Monday, March 23, 2009

This Week at Liberty 03/23/2009

When I left on the 8th for a week of Liberty presentations in New mexico, I didn't have much in the way of photos for upcoming TW@Ls.  Now, two weeks later I'm over loaded with "Kodak moments!" That's how it goes at Liberty.  We have squirrels, quail, hawks, owls, eagles, and helicopters to offer, so here we go...! 
Toba feeds in Orphan Care.
The OC room has been activated and is already home to several wayward orphan baby birds. We have a new structure for the OC crew this year and have high hopes that it will be the best year ever, for both us and the birds!
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A young antelope squirrel needs some help.
And the "baby season" isn't just for birds... A little antelope squirrel was brought in for care, was stabilized, and transferred to Ruth Scott for continued specialized handling. Yes, we help both ends of the food chain, and the middle too!
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A bona fide "endangered specie" arrives.
A life bird for senior volunteer and resident "power birder" Anne Peyton came in from southern Arizona last week. Although it doesn't count for her life list, it did prove that Montezuma Quail actually do exist! With a little wing repair, this beautiful (and rare) little bird will recover enough to be released.
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Jan trims the beak of an RTH as David holds.
Not everybody needs exotic care and surgery... Some birds require more mundane treatment along with their rehabilitation. A bird that is inactive for a while might not wear down its beak and talons which then become overly long and must be trimmed.  Jan is a true artist with a Dremmel tool! 
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Our TV star flies!
If you missed the first episode of "Animal Cops: Phoenix" on Animal Planet (March 9th), look for it on reruns.  This is the GHO that was hung up on a barbed wire fence and was rescued and brought to Liberty. His prognosis has been up and down more than the stock market, but now it appears he has a good chance of being released after all. He has compensated for the tendon damage and flies like a champ!
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Dr. Wyman examines an injured eye.
Head trauma is evident.
An adult GHO was admitted presenting evidence of head trauma, namely an eye filled with blood and a dilated pupil. Dr. Wyman confirmed a substantial injury and an appointment with our eye specialist has been set up.
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The parade of baby barn owls begins...!
Our two foster parent barn owls have successfully hatched two chicks and are still incubating more eggs.  Foster mom Abba, daddy Tyto, and babies are all doing fine, awaiting the arrival of more siblings as time goes by.
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Liberty Wildlife's own version of "Wildlife Air-evac", Tim McAdam.
"I just flew in from Ft. Mojave..."
Everybody gets weighed...
"Are you my new mommy?"
A first meal offering.
It was worth the long flight!
I've always dreamed of being able to transport incoming animals to Liberty via private helicopter, and now it's happened. Last Friday, Liberty supporter Tim McAdam who has a four seat Robinson R44 flew to Ft. Mojave and returned with two baby bunnies and a hatchling GHO baby. Speed was critical as the little owl, though uninjured, was in danger of imprinting if not handled properly. Hogan is our top ranked foster mom and instantly began to protect and feed this little bundle who now has every chance to grow to be a true Great Horned Owl.
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Mom surveys the surroundings from above her nest. 
5 weeks old and already looks unmistakably "raptorish".
Another heart-warming story of top flight motherhood in action comes from the Salt River. Two bald eagles set up housekeeping  and eventually the female had eggs (we don't know how many.) As soon as the eggs arrived, the male, probably a first time dad, departed the scene, leaving his mate and his offspring. Almost universally this means the mother will abandon the nest, being unable to both provide food and protect the nest alone.  In this case, however, the mom stayed and is now 6 weeks into raising her chick as a single parent. Stand by for updates!
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The flight training for Sonora and Phoenix continues! Sonora is flying to the glove and Phoenix is getting his landings down much softer (He is still, after all, a golden eagle!)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Phoenix has come a long way! He is absolutely breathtaking to watch. Great job everyone!