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Liberty Wildlife

Hoots, Howls, and Hollers – February 26, 2019

Megan Mosby

Megan Mosby
Executive Director

The weather performed nicely for a change.  The mood was festive, as always.  The crowd was relaxed but fun.  The food and sippin’ was remarkable.  Another Sippin’ the Spirit of the Southwest event is under our belts.  It was hugely successful.

The onset of these events started last year with the Fancy Sippin’ with an emphasis on the Native American culture and was followed by the Family Sippin’.  The emphasis of this series is to celebrate all that is southwestern, not only the wildlife and native plants but also the people and their traditions that go together to create our bountiful and beautiful southwest.

We had a tequila taste off with Mexican Moonshine taking the most votes, but close behind there was competition from Mezcal Vago, Condigo and Dirty Tequila.  For those along for the event but not tequila oriented there was beer from Tecate, and Dos Equis with wine, water and pop to fill out the beverage pallet.  We enjoyed music from singer /guitarist, Jeordie (Melanie’s daughter) and the acoustic classic rock performer, Pappy’s Fire and Soul. They were both just terrific and added greatly to the already wonderful ambiance of the afternoon.

A food truck, Arepas, offering Venezuelan delights was indeed delightful and scrumptious…I would have loved trying everything, but it was so filling that I will have to wait until next time…and I look forward to it.

A great booth offered from Sonoran Scents filled the air with another element of natural beauty in the form of candles and lotions.  There was a lot of browsing in their tricked out tent.

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce manned a booth and a very generous offer from Keene Auto Glass rebated a nice sum to Liberty Wildlife for every windshield replaced…I got one of those also with a generous donation made to Liberty Wildlife.  I call that a win-win situation.

A fun raffle and 50/50 “completion” added a bit of suspense to the afternoon…and yes, let it be known, that I won a prize…necklace and earrings generously donated by Kendra Scott jewelry…I will be styling…wait and see.

I hope that all of you look for next year’s Sippin’ event.  In the meantime, we have coming up very soon our “Wild Ones Baby Shower”.  Mark your calendars for Mar.9th from 11 to 3 at Liberty Wildlife.  It is an opportunity for you to help feather the nests of the thousands of babies that will wind up in our care.  For more information and to RSVP go towww.libertywildlife.org.

Thanks for the continuing support.  See you next time, I hope.

This Week @ Liberty – February 26, 2019

The intake total for the year is now up to 477.

The intake total is inching upward, and the weather, usually only a factor when the temp hits triple digits, has been, well, “wintery” last week. One day saw the lowest high temperature – ever! And a day or so later, it snowed in Scottsdale! That same day it hailed in Ahwatukee, and as I look outside right now, there is snow on the peaks in the Estrellas! I’ll try to hold this feeling in July when it’s 118 outside but for now, it’s difficult to remember that in a few weeks, we’ll be looking for shade when we park.

There have been some eagle related activity in the medical wing lately, and more than one surgery which really makes us appreciate our new facility.  It’s hard to convey just how advantageous it is to be able to take x-rays during surgery to confirm how things are shaping up!  Hopefully people attending our various fundraising functions also realize how much this helps the wildlife that need our care…

  • Wayward young herring gull arrives

Not only does cold weather and freezing precipitation blow in during strong winter storms, but sometimes birds as well. Usually it’s immature specimens that get caught in winds aloft and end up far off their normal tracks, like this juvenile herring gull. He showed up on the leading edge of the monster storm that brought winter top Phoenix last week.  Presenting symptoms of head trauma, he is under observation.

(Look for 1 photo)

  • Apache and Lady Liberty hang out inside

A few of our education ambassadors are currently residing inside as their enclosures have seen rising water from the heavy rains of late. Lady Liberty, our senior bald eagle , and Apache, our elder statesman golden eagle, are hanging out in Triage this week until it becomes warmer and drier outside.

