This Week at Liberty
May 19, 2026
Hoots, Howls, and Hollers
Megan Mosby
Executive Director
A Barn Raising
It is hard to believe that we have been in our campus for 10 years this July. A lot has happened in those ten years and for the most part it has been good. A few things have been replaced, repaired, reordered but the trees and vegetation have blossomed and grown and the campus today is lovely.
However, like everyone else living in the southwestern deserts, the elements can rule. Ole Mr. Sun has done a number on our rehabilitation enclosures, and the time arrived to address the needs.
A True “Eagle” Project
As a result, this past weekend I learned some things. Two events occurred. The first one centered around an Eagle Scout project that was designed to add insulation to an Orphan Care Annex that we added a few years ago to help with the thousands of baby wildlife we take in every spring. We totally underestimated the number of orphans that would be turned in to us in a given year and to rectify that oversight we added this annex. As it turned out the roof needed more insulation to deal with the heat…fans just weren’t enough. So, the scouts arrived Saturday morning…all of them…at about 6:30 am to take on the project of insulating that roof. There were no grumbles about emptying the room or idle equipment and caging or moving the existing orphans to the side while one ceiling was done and then moving them back to finish the other side. It needed to be done, so it was. The popup tents housed the different groups attending to painting, cutting and sizing, and then installing. The spirits were good; the help was organized and dutiful and they accomplished their goal. Next Saturday they will come back and finish the painting and final touches, and before the heat becomes too much of an issue, the roof/ceiling will be complete. YAY!
A Weekend of Work
At the same time, we enlisted other volunteers and staff in the task of refurbishing our rehabilitation enclosures, from the damage resulting from the relentless work of the sun. This is a huge project. The job was to replace warped and deteriorating plywood, sun damaged wood strips and enclose each bank of cages with wire to address continually buckling lath. And, to my eyes this was a great beginning. A group of stalwart souls, volunteers and friends with tools, came together, to begin the task. Dressed for the heat, festooned with water bottles and sun protective hats the task started. On Sunday, a different crew, for the most part, showed up with tools and appropriate protective gear and continued the task.
There are still more enclosures and more jobs that will continue for the next two weekends. It is amazing how much we learn about how to “live” in our space and though we learn as we go, we are hoping we have addressed these mean rays from the sun…and that ten years from now we won’t be doing exactly the same thing…but who knows…
My Takeaways
I took away a lot of things from this experience. First, the Eagle Scout program is a very valuable project from both the scouts’ viewpoint and the beneficiary recipients of their labor. On our team Chris Sar spearheaded the organizing of the project’s initiation. The Scouts learn the skill of project management, a powerful lesson to learn for a high school student. Applying those lessons to life situations going forward is a win-win as I see it. And, seeing the rest of our renovation projects in action from our own staff is just rewarding. Jan Miller and Alex Stofko made their usual great team work. Working together they figured out the damage needing repair, and the supplies needed. They shopped together…and Alex brought in the dedicated volunteers for last weekend and for the two remaining weekends in May. Jan functioned as the Project Manager for the group…so many moving parts…so positive of an attitude…a continuing work of art. What a great team.
I felt like I was at a barn raising event…what a great day! My thanks go to all of you, and you know who you are. You came together in a positive and productive way to make up for the relentless destruction from the elements. You all rock!
This Week @ Liberty
The intake total for the year is now up to 4770.
Over the weekend, I reached adult adulthood-I turned 40! Which is crazy, because I feel 20, but then when I hang with 20-year-olds I realize I am, in fact, definitely 40.
When I really think of it, it’s insane to consider what I’m doing with my life now. I can safely say I never expected to have an opportunity to volunteer at a rehabilitation center; I definitely never thought it was a career option or that I’d have the opportunity to say yes to that career option. Yet, here I am, moving into my fourth year as staff, continuing to learn something new everyday and gain new experiences in the process.
It’s quite incredible, and reflecting on these past few years, I think about what would have happened if I hadn’t taken that leap? If I’d chosen to close that webpage instead of fill out the information and apply on that random weekday so many years ago.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, thank you. To everyone who reads the blog, to everyone who cares about our wildlife and brings them to our doors for care, thank you. I might not know you personally, but I can say we all feel that love every day we’re here and working with these animals.
By: Acacia Parker | Public Outreach Coordinator
Bath time
Bath time is essential to all creatures. We’ve all got our routine; some are quick and to the point, some take their time, and some even bathe in dust (I’m looking at you, chinchillas). But with bones so buoyant they tend to float, with feathers that are strong and durable and lightweight enough to get on the ground, how do birds get their spa day done?
One way they do that is by preening. This is when a bird (with quite a few more vertebrae in their neck to allow for the motion to do this) run their feathers through their bills. From the very base of the feather to the very tip, this action helps in smoothing their feathers, cleaning dirt and debris and tiny parasites, and yes, even helps when they do take baths to keep those feathers clean.
Bath time can look different for all birds, too. Roadrunners like to bathe in dust (they can get down and dirty with it, too!) which helps to remove grease as they preen; some hummingbirds like to find leaves with rainwater on them; while others, like our city birds, are just fine to find what they can and get it done.
The action, for the most part, remains the same. While standing in shallow water, a bird will fluff their feathers, spread their wings and tail feathers, and dip their haunches into the water and splash it all over their backs. They put their chest into this as well, and by keeping their feathers spread and rolling back and forth in said shallow water, will get the water onto the base of their feathers and onto their skin (which gets their feathers nice and shiny and clean).
And then, of course, you get the rain. In our hot summer months, our volunteers come to “mist” down the birds (like a nice spring rain) and some of them get really into it. Juvenile great horned owls are amazing at this and often will “dance” in the mist by spreading those wings and getting themselves sopping wet before flying to a perch to dry off.
It’s a fun thing to watch, simply because they’re living in the moment and enjoying it. In our busy months, I hope we can all take a minute to do just that (and hey, if you’re feeling it, spread those wings, too!).
By: Acacia Parker | Public Outreach Coordinator
Notable Mentions
It’s almost the end of May, and we’re well into our baby bird season. As a reminder, public hours are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday’s from 9am-11am, and our intake window is open rain or shine from 8am-6pm. We’ll be closed to the public in August (don’t worry, I’ll remind you), but will remain open for intakes as always.
Without further ado, here are this weeks’ notable mentions:
- People get creative in their carriers! Someone managed to wrangle a red-tailed hawk into two milk crates, then zip tie them together, to bring them to Libert Wildlife (2 pictures)
- A gila monster with a fractured leg hangs in Triage as the leg heals (2 pictures)
- A juvenile Harris’s hawk goes outside for further care (1 picture)
- Three nestling barn owls go outside to foster parents (1 picture)
- A juvenile great horned owl awaits assessment and let’s me know who’s boss! (1 picture)
As always, thanks so much for caring for our native wildlife here in Arizona. Keep up the good work!
Until next time!
By: Acacia Parker | Public Outreach Coordinator
More Posts from Liberty Wildlife
June 17, 2025
Reposted from Shelley Amber on our social media page… and her kind words need to be shared.
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