Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary

Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary We are a Non-Profit 501(c)3 Charity Corporation, dedicated to the rescue, care, protection and housing of unwanted domestic waterfowl...Please read ABOUT
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Back in the summer of 2006, I had the opportunity to rescue five Pekin ducks from a feed store in Novi. Having just moved into our home the year before, we had plenty of room (including one half of a 2 acre pond shared by my neighbor to the south - and THAT ends up being a whole other story by itself) for 5 little creatures that probably didn't need a whole lot of attention other than a feeding tw

ice a day. WOW, what a hobby this turned out to be! Let me state this up front to get any thoughts of regret quashed immediately. What we do here is without question, an absolute 'labor of love'. I wouldn't give one bit of this up for all of the wealth in the world! I am surrounded by the greatest riches of Earth, Gods creations, and NOTHING can replace that!...tbc...

John 15:13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.To ALL of those incredible in...
05/25/2026

John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

To ALL of those incredible individuals who gave of their lives, often by their own choice, and their enduring desire to be a people, free of tyranny and oppression, that we might live FREELY, to pursue our own dreams, as they sacrificed the dreams they would never see come true. I salute you ALL!
God Bless, on this Sacred Memorial Day of Remembrance!

Never a shortage of rooftop rescues this time of year. Three recent ones were an office building in Birmingham, Beaumont Hospital, and Suburban Cadillac of Plymouth.

All thanks to concerned individuals who saw helpless angels trapped on balconies or rooftops, with no way of getting back down to mom and dad. Mama and Papa geese pacing frantically in all cases, going up to anyone nearby that could possibly help.

First was Beaumont, where staff, patients and their families were very concerned about the four babies, trapped on a narrow ledge of the balcony with no way off without human intervention. It had been five days that they had been there until help was finally summoned. Theresa and I took that trip out to Royal Oak on a call from Bonnie, one of the security guards there, and after a bit of back-and-forth, we were finally able to get access and remove them from their confined area, and we’re able to put three of them back with mom and dad. The fourth one was so dehydrated, he had to go to our friend Carolyn, a licensed facility in Holt.

The second one, the angels are trapped on the third story of a building in downtown Birmingham, with no access through the attic. It was with the help of the very wonderful Birmingham Fire Department, that these babies were able to get rescued in plenty of time to be reunited and relocated with mom at a local park just a half a mile away. Since dad was not around at the time, we sincerely believe she was put in a location where she would definitely run into her Beau shortly thereafter. There was no possibility she would be put down on the ground below her nest, as it was in the heart of Birmingham, and there was no grass nor water anywhere. This was the only option. Mike was able to handle this one, and he also got to fulfill his lifelong dream of getting go up on a fire ladder, minus the plastic Texaco fireman cap.

The third, in the same number of days, was the call we received from Alan at Suburban Cadillac in Plymouth. Mom and dad were flying up and down from the building to the ground continuously seeking assistance. Alan was able to get me to the rooftop where I collected the babies and had him wait on top of the building with the mom, so as not to lose sight of her. As I left the building from the main floor onto the side road, mom was all too eager the fly down the minute she saw the babies. This was probably the most touching of the three episodes, as the babies slowly made the way to mom. Out of nowhere, dad came flying over the building and landed about 50 feet away in the parking lot,
And once he felt the coast was clear, then he started the weave and head Bob toward mom, and eventually all the angels were together as they should be. They even came back a few days later to tell Alan thanks, and he was able to get a nice family portrait of them, still together. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing families reunited, and the body movements of the geese say all that needs to be said. Thanks to everyone that showed a caring heart!

PAYPAL
http://www.michiganduckrescueandsanctuary.com/donate/

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3300998449725440369&created=1722191585.337092&printed=1

Zelle: 248-446-2021

Cash App: $lyson

05/17/2026

I’m beginning to think there are three classifications for the ‘finder of injured animals individuals’.

Those who observe, those who are reactionary, and those who take action.

The observer sees the situation, might think something needs help, and may or may not help in the most minimal of ways. Making a post or comment, requesting help, but nothing more, no further information, no further response.

This absolutely drives the rest of us crazy. We waste so much valuable time seeking the much needed information, often to no avail, and the animal usually never gets to help it needs, and suffers as a consequence of inaction. In these instances, you almost wish you never knew the animal was out there, because the pain of not being able to help lingers on.

Next the reactionary individual, this is the individual that is determined to find help one way or the other, not necessarily helping directly, possibly from fear or inexperience of the situation, but seeks help diligently, to the very best of their ability. In these cases, persistence is much more likely to pay off than not. They will try every resource available to them. They may be uncomfortable in taking immediate action themselves, but they do seek out people that are possibly a little more experienced. These people are a huge asset to the rescue organizations.

