The Birds subcategory honors the winged messengers who grace Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary with movement, song, and seasonal rhythm. From bluebirds balancing on dogwood branches to migrating flocks passing overhead, birds remind us that the sanctuary is part of a much larger living tapestry.

Birds are among the most visible indicators of ecological health. Their presence reflects the strength of native plant communities, the availability of insects, berries, seeds, and safe nesting habitat. When native plums blossom, pollinators gather. When dogwood berries ripen, bluebirds arrive. When thickets mature, shelter and food become abundant. Each interaction reveals a network of interdependence.

Here at the sanctuary, we observe birds not only as wildlife but as teachers. Their migrations follow celestial patterns. Their nesting cycles align with seasonal shifts. Their songs mark the early light of dawn and the quieting of dusk. In this way, birds mirror the order of the heavens and the earth — living symbols of harmony between sky and soil.

Posts in this category include photographic journals, seasonal sightings, habitat reflections, and simple moments of wonder. Whether documenting a single bird in mid-flight or exploring the relationship between flora and avian life, these writings celebrate attentiveness.

Through careful observation, we learn patience. Through stewardship, we encourage biodiversity. Through gratitude, we remember that every flutter of wings is part of a greater design — one that invites us to live in awareness of both earth and sky.

Cozy Chickens 🐓 (and a wee rant)

By |2026-03-09T18:35:27+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Holistic Health, Musings|

Hello from CHS Farm on this frigid day! Though it is quite cold (imagine that in February in Michigan!), the chickens are doing well and staying warm. I thought you all might enjoy a video to see our set-up of how we keep the coop warm in the winter, yet we built it to be adaptable for also keeping it cool in the summer. This is what permaculture design is all about ...creating harmonious spaces that work ...

Natural Bird Feeder

By |2026-03-01T03:30:33+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Fauna, Flora|

https://youtube.com/shorts/JZtsGGHV-hA?feature=share A video of birds feeding on dried crabapples at Crossing Hedgerows Farm and Sanctuary in late January. Crabapples Wishing each of you peace and blessings, Jean

Seasonal Card Sets from Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary

By |2026-03-01T03:30:33+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Fauna, Flora, Insects, News|

  We are happy to announce that we're now offering seasonal note card sets with photos taken at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC. 🐝✨ Each set comes with five different cards related to one of the four seasons.   honey bee in peach blossom   Brennah's photography is taken with a professional Nikon DX camera. She uses a macro lens and a telephoto lens for various shots. All her photos are completely ...

A New Space for You

By |2026-03-03T17:37:42+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Events & Celebrations, News|

Our hen, Peck, would like to show you a space that we’re in the process of preparing for gatherings. Go ahead and follow her down the path into the hoophouse. She’s waiting for you.         Because the flood wiped out most everything we had planted in there, we decided it would be a good opportunity to reevaluate the best use of the space. So what we’ve decided is to use half of the hoophouse ...

Flood – This Sunday’s Meet Up Cancelled

By |2026-03-03T23:32:06+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, News|

Hi Everyone, Last night we had the biggest flood event we've had here to date. Most of the land is flooded, including our chicken coops, hoop house, sheds, and some of our garage. But thankfully NOT our house or basement. We spent a good part of the day getting our chickens situated as best we could, by adding tables into the coops (with their food and water on them), for them to stand on, along with their ...

Buttonbush

By |2026-03-07T04:17:32+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Flora|

By Brennah Cavanaugh, Board Member of Crossing Hedgerows SanctuaryButtonbush is a bush with very unique looking flower clusters that are almost perfectly spherical. Its flowers are adored by pollinators of all sorts, but due to the long tube-like shape of the individual flowers in the cluster they are especially attractive to pollinators with longer tongues, like butterflies, bumble bees, and hummingbirds. (The unusual shape of the flowers make them attractive to humans, too!) It is also a ...

Into the Woods

By |2026-03-04T03:14:18+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Flora, Musings|

Today I took a short video so you can see what the woods are looking like right now. At the end you can hear a plane flying low overhead, as the Sanctuary is not too far from Detroit Metro airport.   https://youtu.be/y7gwtDCswo4   Our world is constantly becoming more and more developed even in areas that are zoned for agriculture. Farm fields across the road from the Sanctuary are currently being partitioned off and sold for ...

Chickens in the Morning

By |2026-03-06T03:32:49+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Fauna|

Dawn in the chicken coop at Crossing Hedgerows Farm. The chickens are waking up, preening their feathers and wagging their tails.(The crowing is coming from the coop on the other side of the inner wooden wall which mirrors the coop I’m in.)   https://youtube.com/shorts/pzDd4yifMWQ?feature=share   The outside walls have clear plastic panels on them over the screens to allow in maximum sunlight and warmth during the winter, like a greenhouse. In summer the panels can be ...

Bluebird and Dogwood Berries

By |2026-03-07T04:17:25+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Fauna, Flora|

Hello Everyone! Today is a cross post from Brennah Cavanaugh Photography of a bluebird at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm. We hope youHello Everyone! Today is a cross post from Brennah Cavanaugh Photography of a bluebird at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm. We hope you enjoy it!Here is a series of photos I took shortly before I went to New Mexico of a bluebird doing acrobatics to reach some dogwood berries. This series is definitely an improvement ...

