Megan Mosby
Executive Director
All, listen up! Do I have your attention? Please go to your calendars right now. Check for an empty slot on April 16th….make it happen. Then ink this in: the Second in the Sippin’ the Spirit of the Southwest Series…Sunday (SSSSSS): 1 to 4pm at Liberty Wildlife. We are, once again, partnering with The Great Arizona Puppet Theater 
featuring their production, Hotel Saguaro, in our amphitheater. The puppet show is charming… It tells a story in a captivating way about the intricate interaction between humans, plants, and animals. We are all a part of this delicate dance but without a tune or a partner…with something missing…it’s just not the same. It is a message for students of all ages delivered in a fun and entertaining way.
And that’s not all. Our campus will be open for you to roam through the public area…the Interactive Room will be open and staffed with knowledgeable volunteers to introduce you to small mammals, raptors, insects, reptiles, and you will meet an amphibian or two. The Interpretive Trail will be open for your perusal. Interpreters will answer your questions and introduce you to our wildlife ambassadors. You will see the occasional “pop up”—with a wildlife ambassador with an educational handler who will give you an up-close experience and regale you with enthusiastic stories of their wildlife friend. The famous Liberty Wildlife Non-Eagle Feather Repository will be open for an up close and personal look at this award-winning program. Get a personal look at the feathers used in Native American regalia…it is fascinating.
Our adult beverage station will include beer and wine, and also spirits that you can enjoy if you are 21 or older. Two food trucks,
one vegan and one Italian themed will be available for your enjoyment if the mood strikes you, and you work up an appetite. You will be free to enjoy your food and beverage at any number of comfortable tables or wherever the path may lead.
There will be an added opportunity to take part in our famous libation pull…every bottle is worth at least the $20 cost of the pull, and most are worth much more… a treasure to take home and enjoy later or to pass as a gift the next time you are invited to a friend’s for dinner… easy peasy. And the raffle items will surprise and delight…more on this later.
This is a no brainer way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon, to kick back with some friends, mingle with the critters and see the puppet show action. If all goes well, you might still be able to hear the roar of the river. All of this for a mere $25 per person. It will be hard to beat this for fun and for supporting our mission…a win-win opportunity.
All you have to do is get tickets and then show up. Let us do the rest.
We can’t wait to see you, your family and friends on Sunday, April 16 from 1 to 4 at Liberty Wildlife.
If you can’t join us on April 16th, there is another way to help now. We are participating in Arizona Gives Day. And by supporting us through this event, you can help fund the expansion of our Orphan Care program, and the addition of mammal enclosures along our Interpretive Education Trail. And thanks for supporting the cause of making this a better place for all of our wild friends!
This Week @ Liberty – March 28, 2023
It’s that time of year where everything picks up. And when I say everything, I mean everything. Education has a busy month of April with lots of different on-site and off-site events, babies are coming through our doors more frequently, and events are ramping up before we hit those hot summer days where no one wants to be outside except for in a pool.
Like always, we’re here and we’re ready for it. Between donations from the public for our Orphan Care event and cages dropped off (amongst other things), we’ve got a plethora of items at our disposal.
And it couldn’t have happened at a better time.
Brumation
Brumation isn’t a word many people hear often. Now, if you’re akin to any cold blooded species, I’m sure you’ve heard the term a time or two.
For those of you who don’t own reptiles or aren’t familiar with the term, brumation is what hibernation is to mammals. Unlike ourselves, reptiles can’t control their body temperature (cold-blooded) which means when the temperatures drop, they go into a state of ‘dormancy.’
However, unlike mammals who are out ‘cold’ and don’t wake for extended periods of time, reptiles will occasionally wake to drink water, though they certainly don’t need as much as they do when their active.
While our snakes and Gila Monsters never reach this point (as we keep them at a comfortable temperature all year round), our tortoises do. Last fall, Alpo, Speedy, Roadway and Shelley were placed into bins with hay and placed in a safe place away from any commotion. There, they were able to hang and chill for the winter until the warm temperatures started to creep up again.
As of today, the tortoises are back in their enclosures and happy as can be. They’re making their way through weeds that have grown in their enclosures; once through with that, we’ll work veggies back into their diet.
For now, make sure to stop by and say hi to them during Public Hours!
Orphan Care is Official: Nestling Bald Eagle to Start Our Journey
Our Orphan Care Coordinators Kathleen and Mel like to say that Orphan Care officially starts when we get our first Abert’s Towhee nestling. Well, as of last week, we had two come through our intake window, which makes Orphan Care totally official for 2023.
We did, however, have a nestling Bald Eagle make a quick stop (although we’ve had plenty here!)…I hate to say he ‘blew’ the other babies out of the water, but, he might have to just this once.
Intake #914 was in a nest that, unfortunately, fell, and was unfixable. The nestling was brought to us while AZ Game and Fish found another suitable nest for him, with other babes around his size, along with two foster parents to look after them. He will continue to be monitored by Eagle Nest watchers.
And they were quick to find one, too; as soon as I was here to take a picture, this little guy was off on another adventure. As of today, this Bald Eagle has found another home in a nest with different siblings and parents, but all is well. His new brother and sister are doing just fine with the added addition, and mom and dad seem perfectly capable of feeding three mouths instead of two.
Both parties will be keeping a close eye, though, don’t you worry!
All the Spring Events
Love is in the air, and with it, all the spring events!
Our first was our Orphan Care ‘baby shower’; an art exhibit featuring young, local artists which brought in almost a hundred different pieces of art. They were showcased here at Liberty Wildlife, alongside our public hours, with plenty of games to play and animal ambassadors to meet. The donations were on point, too. We got loads of towels, paper towels, kitten food, bird seed and all the things needed to take care of all our babies during the next several months.
Which leads into a private event; a wedding reception for the ages! Kym and Joel were married in March 2020 in a quiet backyard wedding. They decided they wanted to do something a little bigger, though, and aimed for an unforgettable night here at Liberty Wildlife. With almost 200 people in attendance, guests were able to walk the education trail and see our interactive room. And hey, if you like radio, Fitz from 98 KUPD joined the festivities (he’s a good friend of the bride and groom, they play dungeons and dragons together!).
Either way, we’re here for all the events; whether it’s our Orphan Care taking donations and showing off local art or a private event months in the making, we’re happy to have everyone come and see what we do…and most importantly, why.
That take-away is just as important as all the other things entailed in wildlife rehab. We’re just excited everyone else is so excited about it, too.
Notable Mentions
As always, it comes to this every week. The blog must be written but it must also come to an end, though I have to say this section is always one of my favorite parts. All the random pictures in my iphone can be put to good use (instead of me being the crazy bird lady with hundreds and hundreds of random pictures of birds on her phone).
Without further ado, here are this week’s notable mentions:
New Med Services Volunteer Reilly learns the ropes by fellow volunteer Amyra (1 picture)
Jose the Chuckwalla hangs out after a short soak (1 picture)
Finches! (1 picture)
Elf Owl makes an appearance (1 picture)
X-ray of a fracture to the radius/ulna on a Turkey Vulture (1 picture)
Abert’s Towhee gets some grub (1 picture)
Hummingbird nestlings enjoy a chill hangout spot (2 picture)
Bailey and the nicitating membrane (third eyelid) (1 picture – by Ceci)
Of course, nestling pigeons in different stages (2 pictures)
And that’s all for this week, folks! Make sure to stop by and say hi during public hours Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-1pm. Soon we’ll be switching to our summer hours, but we’ll be sure to let you know when that happens.
Until next time!
Posted by Acacia Parker
Public Outreach Coordinator