”

Lots of owls find their way to our facility each year, including this little screech owl. Screeches make good use of their camouflaged plumage which makes them look remarkably like tree bark.  When they feel threatened, they close their eyes to a tight squint, minimizing their yellow irises,  and remain as still as they can until the danger passes. They sometimes do this when they are being treated in the ICU…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah its cold!!

Carol addresses the new group

The weather has turned quite cold, especially for Arizona. The daily care hoses were frozen as was a lot of the water dishes – at least until the sun came up to thaw things out. The hand feeders were wearing gloves on both hands last week, as were most of the people who showed up for the new volunteer orientation on Saturday. Now THAT’S dedication!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

409 makes some progress

The latest condor to arrive is making some progress as her lead level begin to drop. The chelation treatment is hard on the birds and it can only be done for a few days and then they must be given time off from the regimen. Keep the good thoughts coming!

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers

Researchers seem to agree that the best thing to keep an old mind chugging along is to take up something new to keep those synapses snapping  alertly…like learning the guitar or speaking a foreign language.  I bought into the theory and started my own attack on Spanish. Studying Latin in school didn’t do much to help me speak a foreign language.   I can, however, diagram the most difficult of sentences and recognize stem words with some accuracy.  And, while my synapses may be a little quicker in firing, my Spanish is still in its fetal form.

So, I am planning to add to my brain enrichment exercises by taking on a fuller understanding of the concept of “sustainability”.  This might have something to do with the three interns from ASU’s School of Sustainability that have been and are impacting what we do at Liberty Wildlife.  While this is all very exciting, the more I read the more overwhelmed I become.  I feel a little bit like I am taking on the preterit tense in Spanish before I am really ready.

For those of you who, like me, think you understand the concept of sustainability…just start reading about it.  You will run into the likes of “carrying capacity, human impact on biodiversity, consumption of resources, economic development, social and cultural elements, peace, security and social justice, human relationships to nature, etc.”  I ask myself, “What else could there be?”

On a global level, it might be the most important thing to take on, sorry Español.  But for me that means starting locally with my own little world to attain proficiency, and as I am able to accomplish meager understandings I will take on the larger arenas.  It’s sort of like casting a small pebble into a very large pond; hopefully my little ripples will undulate out to a larger and larger grasp of this very important topic.  For right now I “get” the notion of “maintaining, supporting, and enduring…..and to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

But, how do we do that? I understand that this is a call to action and that somehow we have to all agree (now there’s a concept) on which way to go first to minimize negative impacts, to maintain a balance between social, economic and environmental arenas, etc.  Already overwhelmed, I am just going to have to break it down to what I can do now in my little world to spread the word as I understand it.  You will see in some upcoming blogs how I, and Liberty Wildlife, will engage in our own little dialogue about the importance of sustainability to all of us.

Hasta la proxima!

This Week at Liberty

Posted by Terry Stevens

The total intake for the year is now at 15.

Well, we started the new year off on a busy note. This is normally a quiet time as we begin to prepare for the onset of “baby bird season.” Maybe it’s global climate change, but things are happening at unusual times in unusual places and it seems to be having an effect on the intake window. But, the volunteers are always up to the task and as we plow ahead into 2013, all we can do is our best for the animals that arrive at our door…

Insulated woodpecker

One of the last intakes of 2012 was this little gila woodpecker who somehow got sprayed with some insulating foam. This is the material that is injected into open areas and expands to fill in gaps and provides a higher thermal barrier, keeping the interior of structures either cooler or warmer depending on what your goal is.  Unlike the sticky stuff from glue traps that we have seen many times before, this polyurethane hardens into a solid mass and because of its makeup, it cannot be dissolved without using chemicals that would do more harm to the animal. All we can do is cut as much off as we can and then maintain the bird until its feathers molt and regrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A bad break for a cooper’s hawk

Cooper’s hawks are very active and since they don’t like to be immobilized, they are difficult to rehab successfully. This adult bird (note the deeper color of the eyes) came in with a serious wing injury – but a great fighting spirit. Every effort is being made to heal the wing and make the bird healthy again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sharon takes the fox out of the carrier

Sad little girl

Jan listens to her heart

A female gray fox was brought in last week from a golf course. She was not presenting any evidence of overt trauma, but was obviously in pain and not feeling well. Poison was the initial suspect and after an exam by Jan, she was placed in a warm, quiet enclosure to drop her stress level. Unfortunately, whatever was causing her distress took her life overnight. More testing is being done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This IS a three person job (photo by Cheyenne Herzog)

Alright, maybe a four person job.  (photo by Cheyenne Herzog)

She has piercing eyes

Heading for the enclosure  (photo by Cheyenne Herzog)

It’s warmer here than up north…

“This looks like a nice place to get better…”

Our last encounter with a California condor was sad and short-lived, but another one came in last Thursday night and we’re hopeful this one will fare better. Once again, lead poisoning is the culprit. This bird, number 409, is a fairly young female and when she was removed from her transport carrier she showed she has a good spirit going into her treatment. After getting fluids and an initial evaluation, she was placed in a sunny enclosure and allowed to acclimate to her “private room” as the treatment is scheduled to begin.

******************

If you had trouble opening the video last week, I apologize. Videos can be saved in MANY formats and trying to find one that works for everybody’s computer is difficult.  With John’s help, we added a second button in hopes that people who have PC’s can open the file, so try it again…or go to YouTube and access it there.

TW@L