This Week at Liberty 03/22/2010

Current intake: 246

Well, the intakes slowed a bit last week, and this gave us the chance to do our annual (OK, our every 5 year...) cleaning and painting. But the animals never really stop arriving and we had to work around the patients, both large and small. The condor is improving slowly, and as we approach Easter, it seems as if it was baby bunnies for a few days! Here, then, was the big cleaning adventure of 2010...

The eagle got herself up on her perch!

After removing the pin from the eagle's wing last week, she felt good enough to get herself up on the perch in her enclosure. This is a very good sign and shows she is feeling better. Our hopes for her are rising daily!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jan and Toba check a prairie falcon held by Joanie.

A totally beautiful bird.

Another prairie falcon arrived last week and is doing well. This species is notoriously ill-tempered and though it makes them more difficult to handle in rehab, it bodes well for their ultimate survival. This gorgeous bird needs to be returned to the gene pool ASAP.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristine feeds two tiny baby hummers.

We took in two very tiny hummingbird babies on the same day last week. Hummers will actually gape (open their long beaks to beg for food) if they are young enough, and one of these was. They were fed and kept warm until transferred to Gloria at WildWing for specialized orphan care.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A sad road runner is examined.

Contrary to popular belief, roadrunners DO fly. However, they also spend a lot of their mobility on the ground and this little guy has a badly broken leg. Although his prognosis could be better, Jan and the MEd Services staff have had some very good luck with RR's this year so we never give up on these little birds...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our first real baby bird of the year!

A little baby thrasher was brought in last week becoming our first bona-fide orphan of the year. In addition to being orphaned, he is also missing a part of his wing so when he does grow up, he might wind up being placed with an educational facility, but he is SOOO cute, there is no doubt he'll find a home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jan checks a HaHa for canker.

Discolored feet are checked for electrical burns.

Jan and Louise spray the new arrival for mites.

Another little harris' hawk was brought in with undetermined injuries just prior to the start of the big cleaning project. Some dark marks on his feet led to suspicions he might have sustained electrical injuries but it will take time to tell. In the meantime, he joined two other birds who were in brooders during the fumigation and painting process.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Denise and Melanie assess the last arrival before the BIG CLEAN.

The last bird to arrive prior to moving everything out of the ICU and Orphan Care for the cleaning project was a handsome GHO from the Pima Reservation. It seems he flew into a window on the new hotel/casino project and was rescued by tribal police.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Orphan Care prior to the project.

OC after moving everything out...

Amanda (#18) supervises a team of new volunteers.

Kristine, Denise, Amanda, and Melanie are ready to work.

Jan and Megan pitch in cleaning brooders.

Matt finishes painting the bathroom.

Gail works on a steel cage in the parking lot.

Michelle and Tanya use a pressure cleaner on the steel enclosures.

Starting to move back in...

The recent wet weather has led to an outbreak of mites that were biting everything from patients to volunteers. That coupled with a growing rodent infestation led us to the major cleaning/fumigation project of last week. On Friday, all patients were relocated to enclosures in the 60ft. flight cage or the freezer room (no, not IN the freezers!) and all of the cages, brooders, and other equipment was disassembled and removed from the facility for cleaning. After everything was out, the rooms were sprayed for insects and then insect bombs were set off inside. The next day, everything was cleaned and scrubbed, then patched and painted prior to being repositioned back inside on Sunday. Although it was a monumental task, we all looked at it as practice for our eventual move to a permanent new home in the not-too-distant future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Easter Bunny?

OK, it's not Easter yet, but this little guy reminded us all how close it is. It did seem that every time the bell rang in the past few days, it was another baby rabbit arriving! But alas, no chocolate eggs...!