Pumpkins for the Chickens

By |2026-03-06T21:37:46+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Musings|

https://youtube.com/shorts/Q5i-7VtLsro?feature=share   A couple of our members donated their leftover pumpkins to us for the chickens this past week. As you can see in the video, the chickens appreciated it very much... to the point that some were not wanting to share! So I ended up bringing in another pumpkin for them, as there were plenty to go around! Each chicken area got some pumpkins, and they were all very happy indeed. Pumpkin seeds are a ...

Update on Infrastructure Work

By |2026-03-07T20:39:05+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, News|

A unique aspect of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm is that we incorporate our spiritual practices with the day to day aspects of caring for the land and creating resilient systems. Sometimes it feels like a lot of balls in the air to juggle community building, ecosystem reparations, seasonal celebrations, and farm work. The mission of our nonprofit is extensive to be sure.   Broody hen - a hen who is in the hormonal state of ...

Imbolc Gathering

By |2026-03-07T04:17:03+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Events & Celebrations|

Just a reminder that our Imbolc gathering will be this Sunday at 2:00. It will not be a ritual this time, but an opportunity to appreciate the season together. We will have a bonfire, hot coco, some mead, and perhaps cookies or similar fare. We also invite you to walk the trails and enjoy the land at your own leisure, with the fire awaiting to warm you upon your return. ...And I wanted to share with you these ...

Chickens in the Springtime

By |2026-03-07T21:49:05+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Flora|

For those who are counting down the days until spring, I think the chickens are going to be just as happy! Here they are happily foraging at Beltane in May of 2018. Violets and dandelions are healthy herbs for people and chickens alike. 😀   violets and dandelions, Luna, Penguin and Flame - Photo by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC   I hope you are all doing well! Jean

Cardinal Season

By |2026-03-07T04:30:50+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Flora|

Cardinals and Forsythia BushThis is the time of year when we see whole flocks of cardinals around the farm and sanctuary. Today we have a fresh covering of snow and the cardinals are so beautiful against the white (and dull greens and browns) of winter. Five cardinals (three males and two females) in a cedar treeBirds are a high priority for us at Crossing Hedgerows. Many of the perennial trees, bushes, and herbs we have planted are not ...

Compost!

By |2026-03-08T03:01:13+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Musings|

During our Samhain ritual, we honored the Cailleach, whose work encompasses death and decay. She is the hag of winter and the face of the goddess who is the crone. Many traditions have Holy Ones who embody this. Here at Crossing Hedgerows Farm, we recently built a new chicken coop. One of the reasons I wanted to do this, was so we could have a dirt floor and keep a compost pile going inside the coop for ...

American Goldfinch on Sunchokes

By |2026-03-08T20:07:06+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds|

Though these pictures were taken through a screened window as it was raining, the clarity is still incredible. We wanted to share with you an advanced peek of this set of photos of an American Goldfinch who is feeding on the seeds of the sunchokes here at Crossing Hedgerows Farm along with others of her flock. She has donned her fall / winter nonbreeding plumage which is not such a bright yellow as the breeding plumage. Photos ...

Yesterday’s Gathering

By |2026-03-08T22:50:36+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Events & Celebrations, Flora|

We had a  relaxing gathering yesterday. It was spent mostly sitting in the shade of a mulberry tree whilst sharing a potluck together.  We were serenaded by a catbird, one of which Brennah captured in this photo a few days prior.   Gray Catbird by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC   According to the Cornell Bird Lab, "Catbirds are secretive but energetic, hopping and fluttering from branch to branch through tangles of vegetation. Singing males sit ...

Catnip and Sunbathing Chickens

By |2026-03-08T23:05:38+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Flora, Insects|

Catnip is one of several types of plants we have on the farm to help keep the mosquitoes at bay. There has been a noticeable difference since we've added them to the landscape. Unfortunately, the wilder parts of the Sanctuary, that don't have these plantings, are currently still plagued with the little buggers.   Our hens, Amelia, Little Wing, and Chezabu hanging out among some catnip and hops   This video shows how much the ...

I Spy

By |2026-03-09T00:06:49+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, Fauna, Musings|

Brennah has been practicing her skills with her new telephoto lens. Here are a few or of her recent portraits of CHFS creatures. What a joy it is to provide a healthy habitat for all the wild spirits who pass through or reside on this land. May the Holy Guardians encompass all places of sanctuary and protection, all places of retreat, healing and restoration of spirit, that those seeking enclaves of quiet peace may find healing of ...

Pond Construction Site

By |2026-03-09T02:00:12+02:00January 31st, 2026|Birds, News|

Though the pond is still under construction, it's already beautiful and teeming with life. (Be sure to watch through to the end to see who's making the chirping noises in the video.) And the recent rains have added enough water to be able to have a good sense of what it will look like when it's complete.   https://youtube.com/shorts/MR0PB1G9tP8?feature=share   The site plan for the pond area is to have a small campground on one side ...

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