Thirdly, is the person of action. They encompass all three traits, they observe, their reaction is to seek help, and either follow the guidance of someone they contact, or willing to go it alone. They will walk through the process you suggest, or do what they think is best if no one is there to guide them, and then reach out for help after the fact.

This group of individuals truly deserve respect for getting involved in a situation thrown in their laps on the spur of the moment, with very little, or no experience whatsoever. They observe that time is of the essence, and that their being there at that moment, was purposeful. These are the people that make the lives of rescuers much easier, and Lord knows, we could all use more help in this world. And the feeling they get after helping is often described as incredible. To be there and help something that would otherwise perish or give up, is a feeling that you never forget. It’s also great, because they share that story, and often more people are prone to get involved along the way.

Such was the case just a few days ago when I got a call from Mary, who was very concerned about a female wood duck that kept coming toward her on her walk. She came in such a distressed way, that she seemed to seek help, much like the late, great Lassie, and since she had nowhere else to turn, she picked Mary.

Mary called us and explained the unusual behavior of the female Wood Duck, who was constantly calling for anyone that was within the ears reach of her distressed coo. Mary thought this was very unusual, but she wasn’t quite sure what to do, because it was so out of the ordinary. When I first spoke to Mary and heard what she described, I asked if there was a sewer nearby, perhaps the woody’s babies fell in there. Mary told me no, and that she was up closer to a house, and the Woody girl was very fidgety. I immediately asked for a video to see if I could determine from her description what might be the case. The minute I saw the video, and where the beautiful little angel was standing, I assumed right away that she had babies in a window well.

Mary took no time to see for herself, and she was completely and utterly surprised of what she saw 11 little babies in a window well that they could never have gotten out of, and mom was determined that her year long wait to procreate, would not be in vain.

I suggested to Mary to immediately get a bucket and go into to the well, round them up, and hope that mom would stick around long enough to be reunited. She hurriedly contacted her husband Eric, who rushed down the street to a construction site, and grabbed an empty bucket and made it back in a flash. The babies were all removed. Mama accepted them all and disappeared under shrubbery, without so much as a thank you. But we all knew she was extremely grateful!

Mary and Eric went to the extreme, and in doing so, 11 little angels survived what would have resulted in a devastating loss for a determined mother. Her year long quest had succeeded. From that point on, they are God’s hands, and for us, that is the happiest of endings!

Thank you so much to Mary and Eric for not missing a beat in their short adventure to save 11 sweet little lives. After which, Mary was absolutely overwhelmed with the feeling of what she had just accomplished in a matter of 30 unplanned minutes of her life.

We never know why God puts us in the places he does, at a given time, but I can guarantee there is always some reason. Sometimes it stares us in the face and we miss the obvious, sometimes it just passes by. But when we realize it, it’s an incredible feeling.

We don’t really do fundraisers like many organizations, hopefully soon in the future on our new horizon we might, but we post our donation sites after each post, so just maybe someone is touched enough by a story that they share a little bit of their good fortune, to help all of our angels in need. And to those that do, we thank you with all of our hearts.

PAYPAL
http://www.michiganduckrescueandsanctuary.com/donate/

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3300998449725440369&created=1722191585.337092&printed=1

Zelle: 248-446-2021

Cash App: $lyson

Phyllis was visiting a friend not too far from the Gratiot State Game Area in Perrinton, when out of the corner of eye, ...
05/14/2026

Phyllis was visiting a friend not too far from the Gratiot State Game Area in Perrinton, when out of the corner of eye, she saw the whiteness of a duck, swimming in a standing water area, off the side of a dirt road in the middle of BFM (leave that to your imagination…M=michigan, not Egypt). Because Phyllis had Ducks in the past, she was able to recognize the object. Sort of like when you never see a particular car on the road until you buy it, then every other car is the same as the car you bought.

Phyllis made us aware in the afternoon of the first, and on the second, Theresa, Mike and myself headed out for the just under two hour trip. Phyllis would meet us there, along with Jen and Jae from Wanderlust Acres (we were picking up a few ducks from them to lighten their load a bit. We were also going to meet Lisa, Brice and Amber, as we were picking up a handicapped duck from them, as well. Surprisingly, everyone found each other on the desolate road in the middle of Nowhere, MI.

Since I have usually been the weakest link in the most recent of rescues, I was able to do what I enjoy most, directing from afar.

As Mike and Theresa made their way into the Michigan swamp land, I tried to keep an eye on the two helpless angels, who had been dumped there, for who knows how long.

Eventually, after Mike and Theresa weaved themselves out of the thicket mess, forcing the angels to come up on dry ground, they were eventually snagged, and then placed in their carrier for the ride back to the sanctuary. When all was said and done, I think we headed back home with nine newly acquired angels.

