The intake total for the year is now 3103.
It sometimes seems that different species come in groups. Maybe it has something to do with migration, maybe there are other factors involved. In any event, we got in another grebe this week, as well as several cooper's hawks from all over the state. Add to that some baby tortoises and a mature bald eagle and you have an interesting week at Liberty...!
Baby desert tortoises - spending the winter with Liberty.
Two new baby desert tortoises were brought in last week. Little guys like this are at risk if they are allowed to hibernate at such a young age so we'll keep them warm, fed, and - awake this winter. They will be used for a brief period in our education presentations and eventually be placed with Phoenix Herpetological Society for adoption. The red and purple dots are for identification.
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Inhabiting nearly every lake and pond in the area, coots are exposed to lots of civilization. One little guy that got hit by some man-made object and broke his wing was brought in last week. A plastic splint was applied and the wing was wrapped. Now we have to wait and see. On Sunday, another little grebe was brought in. Once again, after evaluation, it was determined that there was no real injury, he just got out of the water and couldn't get back in. As soon as he was deemed good to go, he was released in a local lake.
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Another GHO came in with electrical injuries last week. Some serious burning of the area around the left wrist and some more damage to his forehead were found, treated, and recorded. All such injuries are reported to the appropriate power companies to allow them to repair and sometimes retrofit their equipment. Our local companies are extremely conscientious about doing all they can to mitigate the impact of their facilities on wildlife.
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Not to be outdone by their larger cousins, the barn owl community also provided some new patients. Our little guy with the burned feet and toes continues to make slow improvement, and another pretty bird showed up today with undetermined injuries. He is in a brooder in the ICU for observation and evaluation.
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This had to be "The week of the accipiter" as between Team Price and Amanda O'Malley, four cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks came in. Amanda picked up hers in Flagstaff, relayed from the Hopi Reservation while Carl and Mary Price rescued their from more local areas. The last bird Mary brought in had been chasing something in a backyard and had flown into a ceiling fan. Luckily, the fan was on "LOW" but still caused some serious damage to the young bird's crop. Kids: you gotta watch 'em like a ... hawk!
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A beautiful bird that wants to live!
A call came in to the hotline last Saturday from the wonderful folks at the Verde Canyon Railroad. They had spotted a bald eagle down on the ground near their track. Dorothy, one of our Hotline volunteers, then made several calls and coordinated the rescue of the bird which arrived at Liberty on Sunday. Blood was drawn and tested and X-rays were taken. It was determined that the most pressing problem facing the 5 year old bird was that of a very high lead count. She is now under treatment for lead poisoning before any other tests can be done without over-stressing her. She appears to have a good appetite and seems to be intact except for some symptoms of the presence of lead in her system.
Hats off to all concerned with this rescue, from the VCRR folks, the hotline, and Med Services crew for going the extra mile for this wonderful bird. Keep your fingers crossed and a good thought in your heart for her.
2 comments:
Great blog this week, Terry. The big girl looks better than she did when she came in on Sunday. Love the grebe - a show stopper! Nice article on bats, Megan. Gotta love them.
I am an attendant on the Verde Canyon Railroad. I want to say thank you SO much for helping our "Big Girl". We all pray that she will make a complete recovery and be returned to the canyon and rejoin her mate. Again, THANK YOU!!
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