This Week at Liberty
December 31, 2024
Hoots, Howls, and Hollers
Megan Mosby
Executive Director
Hopes (and Goals) for a New Year
With the New Year looming, I am compelled to look forward. At Liberty Wildlife, our accomplishments have been many and impressive, but I’ve never been one to be content with past successes alone. I am the forward-facing Janus now and want to make a pitch for what we are looking forward to.
In my world, goals are many. For instance, on the grandiose level, my simple goal is to elevate people’s appreciation of nature—especially in our urban environment. I know…I am certainly not the first one to wish for this, and hopefully, I won’t be the last one. But, to me it all starts there. Focusing on what we can do to improve the lives of things in the natural world would be so much easier and doable if everyone felt as passionate about this as we do at Liberty Wildlife.
Take advocacy for an example… A mini goal in this grandiose one would be to advocate for the removal of lead in ammunition. Notice that I didn’t say remove all ammunition. This isn’t about ending hunting, this is about the California condor that came in this past week, downed by ammunition it consumed from eating a carcass (its job in nature) left in the wild with lead shot. It, like so many others, had lead poisoning. And it’s a problem we’ve known about for a long time. So, replacing lead shot with an alternative is a simple way to increase the efforts of thousands of people—people who have dedicated their lives to bringing California condors back from the brink of extinction. And it’s a simple solution and a very important goal….advocate for the removal of lead in the environment!
And, while we are at it—there are ways to address the “screens” in our children’s lives. Let’s direct them to an increased awareness of the natural world. Growing up with screens and technology does not have to alienate a child from the natural world. Our goal is to create a program for 3rd to 6th grade students who become comfortable using technology to help connect with the essences in the natural world. There is an app for almost anything you are seeking in nature identification and engagement. It is a no brainer for today’s kids! They can identify, photograph, draw, paint and write about it…and ultimately advocate for and help nature. Let’s make technology a positive instead of the potential negative.
We hope (and plan) to grow our reach and our impact in everything we do. For example, we are working with our agents in Tucson to assist the plethora of hummingbirds that have needs for help from our human friends. These hummingbird rehabbers are dedicated and experienced and are having great luck at sending these birds in need on their ways as soon as possible. Great for the world of hummingbirds and great for nature lovers in the southern part of the state.
We aim to continue working in collaboration with others to improve our environment. We are working on research with various agencies to improve our care of wildlife in need. We are partnering with other organizations to educate the public about the importance of the river that runs through the Valley and the role it can play in providing important habitat for mammals, birds, reptiles and insects who depend on the riparian vegetation. In fact, our El Rio Vivo event on March 1st will shine a light on the importance of the river, past, present and future….put it on your calendar and watch for updates.
The return of the hooded oriole on his migration to my yard is a sign of hope. Forward-facing Janus responds with a relieved sigh. My hope for this year is that our goals to continue our successes and to grow them, grandiose as they may be, will engage more and more of you with the beauty and benefits of the natural world. Happy New Year to all of you from forward-facing Janus and the rest of the beings at Liberty Wildlife.
This Week @ Liberty
The intake total for the year is now up to 10,411.
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). Like the year before, it’s been an insane year (in a good way), though I have to admit, it’s nice to be done. Because with the close of this year, we begin anew, and I have high hopes for 2025. Between my own personal goals, as well as some work ones (because you have to have both, right?), I have a feeling 2025 is going to be my year. And you know what? I have a feeling it’s going to be your year, too.
So, thank you, for all the reading and time you’ve spent with us, thank you. I’d be remiss not to thank our volunteers, too; we wouldn’t be here without you!
2024: A Recap
It seems prudent that with such a stellar year I should highlight some of the amazing, incredible things we’ve seen (and done) in 2024. Here it goes!
January: A sharp-shinned hawk with a coracoid fracture (think collar bone) makes a rare appearance. Most often mistaken for a coopers hawk, these little accipiter’s are smaller (blue-jay sized) with a square tail with a white edge at the tips. Cage rest helped to heal the bone before this raptor was released.