Thanks to everyone who played even a minor part in distracting the Angels during their capture, and especially thanks to Phyllis, for bringing this to our attention. They would not have fared well for long where they were dumped. And to the person who dumped them, may your karma be swift and unjust!!

PAYPAL
http://www.michiganduckrescueandsanctuary.com/donate/

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3300998449725440369&created=1722191585.337092&printed=1

Zelle: 248-446-2021

Cash App: $lyson

05/05/2026

Guess who’s getting BIG? Our sweet little very special needs domestic goose angel that we took in just a handful of weeks ago! We still haven’t settled on a special name for him yet, but we will soon!!

When he came to us just a day old, he was barely 80 grams (right around three ozs.). After about a week of hand feeding him many times throughout the day, he started eating on his own, and boy can he eat!

He weighs in now at just over a whopping pound and a half! Keep growing sweet baby!!l

PAYPAL
http://www.michiganduckrescueandsanctuary.com/donate/

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3300998449725440369&created=1722191585.337092&printed=1

Zelle: 248-446-2021

Cash App: $lyson

In the world of rescue, things are far from perfect, and when things do go sideways, they often don’t go sideways alone....
04/25/2026

In the world of rescue, things are far from perfect, and when things do go sideways, they often don’t go sideways alone. Quite often it’s a chain of events, not necessarily related to one another. Some people can describe it as Murphy’s Law.

Such was the case a few months back, when the ponds were still covered with large portions of ice, and the weather was often in the teens or lower, for long periods of time.

I had to do an emergency corn run to keep a bunch of bellies full. I had taken a trip out to Saline to load up a dump trailer with about 9000 pounds of corn. On my return, not even 2 miles out, the wheels on each side of my tandem trailer were rubbing in opposite directions and smoke was bellowing from the rear. As I pulled over onto the nearest side street, I did a quick inspection of the trailer and found that a leaf spring snapped on one side of the trailer, rendering the unit far from usable.

At exactly the same time, I received a call from a gentleman named Aaron, who informed me that there was a sandhill crane off the back of his property that was literally becoming an ice sculpture. He called everyone he could think of, and no one would respond or help. After he sent me some pictures, and I knew my current troubles were not the worst of the day.

I had called Mike first, because I knew he was at the Sanctuary helping Theresa with some barn cleaning, and I knew he would be able to take the almost 30 minute ride due west, near the strawberry lake area in Pinckney, to assist.

Shortly after Mike arrived, and after a few dips under the polar ice cap, Mike managed to wrangle Frosty into a secure carrier. After which, he was taken to Wildside Rehabilitation in Eaton Rapids, one of the handful of licensed facilities we work with that handle protected waterfowl, and where Louise and Co. do a wonderful job caring for numerous exotic waterfowl, among other beautiful creatures.

Fortunately, for this little guy, there were no life-threatening injuries, and he just needed a whole lot of time to warm up and be evaluated. After a short stay at the resort, he was taken back to his flock on Strawberry Lake, but the story was far from over.

The day after Frosty’s release, Aaron contacted Mike again to let him know Frosty had another little buildup of ice. Mike made his way out to the frozen lake again, and while chasing Frosty a little further down the lake then last time, he noticed yet another Crane in need of thawing. After Frosty was resecured, Mike went back to get the other ice Angel.

After another round of deicing, both cranes were released back with their flocks, where they continued to do well for the remainder of the winter.

A sad reminder of the harshness that Michigan Winters can have on all of our wonderful animals, wild and domestic!

And oh yeah, I did end up getting my trailer towed back to the Sanctuary, where new leaf springs had to be installed, once the trailer was empty again.

Thanks again to all involved, especially Mike, who traversed a very tricky frozen tundra, in a very successful rescue!

PAYPAL
http://www.michiganduckrescueandsanctuary.com/donate/

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3300998449725440369&created=1722191585.337092&printed=1

Zelle: 248-446-2021

Cash App: $lyson

This past week I got a call from Kimberly, who works at the Tractor Supply in Richmond, MI, and she asked if we would ta...
04/24/2026

This past week I got a call from Kimberly, who works at the Tractor Supply in Richmond, MI, and she asked if we would take a little Pekin Duckling probably just two or three days old, who was in pretty rough shape. When I was sealed shut, and the other eye was quite crusted. She said he was quite feisty and thought we might be able to give him his best shot at life.

Being booked completely for the day, my first thought was Valerie, who lives up in the Wixom area. And as she had several times in the past, she was there at the moments notice. She was on her way within the hour, and probably put on about 100 miles, and easily, a good three hours of her time, with all the traffic detours.

Mike was able to pick up the Angel near the end of her run, and Theresa finished the last leg of the relay.

