This Week at Liberty 10/20/2008

It has been thankfully slow this week, with only a couple of events making the update. But even then, the work never ceases. Time is spent during slow periods training new volunteers and releasing some of the patients who have been healed over the last few months.
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Toba and Nina get hands-on experience with a hawk.
This month, the new Medical Services volunteers are in class, learning the skills they will use in tending to the needs of future arrivals of all species. Jan Miller teaches the class and gives some of the new people the chance to "practice" assessing new intakes, examining them to determine what injuries they have and deciding of a course of treatment.
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Jan and Denise suture an injured wing on a juvenile Turkey Vulture.

Maybe not his favorite way to spend the afternoon...
We don't seem to get many Turkey Vultures in at Liberty. Most of our TVs seem to be juvies who get into trouble making the mistakes of youth. This guy presented a wound in his wing, not too serious, but requiring a few stitches. He won't get his distinctive red head for a while yet...
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Spirit, the crow.

A white feather indicates the site of an earlier injury.
This crow was brought in by AzG&F from Payson for our care. His first "owner" was injured severely and can no longer care for him and he found his way to our facility. He will be in our care for some time.
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Carl and Mary Price make a positive ID of a small amphibian.
It's a bullfrog!
A local family found some tadpoles in a canal that were being preyed upon by some large fish. One was taken in and morphed into what they thought might be a leopard frog. This would have made him a bona fide endangered species! When he was brought to our window, Carl Price made the definitive ID - he's a bullfrog! The good news is, now the family has a new pet.
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Ready to release...

Into the air!

On the wing at last!

Heading to a new life of freedom!
We had some visitors from the Steele Foundation come to the facility last week. They got a guided tour of our rehab and education sections, watched eagles being fed, and saw some of our flighted birds fly. Just proir to leaving, one representative was allowed to release a young Cooper's hawk that was ready to go free. He flew well, and I think the releasing individual got a thrill too.