OK, I left Liberty so late today that I forgot to get the latest intake number. My bad! Next week...!
We'll continue the "small animal" theme in this update with some cool smaller birds and mammals, then toss in a couple of owls and hawks to even things out. Next week we'll have what I'm calling the "Surgery Special" edition.
Though birds of prey still make up the bulk (in terms of size!) of what we treat each year, lots of little birds also pass through the facility. Right now, the staff is treating a very cute ash-throated flycatcher and two white-throated swifts. The swifts are especially interesting as they must be hand fed while in captivity since in the wild, they only catch their prey on the wing. They also have very intriguing feet, designed to grasp walls and vertical surfaces where they build their nests.
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As long as we're on the topic of worm-eating animals, let's talk about bats. Our resident bat expert, Rebecca, is unfortunately in the hospital this week, and in her absence, Jan is taking care of the many bats in her care. On top of the little and big brown bats for which Rebecca is caring, Joe brought in a little pipistrelle today. All are doing fine and add a dimension to the scope of what Liberty can provide to the fauna of Arizona.
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Blue ribbon volunteer Sharon Sneva drove down to the far southeast valley last week and rescued this astonishingly beautiful barn owl. Presenting some symptoms of a collision with something, Jan felt a tell-tale "crunchiness" in her wing and leg. Currently under observation and therapy for internal damage, our hope is that she will be released to contribute those gorgeous looks to the gene pool!
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Another great horned owl came in with a serious wound that appears may be electrical in nature. The badly damaged wing was cleaned and wrapped and the owl allowed to de-stress before further evaluation.
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Another cooper's hawk came in with might turn out to be a gun shot wound. Set to go get X-rays soon, we'll know more when the pictures are taken. There are some people who harbor antipathy for accipiters like cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks because they prey on the songbirds around bird feeders. You have to know that when you feed the birds, you will feed all the birds, including the ones that eat the ones that eat your seeds. That's just how nature works. Accept it and appreciate it.
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Roomies!
I just happen to catch Rosie and Rex, our two education gila monsters, sharing an enclosure in their habitat. If only we could all get along this well with our neighbors...
1 comment:
That GHO's face broke my heart. He looks like he's crying :(
As always great blog, Terry!
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