Megan Mosby
Executive Director
Seeds of Change
My days recently have been directed to assembling our annual magazine and annual report, Wing Beats. It is, as always, a great time of reflection for which I have a lot of help. Part of the journey of gathering the contents leads to reflections on changes in the past year. And, there are always many to talk about.
This past year we added a much-needed annex in the way of a new building to house our Orphan Care program. The new building provides a spot for babies to go sometimes from eggs to fledglings and everything in between. It is a labor of love and a lot of sweat and some tears. But all in all it is rewarding! The new building is a godsend and finally permanent as the little guys have been shuffled around to make room for the avian flu-driven necessities.
We also have new enclosures for hawks, owls and falcons and have provided privacy for the stand-in foster care raptor parents. This makes their job change from educator to parent a lot more successful. They raise many babies every year and add to the population of great horned owls, red tailed hawks, eagles, etc. with nary an imprint in the process… same species rearing is the way to go when possible!
We are always looking for new ways to update our data collection and intake process so that our reports are easy to provide when needed to our permitters. Our USDA approval was a big step into a new world for us, but we totally rose to the occasion to meet all of the requirement necessary for USDA permits. Add that to our USF&W and AZGF annual reports and permits and keeping up with the finer parts of rehabilitation and education takes on a new level of precision. We are proud to do it and welcome the requirements, which only make us better at what we do. Modeling best practices is for me a necessity!
One of the new programs that we presented this spring is our Innovators, Seeds of Change giving circle. This group of involved donors at the $1000 and up level will get to make decisions about funding specific programs at an event in the early fall. Staff will provide a “pitch” relative to new programs they are hoping to have funded. These are things that might revolve around studies and research relative to improved wildlife care, it might be purchasing a new piece of equipment, or developing and building a new educational enclosure to expand our educational experience for guests. The pitch will be made, the votes will be made by the Innovators, and the programs can be funded. Things on our dream list, not making the cut in the budget may spring to life, as a result of the Innovators….seeds of change!
And, you know what???? That could be YOU! Your donation, and your vote, could be the “cause” of the new change to include in next year’s annual report and magazine.
Make your influence known….become an Innovator.
This Week @ Liberty – June 4, 2024
While our education season has certainly slowed down quite a bit, our hospital is quite the opposite. We’ve had an increase of intakes; we’re up 7.8% since last year at this time. Which means we’re busy, busy, busy. Our Orphan Care building is doing its job of housing all these little birds, and our Orphan Care team is just as busy feeding and cleaning all the kids coming in (remember you can volunteer here, too! Click here for the application). Raptors and other native wildlife are coming through our doors at a relentless pace, and I imagine that’ll continue through the summer as we start to see those 110+ degree days.
We’re always here for it, of course, but it’s a good reminder to watch the animals you believe may be in distress. Sometimes, these kids are just learning—flying can be hard! —so watching them for a few hours before bringing them in is always recommended. If they’re in immediate danger (like on a busy thoroughfare), then make sure to call our hotline and talk with one of our volunteers to get some advice on how to move forward.
Horned Lizard
For anyone who grew up here, you’ve likely seen the infamous Horned Lizard. My brother and I used to visit Phoenix every summer when we were kids; on my grandparent’s five-acre property, one of our favorite past times was to try and catch these guys, check them out, and then promptly let them go.
Now, what I didn’t know as a kid was that it’s quite illegal to capture, and keep these animals as pets, without the proper permits. They also make for terrible pets; found only in the Sonoran Desert, they require a very specific diet and habitat, which is extremely difficult to mimic in captivity. With ten different subspecies, our Arizona lizards look for rocky, gravelly habitats, as well as semi-arid plains, and lower mountain slopes.
And, with a diet consisting of mostly insects—which need to be alive, not dead—they require quite a bit of them to meet their nutritional needs (in fact their stomach makes up almost thirteen percent of their body mass).
It’s the reason these two (mom and kid) were dropped off at Liberty Wildlife. Found in in Prescott by a well-meaning kid who hoped to keep them as pets, it became very apparent that was not going to be possible. Hence, they were dropped off, assessed that same day by our medical service volunteers, and just as quickly taken back up to Prescott and released back into the wild.
Nestling Osprey aka the Chonk Monsters
For those of you who follow us on social media, I highly recommend you do. Laura Hackett, our Education Coordinator and Wildlife Biologist, posts some amazing pictures and videos of happenings around Liberty Wildlife. The most recent one?
Three nestling Osprey who needed to be moved from their nest. Their parents had built their home on a power pole, which was dangerously close to catching fire. We’re currently working with Game and Fish to move these cute little guys to a surrogate nest.
Ospreys in general, however, need a nest with an easy approach, something with a wide, sturdy base. It helps to protect the kids from predators like raccoons. Typically, mom and dad will build their nests on treetops with large branches and trunks, cliffs and even human-built platforms (hence the pole). And it’s the male who finds the site and the female is the one to approve.
Lined with bark, grasses, algae and vines, the male will fetch the material while the female arranges it. They tend to use the same nest every year, too, which means material is added with every clutch—in fact, these nests have been found to be up to ten to thirteen feet deep and three to six feet in diameter!
For now, these little guys are hanging with us, getting big and strong before they head back out into the wild, where they’ll find another home with some amazing foster parents.
Newest Intakes Part-I’ve-Lost-Count
Tis the season, and like notable mentions, I think this is a worthwhile section to show off all the newest intakes we’ve taken in over the past few weeks!
- A nestling green heron gets some sun out in the bunny hutch and lets me know he’s not playing around (1 picture)
- We took in 109 intakes on May 29! (4 pictures)
- Said barn owls awaiting assessment (1 picture)
- A few minutes after all those kids were dropped off, four American kestrels nestlings were brought in (1 picture)
- A great horned owl is assessed by Midwestern veterinarians and students (1 picture)
Notable Mentions
We’re starting to see that warm weather, and all those babies are coming in hot and strong. For this week’s notable mentions, I’ve got some photos volunteers and staff have taken to highlight the different kinds of experiences we all have here at Liberty Wildlife.
Without further ado, here are this weeks’ notable mentions:
- Mourning dove nestlings hang in a comfy bed (1 picture – by Jake)
- Cliff swallows are ready for their afternoon feeding! (1 picture – by Jake)
- Adorable says phoebes are sure watchful in their make-shift nest (1 picture – by Jake)
- Gaucho the black vulture says hello! (1 picture – by Ceci)
- A great blue heron drops by the wetlands to search for food (1 picture – by Ceci)
It’s getting hot out there, friends. Make sure when you come for public hours on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 9am-11am you’re wearing plenty of sun protection and drinking lots of water. I know we all are!
Until next time!
Posted by Acacia Parker
Public Outreach Coordinator