This Week at Liberty

I’m not sure about you, but my morning walk with the pups has been extra special—and not just because we’re seeing a dip in temperature. Bird migration is in full swing, meaning lots and lots of different kinds of birds moving south for their winter stay (literal snowbirds, am I right?). There is a male Vermilion Flycatcher in the park by my house who is quick to zoom around and catch bugs while I walk by (and, of course, give me a wonderful show in the process). We’re also seeing different types of warblers, vireos, and other flycatchers, too.

Here at Liberty Wildlife, if those birds prove they can fly and there’s nothing wrong with them during their assessment, they’re released immediately. They’re on the move, and we want them to get back out there!

But this time of year also brings those raptors who are heading south. Swainsons Hawks flock in the hundreds of thousands to head to Argentina for their winter stay before heading back up north to breed in the spring. Peregrine Falcons who find themselves in the far north of North American will head south, too, keeping close to the cliffs and mountains where they utilize the terrain for hunting birds.

Rare Sighting

While there are a whole lot of other species doing the same right now, I must take some time to talk about another visitor we had. These birds don’t tend to migrate, in fact they’re used to staying in their respective region year-round, the fact is it’s rare to see this kind of raptor in this area. It’s not entirely unheard of and yes, sometimes these guys do migrate. Not only did I see one last week, but he/she was right outside of Liberty Wildlife on a street pole, just hanging and doing their thing.

I know I haven’t given many clues as to who this bird is, so I’ll just go ahead and let you off the hook—it’s a black vulture! I was so excited—and unsure of this find—I had to get out of my car as I was leaving here to get a closer look and get a picture to confirm I was seeing what I thought was seeing.

Found mostly in the southeastern and southern parts of Arizona, these new-world vultures are similar in regards to their red-headed cousin, the turkey vulture. They do, however, have a different beak shape, their heads are black, and they’ve got a shorter, square tail and black wings with light wingtips. Like their cousins, they feast on carrion—dead stuff! They’re nature’s clean-up crew, and they do a fantastic job of helping prevent the spread of disease. They even tend to watch their cousin to see if they’re finding carrion first, then follow suite to catch a bite.

You Can Help the Migrating Birds

Now back to the migration part: with hundreds of millions of birds moving down south, you might be asking how you can help. Since these birds are moving mostly at night (cooler temperatures), turning off nighttime lights helps to prevent window collisions, and using stickers and other things on said windows can help with that, too. You can also provide food (seed/fruit), water and native plants for these guys to make a quick pit stop, too.

Another good action is to keep your cat indoors, as well as to skip any pesticides you might be using in your garden.

And no matter what, make sure to keep an eye out for all these fun migrating birds making their way through Arizona, there’s a lot to see!

Interested in seeing what might be flying through? Check out BirdCast – Bird migration forecasts in real-time to check them out!

By: Acacia Parker | Public Outreach Coordinator