Volunteer Application

We are currently accepting applications for spring volunteers!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Bird Center of Michigan! Our volunteers help with many different tasks, including avian husbandry, transportation, and outdoor maintenance for the patients at our clinic in Saline, MI. Volunteer shifts are generally 3 hours long, and our volunteers usually sign up for one or two weekly shifts.

We’re also launching a new volunteer program this year—the Bird Help Hotline. Volunteers on the hotline will answer our busy phones and assist callers with bird identification, tips on helping a bird in need, rescue instructions, and referrals to other wildlife rehabilitators.

New volunteer training is on pause during the winter months, but if you’d like to volunteer with us in the spring, please fill out the application below and return it to [email protected]. We’ll reach out to new volunteers in March, and husbandry training will begin early to mid-April—possibly sooner, depending on the number of birds in our care at that time. Hotline training is tentatively set to begin in March.

If you have any questions about volunteering with us, please email [email protected].

BCM Volunteer Application 2024Download

Volunteering at the Bird Center

The Bird Center of Michigan is one of the only songbird rehabilitation facilities that serves the southeastern area of Michigan. Each year, hundreds of both baby birds and injured adults come through the doors of the clinic requiring assistance. Did you know that most baby birds need to be fed every 30 minutes from dawn to dusk? Between feeding, cleaning, and monitoring every bird’s condition, there’s always something that needs to be done! Not only do volunteers get the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our feathered patients, but they get to learn and work alongside skilled staff and interns.

Volunteer shifts are typically 3 hours long, 1-2 times per week. How much time you are willing to spend volunteering with the Bird Center is up to you! Let our Volunteer Coordinator know your availability, and we will swiftly set up a training shift with an experienced mentor to get you started.

In this video, Bird Center of Michigan volunteers discuss why volunteering with us is so important to them:

Volunteer Duties

There are many jobs that go into wildlife rehabilitation – and it’s not just feeding birds! Here are some of the many important duties volunteers perform at the Bird Center:

  • Ensuring clean and safe enclosures for the birds.
  • Preparing species-specific diets and creating enrichment.
  • Helping staff and volunteers monitor critical patients and babies.
  • Helping with special Bird Center projects.
  • Helping staff with laundry.
  • Running errands, such as transferring birds to other rehab facilities, or picking up fruit or insects at the store.
  • General gardening and other outdoor maintenance at the clinic.
  • Experienced volunteers can be trained to answer calls and enter data into our system.

BCM is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our volunteer opportunities are open to all. We value diversity and do not permit any discrimination against applicants, employees, or volunteers on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or disability, or any other status protected by applicable law or statute in any of our policies or program.