Arizona - final day. Liberty Wildlife Refuge

 We had a deadline to return the rental car so were up early, packed the car and dove into Phoenix.

Over the first range of mountains and we were seeing the Saguaro cactus again, they didn't seem to grow around Clarkdale.

 

These were George's favorite cactus (not everyone has a "favorite cactus", but he did) always wanting to have his picture taken beside one. I think they were the quintessential cactus of the Western movies that he enjoyed .

The saguaro (/səˈ(ɡ)wɑːroʊ/ sə-(G)WAR-oh,^[5] Spanish: [saˈɣwaɾo]; Carnegiea gigantea) is a tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus Carnegiea that can grow to be over 12 meters (40 feet) tall. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and the Whipple Mountains and Imperial County areas of California. The saguaro blossom is the state wildflower of Arizona. Its scientific name is given in honor of Andrew Carnegie. In 1933, Saguaro National Park, near Tucson, Arizona, was designated to help protect this species and its habitat.

Some saguaros are cristate or "crested" due to fasciation.

A house sparrow nesting on a saguaro cactus

Saguaros have a relatively long lifespan, often exceeding 150 years. They may grow their first side arm around 75–100 years of age, but some never grow any arms. Arms are developed to increase the plant's reproductive capacity, as more apices lead to more flowers and fruit. A saguaro can absorb and store considerable amounts of rainwater, visibly expanding in the process, while slowly using the stored water as needed. This characteristic enables the saguaro to survive during periods of drought. It is a keystone species, and provides food and habitat to a large number of species.from wikipedia.

We dropped out luggage off at our hotel, returned the car and got an Uber to

Having talked to the handler of the Bald Eagle the previous day we thought this would be an interesting way to spend the time before we could check in at the hotel.

 

Lots of information and knowledgeable staff and volunteers.

Bald Eagle. The wildlife had all been bought in due to injury of being orphaned. Many of the birds had wing injuries and could not be returned to the wild. They return as many as they can and are also part of re-establishing populations.

None of the pictures of the California Condors (in cages, too huge to handle) turned out but they had a close relative out, a Turkey Vulture.

Those birds that can't be returned to the wild may be trained for handling and then used in the education programs.

Peregrine Falcon. So nice to see them up close.

Great Horned Owl

Swainsons Hawk.

He really seemed to like the attention and

kept posing as if

he was doing a magazine layout.

They didn't just have birds: squirrels, turtles, lizards

and lots of snakes.

Pizza for dinner at the hotel while watching the Oscars and the next day the trip home and back to a cold Ontario with a bit of snow still on the ground and spring just around the corner.