This Week at Liberty
January 27, 2026
Hoots, Howls, and Hollers
Megan Mosby
Executive Director
Accomplishments This Past Year
The beginning of the year is a great time to look back at the accomplishments of the past year with the intent of always surpassing and doing better in the current year. This year is no exception. With that in mind, let me review with you some of the many things that made this past year a great one!
Our original purpose was wildlife rehabilitation. The past year reflected the efforts of our stellar hospital staff and volunteers who took care of 9,259 animals, 4,466 of whom were orphaned. Our facility size increased by the addition of 4 new 55 ft by 10 ft flight enclosures and the acquisition of a new endoscope. Our veterinary education resulted in 13 Midwestern University students completing a month-long rotation in our hospital under the guidance of veterinarians from Midwestern, along with the expertise of our existing staff.
Our second mission created early on is education of the public related to the beauty and benefits of wildlife. This year our very active educators provided 118 non-eagle educational booths to the community. Eagle presentations in a booth or presentation format numbered 69. On site we provided 266 presentations, in hotels another 267 presentations (both flight shows and regular programs), our media exposure numbered 19 and regular presentations (non-eagle) added 56 to the annual efforts to give the public a “birds eye view” of our education ambassadors. Frosting on the cake was the opening of our mammal enclosures introducing Bobbi the bobcat, Benji the raccoon, and Groot the coatimundi and Bisbee, the ring tail who will be moving in to his new digs soon.
Lastly, and our newest inclusion to our mission is the Non-Eagle Feather Repository whose mission is to distribute feathers to Native Americans belonging to Federally recognized tribes for religious and ceremonial purposes. To date, the LWNEFR has shipped 7,389 feather orders to Native Americans representing 255 tribes located in 46 states. In 2025, LWNEFR filled and shipped 710 applications to Native Americans representing 159 tribes located in 40 states. The top 4 Tribes to receive feathers in 2025 are 1. Hopi, 2. Navajo Nation, 3. Cherokee, 4. Pueblo. The top four states to receive feathers in 2025 are 1. Arizona, 2. California 3. Oklahoma, 4. New Mexico.
These are impressive but not totally inclusive. Many changes, additions, and upgrades have occurred during the year…too many to list. You will have to come and see for yourself. Please know that these accomplishments are ours because of the wonderful support we get from you. You make it happen and for that we are eternally grateful.
Thank you!
This Week @ Liberty
The intake total for the year is now up to 208.
I hate to always talk about the weather…but I’m going to talk about the weather. All these winter storms and snow are making me so very grateful we live here in Arizona. Is it windy and cold here? Absolutely. But the good news is, it’s not so gross and cold we can’t continue to live our best lives out here in the valley of the sun. And trust me when I tell you, those friends who are enduring the cold-cold are getting sunny pictures from me (and they’re not happy about it).
Either way, hopefully that means you are, too. There’s so many great hiking spots in Phoenix and the surrounding area, I hope you’re enjoying it now while we have the nice weather to do it. Because we all know, sooner rather than later, those hot temps will be creeping in and we’ll be the ones inside when the rest of the country is out enjoying their own beautiful slice of heaven.
By: Acacia Parker | Public Outreach Coordinator
Saw-what?
If I’ve said it once I’ll say it again; there’s always something new happening at Liberty Wildlife. And not just new in the sense of some kind of new event or new project. I’m talking about animals who come through our doors in need of care. There’s been a few firsts for me; an eastern red bat, an elf owl, a spadefoot toad…and now I can add another to the list—a northern saw-whet owl!
Don’t let the tiny-ness fool you, though. These are mighty, nocturnal hunters, and they are quite fierce. Found in the US and into southern parts of Canada, these little owls aren’t often seen and more often heard with their “saw” like hoot. They prefer mature forest habitats with dense conifers and rivers close by. They don’t mind plantations or savannahs, either, and are often found migrating down to the southern US to hang in dense, winter forests there.
While their most common prey are deer mice and white-footed mice, they’ve been known to go after shrews, pocket mice, voles, bats, and even juveniles of larger animals like pocket gophers and squirrels.
Fun fact: despite that this owl is quite common in forests with mature trees throughout the US, their nocturnal and secretive nature make it difficult to get a true count on their numbers. These same types of forests are under pressure for development and logging, so it’s assumed their numbers have declined over the years but are not listed of special concern (in most states). These little owls do, however, take to nest boxes regularly, so if you’re in an area with thick, dense trees, you’re welcome to put one up and see what you might get!
For now, this saw-whet owl is hanging here in ICU and is “working” with the Midwestern university team. With a fractured radius/ulna and damage to the left eye, time is needed to heal both. We’ll keep a careful watch, but we’re rooting for a full recovery to get this fierce hunter back out where he needs to be.
Notable Mentions
It’s that time again! As always at this time of the year, we’re open to the public Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday’s from 10am-1pm. Our intake window is open 7 days a week from 8am-6pm, so make sure if you find an injured animal to drop them off whenever is convenient for you. While there are definitely some things coming up in the next couple of months, for now, here are this week’s notable mentions:
- An osprey, found on the ground, drops in for assessment (5 pictures)
- A teeny tiny mouse gets milk from a paint brush (1 picture)
- Another wedding takes place on a gorgeous, cold, Arizona night! (1 picture)
Thanks so much for taking the time to read, as well as your continued effort to help nurture and rescue Arizona’s wildlife.
Until next time!
More Posts from Liberty Wildlife
February 25, 2025
It is finally here! The second annual El Rio Vivo event at Liberty Wildlife. For those of you who didn’t make it last year, let me clue you in.
September 10, 2024
I know I’ve been a broken record this year in talking about taking time off to explore the world and get back to nature.
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