Megan Mosby
Executive Director
What A Difference A Year Makes
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, we were buried under the constraints and hardships of the hideous tendrils of HPAI. Protocols were instituted that put hardships on everyone…many are still practiced…all to put the quietus on the spread of the virus. Staff and volunteers were temporarily unrecognizable as they donned protective wear. Buildings, rooms, and entrances were set up with footbaths, and all precautions were taken from clean rooms to quarantined spaces…all because of the little, deadly creature. Who would have known that out of the horrors of the time, one of our highlight moments would arise?
At the height of the epidemic, a mother condor (no. 316) died from HPAI, while sitting an egg. It was decided that the father wouldn’t be able to successfully hatch the egg and raise a baby by himself. The Peregrine Fund biologists climbed to the nest and retrieved the egg. It was taken to Flagstaff where it was picked up and transferred to our hospital to hopefully be brooded and hatched at our hospital.
Needless to say, this was a first for us. We had experience hatching other eggs from other species, eagles to hawks, owls to songbirds…but never anything as “precious” as an egg from an endangered species under attack by an insidious virus. Frightening and exhilarating are the two words that come to mind. All of this a year ago…..but then…
On, May 8, 2023 it began to pip. If egg hatching hasn’t been in your experience…you might want to fix that. When I saw it the first time, the arduous task of a baby bird pecking its way out of an egg designed to protect it until the right time…well, the torturous process makes me wonder how there is a bird in the sky or a chicken on the grill…it is tough. I’m instilled with a new respect for the job of escape from an egg. And this was the egg of an endangered species under a new and foreign assault. The worries of the world were significant.
Cut to the important stuff—after a day of struggle and with a staff assist from our veterinarian avian expert, Dr. Stephanie Lamb, on May 9th last year, Milagra (Miracle) made her great escape and came into the world of threats everywhere. Everywhere, that is, except at Liberty Wildlife where everyone involved sprang into saving mode watching as she labored to make it into the new world and away from the safety of the shell. “It hatched” rang through the building, the phone lines, the internet, and anywhere we could shout it. For the next week or so she was fed by a “a stuffed animal puppet” condor, through the disguised hands of a camouflaged medical services staff until she was ready to be transferred to live condor foster parents at The Peregrine Fund in Boise, Idaho. A private jet flew Dr. Lamb and Milagra to the Boise facility to meet her new parents.
Success! She is now a year old on May 9, 2024, looking like an adult condor in all of her splendor. She was raised, all but the time at Liberty Wildlife by wild condors. She has spent her time since fledging with brother and sister condors learning the ways to succeed in the wild. It is our hope beyond all hopes that she will replace her mother in our Arizona flock to be released at the Vermilion Cliff during fall 2024’s release.
Happy Birthday, Milagra! Come home, live long, and prosper. Thank you for the wonderful experience you provided to all of us at Liberty Wildlife….you are the spirit of hope rising from the morass of dismay.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
Emily Dickinson
This Week @ Liberty – May 7, 2024
I say this every year…is it seriously already May? I feel like it was just yesterday I was writing the first blog of 2024; now I’m writing the ninth. Though I know that just comes with being an adult—a busy one, at that, like many of us—I find myself trying to remember to take a deep breath and take it all in. It’s easy to get caught up in the hubbub of everyday life; how could it not be? With the commute, the busyness of the day, and everything in between, it can be hard to sit down, look at what you got, and be grateful for all that you have.
So, if you need a moment, or even a reminder, here it is. Go out for that quick morning walk; put your phone down before dinner and have some good conversation; watch the sunset not because you have to, but because you can. Like everything else we make a conscious effort to do, it’s always worth the time.
Moves Around the Hospital
Well, it seems I’ve done a few “new intake” sections since 2024 started. While I don’t deny those are certainly worthwhile to see, I believe moves around the hospital are good to see, too. And if you’ve ever wondered why I don’t always do these…well, keeping up with 10,000+ animals who come through our doors can be quite a chore! There’s a lot of moving parts here at Liberty Wildlife, and unfortunately, I’m only one person…but that doesn’t mean I can’t try!
