This Week at Liberty

As I step out of my door at the crack of dawn, I am serenaded by a cacophony of tunes. In my non-professional opinion, they are “cute tunes”. While I know that isn’t a descriptor found in the bird identification books, all the same, that is what it makes me think. There must be a cute bird up in that mesquite in the mating mood. There is that synchronicity with the paloverdes in my yard that attracts insects and their predators, Lucy’s warblers, to bless my mornings. To me they are the signal to start looking for the migrants to show up. (Check out their calls on the All About Birds page of Cornell Labs. Or download the Merlin app to your smartphone).

I am betting that you have heard it also. I am not one of those “bird by ear” impressive pros who can identify birds by sound solely without the laying of eyes on the subject…but over time I have learned to recognize the sounds of a few neighborhood birds. Lucy is one of them.

Plain Ol’ Lucy
Lucy’s warbler was named after the daughter of a well-known ornithologist, but it is also called the desert warbler or the mesquite warbler based on the territory they inhabit. They are one of the first species in my neighborhood to show up in the spring. They are not flashy by sight…plain old gray with a little white on its belly and a rufous rump and a rufous crown on its head that I have rarely seen…but it is said to have one. They are relatively small and difficult to see except when they are singing and foraging by bouncing around looking for insects in the shady branches of the mesquite or paloverde trees. It is the song that I am drawn to, making it easy to spot them in those morning hours….and it sounds like they are everywhere.

Without getting into the strange ‘spring’ that we are having this year, it is safe to say, that one of my main harbingers of spring is the sound of Lucy’s warblers resonating from the trees around my house and neighborhood. It is a sign of babies to come, new visitors to my fountains and my eternal wait for the hooded oriole to return to my yard. If the Lucys’ have arrived can my oriole friend be far behind?

A Sign of the Season
We are certainly aware of the trials and tribulations around what we at Liberty Wildlife call the orphan season. We add to our volunteer jobs; we open up our dedicated Orphan Care building; and we welcome all of our newest young patients. These young orphans, if they are truly orphaned will be cared for until readied for release. There is always a caveat during this tricky time…is it kidnapping or rescuing? We applaud the caring people who, after calling and checking if they are doing the right thing, evaluate whether or not a baby needs to be rescued and if so, take the time to bring it in. We do this, while encouraging patience. Helpers should be aware of the parent’s ‘hard wiring’ that demands that they take care of their babies….no matter what. If mom can raise them, it is best for everyone concerned.

So, as you step outside tomorrow morning…listen for the sweet sounds of the harbinger of spring, Lucy’s warbler and let them remind you of the productivity afforded by the blossoming of the trees (despite the onset of allergies), the attraction of the insects, and the productivity that comes with the spring…and mostly tune into the connectivity of everything.