This Week at Liberty
July 1, 2025
Hoots, Howls, and Hollers
Megan Mosby
Executive Director
The Meaning of Freedom
I am going to do something I don’t often do… anthropomorphize a great horned owl and a Harris hawk…so yes, I will be assigning human characteristics like emotions and behaviors to non-human species… like hawks and owls. Sometimes I can’t help myself. Let me start at the beginning with the actual people who work at Liberty Wildlife. We are caring and dedicated to the mission of nurturing nature. That means we are charged with caring for injured, orphaned or ill native wildlife. The goal is always to fix them up and then free them…the perfect scenario.
An owl is brought in, as in the case of Tucker, the great horned owl, who through no fault of his own, one night ended up in the grill of a truck after being hit while he hunted for dinner along a roadside. The unsuspecting driver got home, parked the car in the garage and went to bed. The next morning to his horror, he found the poor great horned owl exhausted from struggling to try to attain freedom…to no avail. A rescue team from Liberty Wildlife went out, removed the grill from the car and disconnected the owl from its torturous position. Because of permanent head damage, he was deemed un-releasable. His ultimate freedom ended there and his story went a different direction. Tucker went on to physically heal and then became part of our educational ambassador team. But I can’t help but imagine the horrors and struggles that poor owl went through before he experienced a freedom of sorts from the clutches of the grill-like prison.
A different situation and another unfortunate bird, a Harris’ hawk who was found on the ground with three different kinds of ammo inflictions…yes, shot three times by three different guns. Now that is either unfortunate luck….or downright meanness.
The Harris’s hawk came into the care of the professionals at Liberty Wildlife. The x-rays showed damage, but it was damage that could be addressed favorably. But at this point the bird loses all control over what happens to him. He had no choice over where he is put in the hospital, no choice over who handles and touches him, no input on what food is supplied. Surgery resulted in anesthesia, which further lessened any control he had over anything at that point.
To me this situation sounds like some kind of imprisonment…necessary for his healing and an ultimate good outcome, but a situation where the hawk has no control or understanding. He sits and bides his time waiting to feel strong enough to hopefully orchestrate an escape.
The time comes when it is determined that he is strong enough to move to a flight cage to build muscles and test the successful outcome of all the medical procedures. So much time has gone by this creature seems almost resigned to the loss of his freedom. It can be disheartening for something seemingly so independent and fierce to be seemingly imprisoned and without a will. And, when it earns the ability to fly free again, it is easy for me to start assigning ever more anthropomorphic feelings to the bird.
What is freedom to it? When does it realize that it will be free, is free, will remain free? When I release a rehabilitated animal, it is so very easy for me to assign emotion to the event. I know I shouldn’t. But an aspirational sense of freedom is easy to assign to the “incarcerated” animal even if the process was necessary to help it heal. I know what I see when the animal looks back with no constraints, nothing blocking the way, no one else making all of the decisions, nothing standing between it and independence. That look says “I’m so outta here!” but I also sense its craving, its desire for the clear and unencumbered skies. And with that, I imagine, comes the taste of freedom. It is possible that one never forgets that flavor…that taste!
The Fourth of July is about independence and the sacrifices that are made to ensure the spirit of freedom…and to ensure that liberty will continue. My anthropomorphic tendencies toward these animals encompass these feelings of choice, and independence… for the hawk, the owl, the fox, or the coyote. I know I feel these things… so why wouldn’t it be the same for them?
Happy Fourth of July…Happy freedom to choose…happy to be free.
This Week @ Liberty
The intake total for the year is now up to 5890.
It’s about this time of year I sit and wonder…where am I going to go to beat this heat? I can’t even say it’s been that bad this year, because honestly, it hasn’t. Though we’ve reached those 100+ degree days, it seems a far cry from the temperatures we reached last year. Still, there’s lots of fun (and “cool”) spots to head to in Arizona. If you head to Flagstaff, you’ll see birds like the Stellar’s Jay, a Mountain Chickadee and a Violet-Green Swallow. If you decide on Pine-Strawberry, you might bear witness to a Purple Martin or a Western Tanager. The Grand Canyon? How about the notable California condor or a Greater Roadrunner?
Regardless what you decide, if you’re looking to beat the heat (or just get out of town) there’s lots of places not too far away where you can enjoy the great outdoors and get to see some amazing wildlife. It makes for a fantastic short weekend and one amazing adventure.
Common Kingsnake
Living in Arizona means you have seen, or will likely see, a snake. It’s one of those inevitable things about living in the desert (kind of like scorpions, you know?). As a wildlife rehab, we certainly see our fair share who come in with various injuries that need to be dealt with (remember the gopher snake who swallowed a golf ball in 2024? We do!). But sometimes, we find them strolling around on our property, wild as can be, hiding beneath water dishes or in the wetlands or any number of other places here on our six-acre campus.
Case in point: daily care volunteer Bob (from the Tuesday team) happened to spot a friend under one of the water dishes on our rehabilitation side. It’s always a little surprise when you lift a water dish and find one of these guys—especially that large—but Bob was quick to recognize what kind of snake this was, give it some space, and of course, take a photo.
Common Kingsnakes are great snakes to have around. Able to reach lengths of up to four feet, these striped/ringed/spotted snakes live across the west coast of North America in woodland chaparrals, grasslands, marshes and deserts (duh). Like many other snakes, they are considered diurnal (day shift) and feast on rodents, birds, other reptiles, and amphibians. And if you’re wondering why they’re called Kingsnakes, that’s because their most notable prey is, you guessed it, other snakes, including rattlesnakes! They’re immune to the venom, so it makes the meal worthwhile.
Even though Kingsnakes aren’t venomous and are considered constrictors, there are a lot of common traits between all snakes, regardless of how they go after their prey. Here are some fun facts about snakes:
- Snakes cannot self-regulate their body temperature. This is called poikilothermic; sitting for too long in the hot desert sun can kill them as much as sitting too long in the snow.
- Snakes can have anywhere from 175 to 400 vertebrae in their backbones
- Their scales are formed of keratin, the same material which forms our nails and hair (talons and beak for a bird, too!).
- Whether venomous or a constrictor, all snakes eat the same: they swallow their prey whole. The lower jaw is not a solid bone, and is connected in front by an elastic ligament that allows the jaw to stretch apart. Sharp, recurved teeth hold their prey, head first usually, and begin a seesaw kind of movement, which then begins the process of digestion (enzymes in the snakes mouth are released as soon as a snake begins to swallow their food). As the food passes through the mouth, alternative muscular contractions help to relax the esophagus, which then pushes the food into the stomach.
Always remember to keep an eye out for snakes out there; a gopher snake is friendly, but often times looks like a rattlesnake (so always make sure you’re aware of which they are before you approach…with caution). And of course, I always recommend keeping your distance regardless, they’re just doing their thing, after all!
Notable Mentions
I don’t need to tell you that it’s hot out there, folks! Make sure you’re staying hydrated as much as you can, this heat is no joke. With that being said, public visiting hours continue for the month of July on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9am-11am, with our education side closed for the month of August. Our intake window continues throughout the summer, to take in injured wildlife 7 days a week, from 8am-6pm.
Without further ado, here are this week’s notable mentions:
- An osprey is found in a park on the ground and brought. Medical service volunteers Amyra and Reilly assess (5 pictures)
- A public rescuer gets creative in transporting a barn owl to Liberty Wildlife (there were lots of holes at the top for air) (1 picture)
As always, thanks so much for taking the time to hang with us here at Liberty Wildlife. We appreciate you and all you do!
Until next time!
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