Megan Mosby
Executive Director
Appreciating Our Freedoms This Fourth of July
As we near Independence Day, July 4th, I, as many of us do, contemplate the meaning, the significance, of freedom. Beyond fireworks and barbeques, pondering this could be the main reason to commemorate this day…right? The first image of freedom that comes to my mind is the United States flag, the Stars and Stripes waving in the winds, unencumbered and moved by the invisible air around it…just such a strong symbol.
However, for me, the strongest symbol is the release flight of a rehabilitated bald eagle. Like Old Glory, the bald eagle is a stereotypical symbol of freedom in the United States. And, at Liberty Wildlife, this flight of freedom is of grand significance on yet another level. Over the almost 44 years that we have been providing service to wildlife and nature and ultimately to you, we have been proud and honored to rehabilitate and release back into the wild 113 bald eagles. That is a significant and impactful total when you think of the number of animals that can be generated over forty plus years of reproductive luck. From the brink of extinction to a meaningful recovery, the bald eagle story is one of success and impact thanks to a lot of caring humans. It is this eagle symbol that is a consistent reminder to me of our freedoms and the responsibilities that go with them.
Every release is moving. From the tiniest hummingbird to the largest eagle, it cannot be denied that seeing an animal go free…to get a second chance to do what it was designed to do, is more than rewarding. It is more than significant. It is a restoration of things as they should be. Almost all of the animals that come to us are brought in for something human caused and not the fault of the animal. As a result, we owe them a helping hand.
And, when the helping hand has succeeded, the result, the release, is that experience of freedom. For me, setting an animal free who has been contained, whose freedom has been limited, even if, for its life’s sake, is a reminder of everything we have now as a country. Letting an eagle go is a mega trip into that world of freedoms. Maybe it is just me, but my imagination takes a flight with the released bird. For a few minutes, I am one with that bird, ripping through the air with every powerful wingbeat. Feeling the ripples of wind as it ruffles the feathers lifting the bird farther and farther away from that feeling of constraint and limitations. I am the beak that cuts through the curtain of air leading the passage to a freer existence. I am the laser-focused eyes looking to the future. The bird is free and through it, every single time, I experience a new-found appreciation momentarily of no limits. But, we must remember that momentarily is the operative…our freedoms end where the next guy’s begin.
Next time when you think of the value of freedom, think of the eagle, the mistress of the sky regaining what was always meant to be hers. Think about how important it is for us to make right the things that we can and to cease causing the limitations that we sometimes inadvertently, or not, cause. Think about doing the right things for us all because it matters to us all.
Next time, I want to be an eagle…to actually experience that kind of freedom, if only for a little while.
Pope John Paul II said, “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.”
Ponder that this Fourth of July.
This Week @ Liberty – July 2, 2024
2024 has flown by like a freight train without a break. And if it keeps going, and going, and going. Which, let’s be honest, is nothing new; we’ve taken in a record number of animals these past few weeks, and haven’t slowed down a whole lot since. We’ve been playing “musical coopers hawks” to make room for new patients and helping get kid raptors—and other kids—outside to acclimate to the heat before we send them back out into the wild.
It’s all in a day’s work, especially for our Daily Care, Orphan Care, Owl Teams and Rescue/Transport teams. They’re braving the heat day in and day out to make sure our native wildlife is taken care of so they can get back to doing what wildlife does best. Of course, this also means our hotline volunteers are taking a huge amount of phone calls, our intake window is nonstop (sometimes the line is out to the street), and our medical services team is tackling the constant flow of new patients coming in.
All in a day’s work? It’s all in the team, and they’re consistent and vigilant energy and effort to keep us running is everything.
Water Usage
It’s no surprise this time of year that Liberty Wildlife’s water usage goes way, way, way up. With 100+ degree weather every day for the foreseeable future—and monsoon humidity to boot—it makes for some seriously hot, sticky days. For us humans, that’s an easy fix; we move from an air conditioned house to an air conditioned vehicle to an air conditioned store. Unless you’re working outside (as there are plenty of us who do!), staying cool in this heat is an easy feat indeed.
