This Week at Liberty

The story of 24-7116, a female ferruginous hawk, began with us on July 2, 2024. She presented as a massive buteo, the largest of our soaring hawks. She was brought in to us from the Seligman area along the old Route 66. Her injuries, after assessment by our veterinary staff, suggested possible electrical contact.

• The right ulna (a bone in the wing) was also fractured, probably the result of the fall resulting from the electric shock.
• There was bruising on the chest.
• Feathers singed on the top of her head.
• Scabbing on the bottom of her talons.

She was treated with antibiotics to avoid infection at the open fracture, anti-inflammatory meds to help with swelling and pain, vasodilators to help the blood flow, fluids, and then the wing was wrapped to stabilize the break in the ulna.

Fast forwarding two weeks, we saw significant improvement with none of the sloughing which is typical of electric injuries. She was then taken off the vasodilators and the wing wrap was changed regularly. Physical therapy started in week three, when the wraps were changed. By week 5, the fracture was healed and Number 24-7116 was moved outside to a flight cage to continue the physical therapy on her own. By early fall it was clear that she was recovered and would be released back into the wild.

Biologists from Arizona Game and Fish, who monitor the raptor populations here, fitted her with a band with a number unique to her for future information regarding the success of her rehabilitation. She also was outfitted with equipment that allowed them to follow her activity. In November, she was released back into the wild by longtime Liberty Wildlife volunteer, Claudia, at an area where other ferruginous hawks had been seen in the southern part of the state…a traditional migration area for ferruginous hawks. Her migration home would start there.

Arizona Game and Fish continued to monitor her progress as she traveled back to the Seligman area…home. As always, our hope is that she will be reunited with a lifetime mate. Sometimes it happens, but not always. We can only hope and do so much. The rest is up to her and the fates.

But the monitor would at least continue to track her movement. Until recently this spring, when her monitor went still! There were no more moving beeps to follow. That usually happens when something unfortunate befalls the bird. If you are very lucky, it is just a failure of the equipment. If you are very, very lucky, it might mean something else.

One of the biologists traveled to the Seligman area where the last movement was recorded. It is only natural for the search to begin on the ground where the bird might have crashed to the ground or landed in a weakened state.

But not this time.

What they found falls under the very, very, lucky category! Not only was she not in a heap on the ground left to the elements. Nor was she hunkering down waiting to meet her maker or another Good Samaritan to bring her back to rehabilitation. No! She was….drumroll….sitting on a nest of eggs!

Not only had she made it back to her home area, but she had either reunited with a life mate or found a new mate in time to successfully nest, lay eggs, and at last report, was brooding them. The only thing that could make this drama better is to find out that she successfully fledged her nest of eggs. And we will remain watchful and hopeful for that day.

Never ever let anyone tell you wildlife rehabilitation doesn’t work. We have proof. It most certainly does. Thanks to our hospital staff and volunteers for the care given to her, to the Arizona Game and Fish biologists who monitored her, and to the Good Samaritans who did the rescue and the release!