Things are definitely slowing down, but they never, ever, stop...
A Phoenix "Condor"
The Hotline got a call last week from a man in Apache Junction who said he had a "Condor" in his back yard. Our suspicions about the true identity of the mystery bird were confirmed when our MS/R&T volunteers Greg and Ron Martin brought in this injured Turkey Vulture! (OK, he's the Phoenix version of the Condor!)
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Barn Owl with a broken toe
A dark little barn owl showed up one day with, among other things, a badly broken toe. Owls are able to rotate their fourth toe outward to form an "X" pattern so this shouldn't impair this guy too much.
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Our little one-winged screech owl
The little juvenile screech owl that came in a few weeks ago is doing well, despite losing one of his wings. Since the amputation occured below his wrist, he can be placed, either with our own Education group, or another facility when his rehabilitation is complete.
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Another possible addition to our Education team
This little male Kestrel came in a few weeks ago and we thought he might be imprinted. Well, our fears have been confirmed: he is totally imprinted on humans. It seems the people who found him kept him for three weeks and hand fed him, leading to his career change from a hunter to a teacher. It's not just what you feed a wild bird, it's also HOW you feed them...
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A Poor-will with two damaged wings
This little Poor-will came in recently and it was determined he had damaged both of his wings. He is eating better than most captive Poor-wills and is doing well despite his wing problems.
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And STILL they come...
OK, all jokes aside, c'mon, bunnies...you can stop breeding now... No, REALLY, you can stop now. Please! STOP!!! Ruth Scott needs a break!
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Stumpy!!
One of the road runners that is in rehab with us has lost one of his legs. Not the best thing for a road runner, but it really doesn't put him out of the game. He can still fly (Yes, road runners are birds and they do fly!) so he can learn to adapt to his handicap.
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A double crested cormorant with a terrible problem:
The X-ray shows the threat
Jan and Ria make a valiant attempt to save him
Once again, a careless amateur fisherman
has ended the life of a professional
Not all the stories at Liberty have happy endings, but that doesn't keep the volunteers and staff from trying everything possible. A double-crested cormorant arrived, complete with an X-ray showing he had swallowed a fish hook. The hope was it had not punctured anything critical and in an attempt to get the hook back out without surgery, he was given a dose of Metamucil. This is not digestible by the bird and would cause regurgitation, hopefully bringing the hook up with it. Sadly, the hook had already perferated the bird's stomach and he died from peritonitis during the night. The message: be careful with your fishing gear. Even discarded hooks and sinkers can be deadly.
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A little sideways english on the head...
Then you bring the water-laden lower bill to the side of the tub...
After the water is squeezed out, you swallow the fish!
Then it's time to spalsh and play!
OK, time to fly home! Thank you, US Airways!
As you read this, the brown pelican is in San Diego, at Sea World, being checked out and evaluated for release in the not-too distant future. I got these pics of his eating technique last week. He would turn his head sideways, scoop up a load of minnows and water, then bring the full bill to the side of the tub and squeeze out the water before swallowing the fish! This afternoon, he got on board a US Airways flight to San Diego and was promptly met by some folks from Sea World. He's home, baby!
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