For our permanent feathered friends here on site, that’s not the case. While their mews (enclosures) certainly provide shade, and their water bowls are filled so full they’re next to overflowing, it doesn’t dispute that it’s insanely hot despite it.
Thankfully, we have some amazing volunteers here. Once temperatures reach 110 degrees, we ask people who are willing to come in and “hose down” the birds. And they do; a 2:30 shift and a 4:30 shift, two volunteers head over to the Education trail, and for the next hour, walk through every catch cage and spray our owls, falcons, hawks, and eagles with a light mist. The goal is to get them looking like their soaked in a monsoon torrential downpour.
Which, believe it or not, these guys are dry by that second shift when they get that downpour all over again.
But, for some of our older birds, misting them in this heat just isn’t enough. That’s where our evap coolers come in—donated over the last few years, we have enough now where our older, close to retired or already retired birds, are given their own coolers. Much like Rio, the Zone-Tailed Hawk, our older friends are happy to stand right in front of them during the hottest parts of the day.
Hey, don’t knock it till you try it, right?
How Birds Combat the Heat
It’s all about that heat this week. And why shouldn’t it be? Monsoon season has officially started, and I’m fairly certain I haven’t stopped sweating since it did. While my skin certainly enjoys the humidity, my hair absolutely does not.
Still, I have the means to cool myself as needed. Here at Liberty Wildlife, the walk in freezer is a huge relief. Even being able to sit at my desk for a few minutes to get out of the sun and heat is helpful. But what about the birds out there, living their lives and doing what birds do? The one’s who aren’t injured or in need of our help? How do they cool off and make a living in this heat?
There are a few tried and true ways they manage:
– If you’ve ever seen a bird with an open beak and appears to be panting, they are! Just like dogs, birds don’t have sweat glands like we do. What you’re seeing is called a gular flutter; they’re panting to cool themselves off!
– Bathing is a sure-fire way to help cool off in this summer heat. If you have water in your backyard or live near a large body of it, birds will make sure to take the time to dunk their cute booties in the water—along with their face—and shake to get that water where they want it. They’ll even fan out their wings to help get the water coating every feather.
– Thermoregulation is a variety of morphological and behavioral traits that help adjust their body temperature. Ibis’s have thin, featherless legs that, while standing in water, releases the heat from their bodies. Turkey Vultures will urinate on their legs to help cool themselves
– Naps. Preferably in the shade (enough said).
Helpful tip: if you have a large bowl or bird bath, make sure to clean it out every few days. Water can carry things like trichomoniasis, which can transfer to other birds who drink from said bath. A diluted bleach spray, and a day to sit in the heat without water, helps to kill this protozoan so it doesn’t spread to our feathered friends.
Notable Mentions
As always, thanks for making it here. We’re halfway through 2024 and still have quite a ways to go. But we’ve got some amazing things happening here at Liberty Wildlife—renovations on-site and some amazing events coming up—so make sure to keep an eye out for those updates moving forward.
Without further ado, here are this week’s notable mentions:
– An anomaly of an American Kestrel comes in…with eleven toes! Six on one, and five on another (2 pictures)
– A hatchling Nighthawk is found and brought in for care (1 picture)
– A Research and Conservation nest move had some eggs, and one has hatched! Welcome to the world hatchling Mourning Dove (1 picture)
– A Western Pip stops by before being transferred to a bat rehabber (1 picture)
– Hazel the Gray Squirrel being adorable (1 picture – by Jan)
For the month of July, we’re still on our summer schedule for Public hours (9am-11am). In August, we’ll close our doors for some much needed repairs and “rest” before we open back up in September to our fall hours (don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted). And of course, our intake window/animal drop-off is open rain or shine, every day, from 8am-6pm.
Until next time!
Posted by Acacia Parker
Public Outreach Coordinator