(Look for 1 photo)

  • Alex holds the bird

  • Jennifer measures the beak

  • The beak is measured from cere to tip

  • The ID band is attached

  • A final weight is determined

  • Special ointment is applied to the feet

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Speaking of golden eagles, one of the rehab goldens was being readied for ultimate release last week. Kyle and Jennifer came down from AZGFD to measure, weigh, and band him so he can be tracked after he rejoins the ranks of Arizona eagles. Alex held him as Jennifer took and recorded the readings on his indicative measurements. These are used to determine gender, age, and overall condition in a non-invasive manner and are matched to the permanent band that was attached to his leg for future identification.

(Look for 6 photos)

  • Prairie falcon surgery

  • Michael assists Dr. Lamb

  • Wing is pinned

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Dr. Lamb surgically installed a pin in the wing of a prairie falcon last week.  Michael, one of our volunteer vet students, was on hand to assist. In the past, we would have had to outsource this type of involved procedure, but having our own equipment  makes it much better for both the doctors and the patients.  The success rate of this kind of surgery is much higher than it used to be.

(Look for 3 photos)

  • Nice weather, good crowd

  • Our birds are always a hit

  • Margarita – shaken, not stirred

  • Arepas for everyone

  • I AM GROOT

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Our second “Sippin’ the Spirit of the Southwest event was held on Sunday and by all reports, was enjoyed by all who attended. We lucked out in terms of weather as it was cool but sunny and dry. The Venezuelan food truck provided superb examples of Arepas, a traditional dish from Venezuela, that were enjoyed by everyone. Basically a maize flour patty, they were filled with various meats, cheeses and veggies and were delicious! These along with a variety of tequilas and tequila drinks, raffles, a booth with local lotions and scented candles, all topped off with wonderful live music made the afternoon an enjoyable diversion from the previous week’s meteorological excitement. I can’t wait until next year’s event!

(Look for 5 photos)

  • X-rays on arrival (photo by Nick Sweeney)

  • A preliminary wrap (photo by Nick Sweeney)

  • A quiet place to rest (photo by Nick Sweeney)

  • Getting ready for surgery

  • Anesthesia

  • Fractured femur – very closed to the joint

  • Feathers removed from the site

  • Dr. Lamb gets ready

  • The first incision

  • Preparing the pin

  • The pin is inserted

  • checking the alignment

  • Another mid-procedure x-ray

  • Inserting the external pins

  • hardening paste into the stabilizing tube

  • Wrapping the leg

  • Cutting the pins to the proper length

  • Recovery after surgery

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Last Wednesday afternoon I was about to leave to go home when Jan asked if I would go to Queen Creek to rescue a bald eagle. I loaded a carrier into my car and drove down to the southeast valley and found the third year bird in a very nice lady’s front yard. She had called AZGFD who in turn told her to contact us. The bird, from a nest not far from the area, appeared to have a leg injury and I was able to capture him and get him into the carrier. We arrived at Liberty where Jan, along with Aurora and Nick, took him to the radiology room for X-rays. It was confirmed he had a fractured femur and Jan called Dr. Lamb to set a time for surgery. On Saturday morning, Dr. Lamb, assisted by Jan, Alex, and Michael, was able to surgically install a pin in the leg along with three external braces (fixators) to stabilize the bones while they heal. After the main pin was installed, the operation was paused while Alex and Jan took the bird into the radiology room that abuts surgery to take more X-rays to confirm the position of the bones and the pin. This capability, along with the skill of Dr. Lamb, improves the likelihood of a successful outcome. Saving the leg is critical as eagles need both legs since they are so heavy they almost always develop bumble foot if one leg or foot is compromised.  So far, this bird is doing well. We’ll try to keep you posted.

(Look for 18 photos)

1 reply
  1. Barbi Walker-Walsh
    Barbi Walker-Walsh says:
    March 6, 2019 at 12:13 pm

    Hi! I’m Barbi Walker-Walsh and a writer with Green Living AZ Magazine (as well as a former volunteer!) and I’m doing an article on Liberty Wildlife. I’ve called and left a few messages but haven’t received a return call as of yet. Is there a number where I could reach a live person? If so please contact me at (602) 350-4007. I’m running on a tight deadline so please contact me soon!
    Thank you!
    Barbi

    Reply

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Posted by Terry Stevens
Operations Director

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