Raptor Center of Southeast Michigan

Saturday, April 25 | 1:00 – 3:00 PMLocation: Five Solas Farm: 49875 Willow Rd, Belleville, MI 48111 Join us for a unique, hands-on fundraiser benefiting the Raptor Center of Southeast Michigan. Spend the afternoon creating a beautiful succulent arrangement while learning about the incredible birds of prey we rehabilitate and release right here in our…

By Alysha Albrecht Spring, and now Summer, have sprung in Southeast Michigan. Each year I thank the Turkey Vultures for letting me know. On a sunny, but chilly day in March, I drove down 1-94 and counted at least eight pairs of Turkey Vultures flying high above the trees. Since they are migratory birds, I…

By Dody Wyman You may have noticed reading our previous newsletters that we often refer to the birds by a “people” name. You may be wondering if we name the birds who come to us in need of help. We use names like “left wing bird”, “HBV (hit by vehicle) head trauma”, “the right foot…

By Alysha Albrecht This summer proved to be the “release of the red-tailed hawks”. In early April a very light-colored and stunning first-year red-tailed hawk came to us with a wing injury. An x-ray showed a fracture in the ulna with shards and no other breaks. We began a regimented recovery plan with rest and…

By Alysha Albrecht Eastern screech owls might be small and cute, but they sure are fierce! In early March, I ventured out of my house to meet some friends for lunch in Dearborn. As I was about to head home, I received a call about an eastern screen owl on the ground by a busy…

By Dody Wyman Imping is a centuries-old technique to replace a broken feather with a match from a previous molt or from another bird. In the early spring, Dody and I headed for the Bird Center of Michigan in Saline to host an imping workshop with staff and volunteers. We had a lovely morning sharing…

By Alysha Albrecht Oh, the stories I have been meaning to share with you all! This spring and summer have been extremely eventful and memorable. Let’s start with a bird we call Dudley. A beautiful young red-tailed hawk came to us in early November 2021. Like many of our birds, he was found by the…

Although we haven’t seen much snow in southeast Michigan (except for the early February snow storm) this was still a harsh winter in the wild. The constant cold temperatures meant raptors need to hunt more, so they can eat more and produce heat. We’ve seen the impact of winter with most of the birds who’ve…