Here are some recent moves/updates for some of our patients around the hospital:
- A Great Horned Owl receives a replacement split for a fractured leg thanks to Midwestern Veterinarians
- A nestling Western Screech Owl is recently moved from ICU (after being monitored for self-feeding) out to foster parents on our rehabilitation side
- The eaglet gets his own enclosure outside near Laddie, an adult Bald Eagle who he can see and hear throughout the day (and my, oh my, look at that full crop!)
- A Gilded Flicker gets moved around in Orphan Care before being placed outside
- A nestling Great Horned Owl has his eyes checked before being moved from ICU to foster moms on the education side
Cactus Wren’s
If you’ve been reading for any length of time, you’ll know there are any number of stories that accompany the animals who come through our door. Some are simple; they’ve been found on the ground and need assistance, and rescuers are able to get to them quickly to bring them to Liberty Wildlife. Others have move intricate stories; like nestling Barn Owls who took a trip from CA to AZ because their mom had nested in hay bales…and, of course, weren’t noticed until said bales were being moved.
These little Cactus Wren’s are on the latter of these kinds of stories. The rescuer who brought them here explain they received a tree to plant in their front yard, all ready to go for the landscapers to get to the next day. Well, the owners of this new tree believed they heard some sounds coming from the tree, and went to investigate.
Low and behold, they were right. In their new tree (my apologies as I didn’t get the kind of tree) a nest was found…with three nestling Cactus Wren’s inside. With mom and dad nowhere near, unfortunately, the owner moved into action. She was able to remove the complete nest, place it in a transport box, and bring it, and the kids, to Liberty Wildlife.
After being assessed—all are in good health! —the kids have been moved to Orphan Care, where their getting round the clock care. Once their old enough to be out on their own, we’ll be able to release them back out into the wild, where they’ll be able to do all the fun Cactus Wren things Cactus Wren’s do!
Cooper’s Hawks: New Hatchlings
Remember how I keep saying we have a lot of babies? Well, we have a lot of babies. And, you guessed, it we have more!
These Cooper’s Hawk eggs were brought to us a few weeks ago, and have been hanging in one of our incubators since then. With an even temperature and consistent movement, two began pipping (when a young bird cracks its shell) just a few days ago, with two more pipping as of last night. Once this process begins, the process can last anywhere from twelve to thirty six hours; anything after that, and our volunteer veterinarians will step in to help the little one out.
Cooper’s Hawks, like most birds of prey, look like adorable, tiny bobble heads. Their completely uncoordinated, and haven’t quite gotten the hang of lifting their heads to find their food from “mom” (mom being a stuff animal with tweezers while we wear camo, and remain quiet, while feeding).
Even so, Cooper’s Hawks are fearless, powerful raptors. As an accipiter (a raptor with short, broad wings and long legs, adapted for fast flight through wooded areas) these young kids will eventually grow up to eat other birds—like pigeons and doves. While you’ll usually find them in woodland areas, there are plenty who’ve learned city life isn’t so bad…in fact, they’re known to hang around bird feeders, waiting for their prey to approach before attacking.
Sometime soon, like all the other kiddos, these littles will go outside with a foster mom. From there, she’ll raise these kids, wild them up and teach them how to do what Cooper’s Hawks do, before we release them back out into the wild.
It’s certainly a fun process to watch!
Notable Mentions
You’ve made it! Thanks, as always, for being here with us and all that Liberty Wildlife entails. If you haven’t heard yet, we’re on our summer hours; Public Hours are still on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, but we’re open from 9am-11am (and donation only!). As per usual, we will be closed in August, not only because it’s hot, but we have plenty of things to fix around our 6-acre campus!
Without further ado, here are this week’s notable mentions:
- Millie decided this specific piece of wood was unacceptable…it has since been fixed (1 picture)
- Hatchling Curve-Billed Thrasher fell from his nest and is now in the care of Orphan Care (1 picture)
- Animal Ambassador Stella, the Western Screech Owl, lays an (unviable) egg (1 picture)
- Yes, another of Millie, hanging on her perch and being adorable, as always (1 picture)
- Midwestern CVT Hollie cleans a wound on a Desert Cottontail before placing sutures (1 picture)
Thanks for all you do for our animals here in Arizona, and for Liberty Wildlife! Keep an eye out for events that might pop up…fall will happen before we know it!
Until next time!
Posted by Acacia Parker
Public Outreach Coordinator