February: First official babe of the 2024 baby season was…if you guessed barn owl, you’d be right! Barn owls are often some of the first kids we see (along with great horned owls), and usually indicate the hospital is about to be busy busy busy. While orphan care volunteers work to feed passerines, songbirds and the like, daily care volunteers work on feeding the raptors (with camo, of course) before these birds go outside to fosters.
March: A zone-tailed hawk, a rare bird indeed, came to Liberty Wildlife with a severe bout of canker. Unfortunately, due to the severity of the disease, the raptor didn’t make it, but, his feathers were able to be used by our Non-Eagle Feather Repository and sent to the Potawatomi Nation in St. Francisville, LA, where his spirit lives on.
April: A 10-week bald eagle was brought in after being stung by a hoard of bees. This spicy girl had an amazing recovery, and after spending several weeks in rehab, and then in a flight cage to build those flight muscles, she was released near her birth site at **
May: Hey, funny story, another eagle drops by, except it’s an eaglet! At only a few weeks old, this little guy came to us with a fractured leg. Midwestern used a splint to help heal the fracture, and after several weeks of rechecks and resplints, the fracture healed. After another few weeks to ensure he was eating well, he was sent to hang with another eaglet at Roosevelt Lake where the parents of the eaglet already there were said to have adopted our (not so little anymore) friend.
June: A horned lizard and her babe find their way to Liberty Wildlife, and as quickly as they made their appearance, were escorted right back up north to be released. Happy release day, guys!
July: A prairie falcon drops in and, after some time, we realize its canker that has affected this raptor. Surgery was performed to remove the lesion, and after several weeks in the hospital (and many treatments later), this bird was moved outside to our rehab flight cages. In fact, after being tagged by AZGFD, this bird is being released later today at the Santa Cruz Flats.
August: A ferruginous hawk who, unfortunately, had a run in with an electric pole, comes to Liberty Wildlife with a fractured right ulna (think forearm). Like our prairie falcon, this hawk stayed with us for several months before also being tagged by AZGFD and, days after, being released by one of our volunteers near Arlington, AZ.
September: A hoary bat is brought in, assessed, and transferred to the Arizona Bat Rescue (but makes for some good photos!).
October: Milagra is released!! Enough said (oh and an Elf Owl stopped at our wetlands for a needed break from the heat).
November: A teeny tiny adorable noodle (aka long nosed snake) was brought in using a coffee cup! This cute little dude had nothing wrong with him and was promptly released in a suitable environment near where he was originally found.
December: Probably one of my favorite stories of the year; a gopher snake who thought a golf ball was an egg (in his defense, it does look like an egg) was brought in by the public after being spotted on the golf course. Midwestern University was able to perform surgery, remove the golf ball, and this gorgeous creature is well on his way to recovery in ISO (warm, dark and quiet) and release.
Notable Mentions
It’s the last one of the year, folks!! And I’m going to get right to it. Without further ado, here are this week’s notable mentions:
Medical service volunteer Denise transfers a juvenile red-tailed hawk from triage to ICU (3 photos)
A wild Harris’s Hawk drops by to say hello! (2 photos)
Hey, I hung with Henry at the Desert Botanical Gardens for Las Noches de las Luminarias! (1 photo)
Quackers helps Dr. Lamb radiograph Cheese (1 photo – by Alex)
I would be remiss if I didn’t remind everyone public hours is still a go! We’re open every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am-1pm (fall hours) so make sure to drop by in 2025 to say hi to all your favorite animal ambassadors. Of course, this also means you’ll want to keep a lookout for more information on all our on-site events happening and everything else that’s bound to pop up as we move into a new year.
All I know is, I hope you have a happy, healthy, amazing, 2025!
Until next time!
More Posts from Liberty Wildlife
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