Mike in the Wild

Recognizing the call of an individual bird species is an exciting breakthrough in a birder's favorite pastime.  I can't count the number of times the metallic toot of a pair of cardinal's beckoned me from the house into my Phoenix backyard this past winter.  Just last weekend a much less familiar call - more of a quick, double-chortle than a tweet - quickly drew my attention to the other side of my Prescott home's screen door.  There I spied a male summer tanager nibbling at the suet feeder.  But not all sounds associated with birding are as alluring.  Window strikes are often cited as one of the leading causes of bird deaths, and, unfortunately, I've got firsthand experience with this occurrence.  Just two weeks ago, while busily typing on my computer in Phoenix, a thud over my shoulder startled me from my work, reminding me that my own garden and home might be an unwitting killer.   Outside my office window, splayed on the patio, an Abert's ...

Central Phoenix is lucky to have a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of the area's injured wildlife.  Specializing in wild birds, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals, Liberty Wildlife's doors are always open to receive these distressed animals.  And several days a week they're also open for visitors to get uniquely close and personal with several of their avian residents. The day I visited, handlers displayed a variety of birds in an open and airy ramada that also acted as an amphitheater for formal presentations.  You could get within inches of a couple American kestrels, a great-horned owl, a western screech owl and a red-tailed hawk.  Meanwhile these volunteers offered both expert and personal details on the individual birds.  For the most part, these animals can't be returned to the wild due to the nature of their injuries or handicaps.   As a result, they act as ambassadors at both the center and at off-site even...