Saturday, March 5, 2011

This Week at Liberty 03/06/2011

The intake total for the year is now at 156.
This week, we'll finish the saga of the dual-eagle release! Plus, we'll look at the progress of some earlier patients, get a look at our first orphan arrival of the year(!), and see how Liberty teamwork saved a javelina from a painful injury from some illegal activity!

Let's jump in!
Toba and Joanie examine a cormorant's wing.
Sharon wraps the injury.
Beautiful eyes!
A cormorant was brought in last week with a broken wing. The break appeared to be right at the wrist joint - a bad spot for a bad break. But as always, the first thought is hope for a chance to recover, so the bird's wing was carefully wrapped and he will now be watched closely to see if the break will heal properly. Those piercing green eyes are unforgettable!
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The male harrier is flying wonderfully!
AFter being transferred to an outside flight enclosure, the pretty male harrier is progressing nicely. He is now eating well on his own and is flying almost normally while no longer trashing his tail. Hopes are high for his release in the near future.
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A little javelina with a target arrow in his right rear leg. (Unidentified photographer)
A second arrow is discovered in his neck. (Unidentified photographer)
The darts are removed by the rescue team. (Unidentified photographer)
Note the warning: "NOT A TOY!" (It's also not a legal weapon for animals...)
The rescue squad arrives at Liberty. (Unidentified photographer)
Dr. Orr administers some antibiotics. (Unidentified photographer)
"This little piggy went home!" (Unidentified photographer)
Choose your violation:
Hunting in a populated neighborhood (76th St. and Cactus)
Hunting javelina out of season (ended Feb.24th)
Using a weapon illegal for use in hunting (crossbow pistols are only legal for target practice)
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GHO nesting at the country club at Anthem. (Photo by Country Club staff)
The first GHO orphan of the season.
He almost fledged at the nest...

Hungry baby gets a meal.
Great horned owls are some of the earliest nesting raptors in North America. This was confirmed recently with photos sent in from Anthem of a sitting GHO momma who had laid her eggs in a planter, followed by the arrival of a pre-fledgling baby owl last week. The little guy is doing fine with his foster parents Igor and Sedona and will be released later on this spring. The baby bird season is almost upon us!!
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Winter in the desert. (Photo by Jan Miller)
Seconds from release. (Photo by Jan Miller)
"I'm sooo outta here!" (Photo by Jan Miller)
The big bald gets a sunny spot for her release. (Photo by Jan Miller)
Another bird happy to be free. (Photo by Jan Miller)

No more 60ft. flights for her! (Photo by Jan Miller)
OK, here's the final installment of the double eagle release from the last two updates. Joe and Jan drove north to the best sites available for releasing the big bald and the golden that were measured and tagged last week. The golden went first a bit farther north close to where he was found, followed a few hours later by the bald who, being a migrant bird, had no established territory locally - yet! Both birds flew strongly as they were set free and we hope they do well in their new, post rehabilitation life!
Two more eagles returned to the Arizona skies, courtesy of Liberty Wildlife!
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Don't forget the upcoming 4th annual Born 2 B Wild motorcycle run. on March 27th! Go to: www.borntobwild.org for all the details!

3 comments:

Karen Buffington said...

I am wondering about the hummingbird rescued last week? I took him in to emergency after a conversation with Raj, one of your hotline volunteers. I spoke with Rene Best a couple of times and she was hopeful he'd recover. Do you have an update on his condition?

Liberty Wildlife Blog said...

No, but I'll do my best to check...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for helping that Javalina...poor little girl. Love the pic of Joe and the eagle with the snow falling. Keep up the good work.