This Week at Liberty
December 17, 2024
Hoots, Howls, and Hollers
Megan Mosby
Executive Director
Holiday Gifts for the Earth
Are you making your lists and checking them twice? Aside from naughty and nice, have you given thought to the wildlife in your surroundings…particularly your feathered friends? I, of course, want to help them out since they might have trouble with their own lists.
No matter where you live, you undoubtedly have feathered neighbors. Some have more problems than others in foraging for food in the cold winters, so you can help them out by fashioning an outside Holiday Tree with avian safe ornaments. Sliced oranges, apples and healthy nuts and suet can make for a colorful, festive tree and can attract hungry birds in for a snack.
If you are somewhat handy and resourceful you can create garlands to hang about the yard made of grapes, popcorn, healthy raw nuts and other fruits. Dipping pinecones into peanut butter and then rolling them through birdseed to hang in a nearby tree will let you watch them be consumed by neighboring birds. But, keep in mind that you should always avoid any use of tinsel, netting, or the likes of fishing line that could result in a tangled up bird that unknowingly stepped where it shouldn’t have.
The scarcity of food in the winter as prey goes underground or to warmer climates (insects aren’t scurrying around, and sources dry up), is reason enough to add wild birds to your holiday shopping list. While you are at it, don’t forget the importance of clean water. In colder climates with the possibility of freezing water, you might consider a water heating element in bird baths so a thirsty critter doesn’t run into an ice covered source of water just when it needed it….no time to wait for it to thaw for a busy bird.
If you are using a live tree, one bought from a commercial tree lot, or one legally cut from the forest, remember to recycle it when possible. It could be firewood for your personal use; it could be material for a wreath or garland stored away safely for next year; it could be mulch for your garden; or carefully cut up and piled neatly in the back yard for sheltering other wildlife. Don’t forget composting as a possible recycling option.
Also, on your list might be items for birders of all ages. There are so many items to encourage a young child to take up birding as a hobby. Get them outside in nature as a fun thing to do. There are bird books, apps for identifying birds by sight and sound. And journals abound to help them document their experiences and books galore to feed their interests.
More experienced birders might find the hi-tech options intriguing. Infrared wildlife cameras, trail cameras, bird feeder cameras are all over the market. Smart bird feeders with cameras allow an enthusiast to watch on a phone, to see what has visited the bird feeder at any given moment. Less technical gifts of binoculars, bird books, and bird houses abound either online or at a local wild bird store…just at your fingertips…easy peasy.
And lastly, don’t forget to think about your non-profit organizations that work to make the lives of wildlife better at all times, and not just at the holidays. You can even make a gift in the name of that particular friend or loved one who’s so hard to buy for! Liberty Wildlife makes it easy to give someone an annual membership, or make a gift in their name – and we’ll send them a special note that it’s been done.
On behalf of all our wildlife neighbors, I thank you in advance for adding wildlife to your list.
Happy holidays to one and all.
This Week @ Liberty
The intake total for the year is now up to 10,340.
Every year, I tell myself I’m going to start shopping for the holiday in November so I’m done in December and all that’s needed is to wrap. Well, like most every year before this, that definitely didn’t happen. Instead, I’ve done what I’ve always done, which is online shop until my eyeballs are falling out and grinning with excitement when packages show up at my door (there’s so many that a Llama could show up and honestly…I wouldn’t even be surprised).
Either way, I’m just about done with the craziness that is gift buying. And like Liberty Wildlife, that means slowing down enough to catch my breath and have a moment of peace before it starts back up in 2025. Hopefully, all of you are able to do the same (and happy holidays to you and yours!).
Peregrine Falcons and "Broken" Limbs
Peregrine falcons are one of those birds you hear about but don’t often see (unless you’re really out looking for them). Known as the fastest animal in the entire world (they can dive at speeds of 240 mph), these raptors are one of the most widespread birds in the entire world. In fact, they can be found on every continent except Antarctica, and the northern most populations in northern Canada have one of the longest migrations of any bird of prey (it’s almost a 15,000 mile hike, round trip!). Coupled with their long talons, all these attributes allow them to hunt other birds (like pigeons and doves). It’s why many will make their homes in the middle of a city, like downtown Phoenix; the buildings act as cliffs, on which they can breed and nest, and they have plenty of food to go around.
This peregrine falcon, unfortunately, found herself here with…well, can you guess why? Medical service volunteers Susie and Becky did radiographs upon intake. What you’re looking for is a luxating (dislocated/moving out of place) joint in the wing, and, admittedly, this one took me a minute to find. Were you able to see it? If you guessed the right elbow, you’d be correct! And, much like a fracture, this requires the wing to be bandaged to allow the joint to heal appropriately.
Which, for now, is exactly what she’s doing. Coupled with some anti-inflammatories to assist with the healing process, this peregrine falcon will remain with us until she’s ready to be moved outside, where she can stretch her wings and get strong again, before being released back out into the wild.
Little steps, sure, but little steps make for big progress in the end.
Little Red
Found in the southwest of the United States, the males (like this one) are a brilliant red that’s not hard to spot. Known to hang out on shrubs and the tops of fences, these flycatchers will burst off their perch with sudden speed to catch insects. Crickets, honeybees and beetles are all parts of their diet, including grasshoppers and butterflies (the large ones they will take back to their perch, hit against said perch, then ingest).
If you’re out looking for these little guys, open country in the desert is a good place to start. Farmlands, scrublands, canyons, and valleys with water nearby are also really good spots to check out.
Basically, where the insects hang, that’s where these little dudes will be.
After hitting a window, this flycatcher came to us with a bit of a headache and some minor head trauma (typical of a window strike). An anti-inflammatory was given to help with the head trauma; he was also placed in a warm, dark, quiet, location. Once improvement shows, our volunteers will be able to get him back out to do the little flycatcher things he should be doing.
And, for anyone who has had a bird hit one of their windows, I would always advise to let the bird have a moment before picking them up to bring in. Sometimes, all they need is a minute to gather themselves together before they’re off again. If, after an hour or so, the bird hasn’t moved or appears to have some head tracking (disjointed movement of the head), that would be your sign to bring them in straight away so we can work our magic and get them back out into the wild.
Notable Mentions
It just hit me that I only have one more blog to write for 2024! Then we’ll be in the throes of another year, which means new birds, new cases, and new stories. We’ll be ending the year with over 10,000 intakes, which means all of you have made a huge impact on our Arizona wildlife because most of those animals were brought in by, you guessed it, you.
Thank you! I know I’ve said it a million times before, but it’s worth saying again; we wouldn’t be here without you.
Without further ado, here are this week’s notable mentions:
A red-tailed hawk is moved outside from ICU (3 pictures)
Arya the red-tailed hawk sunbathes on campus after eating her breakfast (1 picture)
Beetlejuice the California kingsnake gets some sun before saying hello to a field trip (1 picture)
Liberty Wildlife’s Christmas Tree @ night (in the lobby!) (1 picture – taken by Deb)
Remember public visiting hours are still going strong on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-1pm. We will be closed on Christmas day, including our intake window. We’ll resume normal hours the following day for intake (8am-6pm) and that Saturday for public hours.
Until next time!
More Posts from Liberty Wildlife
October 22, 2024
For anyone who knows me well, they know I am not a huge fan of shopping. I’m not good at perusing—I want to get in, get my stuff, and leave. It’s mostly the reason I online shop now.
December 31, 2024
Well, it’s official. 2024 is coming to an end, and it appears we’ve pushed well in to the 10,000+ intake range (the super official number will be given in the next blog, since we’re still taking in animals for the remainder of the day).
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