With Feathers

04/24/2026

Our phones are working sporadically today. If you get an answering machine, please leave a message. If you get nothing, please message us through Facebook. 

04/17/2026

Now that our snow has left us and the weather has improved, we’ve been able to release two Mourning doves and a Screech owl. Our newest bird in care is a common Grackle that hit a building.

03/25/2026

In a normal winter we see a lot of owls. This little Screech owl is our first owl of the year and technically it is spring. He’s a bit thin and appears to have hit something and has some head trauma. We are hopeful since he has improved since arriving. Although we have migration underway, we don’t expect our season to pick up much until our snow leaves.

03/24/2026

** Thank you everyone the owl has found a ride. 
We are looking for someone who is traveling from Petoskey North that could transport a small owl to Levering.

03/16/2026

We are doing well during this blizzard. The birds are all inside and safe. Their pen is now buried in snow. The view from their camera is all snow as it is still buried in the snow.

02/21/2026

With the latest round of snow storms, spring may seem far off, but we are beginning to plan for warmer weather! Last year was a tough year and this winter has been a nice break but it is time to plan for the upcoming season. If you are interested in helping us prepare there are several ways anyone can help.
We have an Amazon wish list that has many items on it. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2700SKII2CD74?ref_=wl_share
This spring we have equipment and pen repairs to do and you can help financially by giving through Facebook, Paypal or through the USPS. Links are on our website, https://withfeathers.org/donate
If you are interested in being part of our rescue and transport team please email us at [email protected] for more information on upcoming training.
If you are interested in scheduling a educational program, we do several different programs designed for special age or specific interest groups. Use our contact form for more information. https://withfeathers.org/contact
And last but maybe most important, keep your eyes open for birds that need help. Direct those who find a bird to our website that will give them all of our information.
Thank you and we hope to have more for you in the upcoming months as our season starts to pick up.

02/14/2026

01/22/2026

We don't have much to share as it is our slow time and we have only had one new bird in 2026. But it's cold out, and getting colder!
As we experience some very cold temperatures, with dangerously low wind chills, we’d like to share some helpful tips for helping wild birds during the winter. You can help by providing high energy foods.
High fat foods provide birds with the essential energy needed to keep their bodies warm in cold temperatures. Some examples are suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower seed, safflower seeds, and nyger seed.
Please do NOT put out unhealthy food like bread, crackers, corn, etc. These items are not nutritious, hard to digest, and are more harmful than good.
Please keep your feeders well stocked. This is especially important before dusk when they are stocking up on calories to survive through the night and in the early morning when they need to replenish their energy reserves after a tough night.
While birds usually manage winter without problems, if a bird hits your window during this very cold spell they do need some immediate care. Carefully catch the bird and place it in a cardboard box, lined with paper towel, and bring inside. It doesn't need to be in a heated location but it needs to be in a draft free location out of the wind. Don't worry about food or water yet. Call a wildlife rehabilitator and follow their instructions.

01/02/2026

Looking back over 2025, it was a tough year. We started with an ice storm which changed the whole year. We had fewer birds and the species we saw were different than normal. We had our first experience with West Nile and lost 13 birds, including our beloved education bird, Thorn. Over the course of the year we were able to help 59 species and it did make it mean even more when we were able to help them get back into nature. Thank you for all of your support last year and as we go into 2026. This is some of the birds we cared for this year.

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12/02/2025

We currently have people attempting to rescue this bird. Thank you!
We are looking for someone who would be able to rescue a bird in Saint Ignace and bring him south to Levering. If this is something you can do give us a call or send us a message. 

12/02/2025

This year we had the great joy of raising chimney swifts. These amazing little birds are the sweetest noisiest little things.