I have always said we have the best of volunteers in the rescue in the world, they give so much of their time, and at their expense, just to see that all babies in need, get the care and comfort they deserve. Thanks to all!

This little guy is hanging in there, but he’s got a long hill to climb. He’s being tube fed many times daily, and only time will tell. Prayers are always welcome here at the sanctuary… because every precious little angel deserves a chance!

Great volunteers and wonderful donations keep us going… but sadly this year, we have a shortage of both.

PAYPAL
http://www.michiganduckrescueandsanctuary.com/donate/

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3300998449725440369&created=1722191585.337092&printed=1

Zelle: 248-446-2021

Cash App: $lyson

04/20/2026

We’d like to thank Bruce, one of our volunteers from Medina, OH, for rescuing this handsome, and full of personally, Muscovy mix angel, from a very busy underpass in mid March.

The Angel had apparently been there for about four days, and with the help of a passerby, Bruce was able to secure him and bring him to safety.

After a few days in Bruce’s care, Mike took a ride just inside Ohio, to save Bruce about a third of a 3 hour drive, to get him here to the Sanctuary. Thanks guys!!

PAYPAL
http://www.michiganduckrescueandsanctuary.com/donate/

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3300998449725440369&created=1722191585.337092&printed=1

Zelle: 248-446-2021

Cash App: $lyson

I came across this simple meme the other day, and it really hit home with me. We cannot tell you the number of times we ...
04/15/2026

I came across this simple meme the other day, and it really hit home with me. We cannot tell you the number of times we get calls about injured waterfowl, of all kinds, that have been harassed and injured by undisciplined kids, often with their parents right by their sides, throwing rocks, or sticks, or whatever is available, at harmless birds of all breeds, and all other types of nature’s creatures, often causing life debilitating injuries, and even death.

Parents, is it that difficult to rein in your unruly and uncontrollable children! I am certain that some people may read this and feel offended, that would just tell me that you may be part of the problem. We have also seen grown ‘adults’ harass animals as well, for no apparent reason whatsoever.

There is absolutely no excuse at all for this type of behavior!

Have we devolved into such a degenerate society, where we have to show our ‘toughness’ by picking on the most vulnerable among us?

Good people need to stand up against the evil among us! When you see animal abuse of any kind, speak up for those who cannot!

PAYPAL
http://www.michiganduckrescueandsanctuary.com/donate/

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3300998449725440369&created=1722191585.337092&printed=1

Zelle: 248-446-2021

Cash App: $lyson

April 1st is not always about pranks and foolery, often there is a seriousness which can melt a heart, from the tiniest ...
04/07/2026

April 1st is not always about pranks and foolery, often there is a seriousness which can melt a heart, from the tiniest of angels, and this is why our April fools post was only that. We could never not be there with an open heart, for the precious 84 gram ball of living cotton we took in on that afternoon.

We received a call, as we usually do, but this time it was extraordinary special, and the caller told us that she purchased two African geese babies from a breeder, just one day old, and the breeder offered her as a ‘gift’, apparently because she was unable to be bothered with it, a beautiful third baby, with no top bill whatsoever.

The caller took the angel home with his two siblings, because she knew she was his last hope. She immediately searched for help for the little angel, who could not even eat on his own. She found us early in her search, and we had him in the sanctuary within a few hours.

This baby was no bigger than a clinched handful of cotton balls, weigh less than 3 ounces. Our task will be a difficult one, but we will do everything in our experience to keep him going. He has a tremendous zest for living, and is just a sweetheart of a baby. We have been syringe feeding him almost every time we are in the room with him. He has only a tiny slip in the front of his face, which is his nare (nasal opening). Feeding him and keeping his face clean is no small task, as he could easily asphyxiate if any excess food or water goes into his nare.

We can only pray that life is destined to be a long one, but odds are highly against him with his severe handicap. 🙏

For anyone who may wish to support his care, or any of the hundreds of other angels in our immediate care, please use a link below. If you wish to send a donation, our address is listed on the top of our FB page. Prayers are always welcome, and cost nothing. Thank you so much!!

PAYPAL
http://www.michiganduckrescueandsanctuary.com/donate/

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3300998449725440369&created=1722191585.337092&printed=1

Zelle: 248-446-2021

Cash App: $lyson

HAPPY EASTER to all!!Please remember that Easter is not about buying chicks and ducklings, or even bunnies for your chil...
04/05/2026

HAPPY EASTER to all!!

Please remember that Easter is not about buying chicks and ducklings, or even bunnies for your children or grandchildren, or worse yet, gifts for others...
..He IS Risen!

Sadly, this will probably again be the least responded to post of the year…the one day we are most grateful to be able to do what we do!

Address

111 S. Lafayette Unit 284
South Lyon, MI
48178

Telephone

+12484462021

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