It’s for the Birds: Earth Day 2026

On April 12, after climbing up and down forested hillside trails, which led to various lovingly constructed, constantly changing rock altars, a group of women called Women’s Mysteries gathered around a lovely table set on the only flat spot on the hill, in the shade of delicate new chartreuse leaves swaying in the delicious breeze. We began stitching bird images with raffia and fallen, baroquely patterned magnolia leaves.

The theme for the meeting was the “river beneath the river” accompanied by the well-known chant there’s a river of birds in migration, a nation of women with wings. Standing near the table is an upright outdoor loom, upon which to weave with natural elements when the creative impulse arises. Finishing our work, we each began adding our birds among the loom’s threads to fly together along strips of blue cloth symbolizing winds and rivers. We and the forest were creating beauty together. Simple craft-making rose spontaneously to the level of meaning-making. This ritual activity touched and stimulated the kind of creating-with-nature-and-spirit that the embodied soul craves, which requires a level of serenity that has been missing from the body politic in the increasingly crazy socio-cultural-political events of the past year. Making crafts in nature with natural materials quiets the mind as it deepens our relationship with the natural world.

Eight million Americans attended No Kings 3. When various reports concluded that the No Kings rallies were some of the largest ever in the U.S., I became curious. What were the others? What was the biggest? Turns out, on the first Earth Day in 1970, over 20 million people participated in marches, rallies, and teach-ins, making it the largest single- day event in U.S. history. It has been identified as the birth of the modern environmental movement.

In 1969 there had been a massive oil spill off the California coast near Santa Barbara. At the time it was the largest oil spill ever. Over 10,000 sea birds died along with countless sea lions, elephant seals, dolphins, and who knows how many other species of sea creatures.

At that first Earth Day, people’s demands for more protection of the polluted environment led to the creation of the EPA and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The Clean Water, Clean Air, and Endangered Species Acts followed. As we know, in the current government’s disdain for environmental regulations and denial of climate change, all of these agencies and acts are threatened. Biodiversity has plummeted. We have lost 30% of birds since 1970.

Many important environmental events have happened on subsequent Earth Days, including the momentous Paris Agreement signed by the U.S. and over 120 other countries, which enacted a treaty with climate protection goals that countries are still struggling to meet, held in a stranglehold by their commitment to fossil fuels.

The largest global day of action ever was Earth Day 2020, the 50^th anniversary. It was attended by over100 million people.This month, a hopeful summit was held in Columbia during which over 50 countries drafted an innovative plan to take charge and forge ahead beyond fossil fuel dependency by speeding the development of clean energy from solar and wind.¹

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Why make birds from magnolia leaves? Several years ago, the coalition called Women’s Mysteries, which meets monthly outdoors, crafted ornaments with magnolia leaves to celebrate Trees. We find it deeply satisfying when our exploration of psycho-spiritual growth includes interacting in relationship with nature. As I worked on mine, it had become a ritual prayer for our daughter’s successful childbirth (after a miscarriage). A small healing ceremony had arisen when silently, one-by-one, we began hanging the creations on the branches of mother magnolia. This had been such a meaningful experience that we were inspired to offer this craft and ritual to honor trees for the larger community on Spring Equinox, 2023. https://earthsanctuaries.net/healing-with-mother-magnolia/

The theme Robin, the leader of our April gathering, had chosen was the “River Beneath the River” from Clara Pinkola Estes’ book Women Who Run With the Wolves, in which the writer explains that the deep currents of this river (Rio Abajo Rio) symbolize the source of all creative and spiritual energy, which nourishes the soul. With the unblocked, overflowing force of love for person, land, or humanity, she says, we can do nothing but create.

We sang the chant There’s a river of birds in migration, a nation of women/people/children with wings.² Each Earth Day since 1970 has had a theme, the first one being “Give Earth a Chance.” For our 2026 Earth Day we would offer this Birds in Migration theme, combined with an Open Garden walk to see the late spring wildflowers and an opportunity to participate in Earth-honoring circle dances. To bring the body more fully into the desire to deepen our sensory-emotional relationship with nature.

But something was missing. Something from the more-than-human natural world that would hold the theme together ecologically as well as spiritually. A couple of days later we realized, hey, isn’t there a warbler migration beginning sometime soon? After all, we had just heard a summer tanager, a hooded warbler, and a black and white warbler singing. We googled Eastern bird migration and found that, sure enough, the spring migration is starting now. Peak migration through our state, North Carolina, occurs from late April to mid May. I found a Cornell app that shows how many millions of birds are now crossing over NC each night.

What is it called when you’re making a progression of steps toward a destination that you don’t realize exists until you’ve arrived there? From crafting images to honor birds to the ecological and spiritual reality of birds themselves. From reality to Reality. The river beneath the River. From the symbolic river of birds in migration to the actual River of Birds in Migration—a form of synchronicity? Certainly a form of wonder, of enchantment.

Preparation

We decided to proceed with holding Earth Day here at Temenos Garden, despite the heat that had caused spring plants to bloom early, while early summer plants are not yet blooming. This is a natural hiatus that happens every year. It’s just happening earlier this year, thanks to climate change.

Many years ago, we had named our garden Temenos, which means “field of divinity.” Temenos is similar to the Hawaiian word heiau, meaning sacred place, holy ground, temple, as in e malama ika heiau (let us nurture this sacred land). Temenos carries both meanings: sacred space inside—the Self—and sacred space outside—the planet—but we and Earth are one. Creating Temenos within and without signifies honoring the holy ground of the embodied soul, and the holy ground of the inspirited Earth. Walking, sitting, standing, dancing, in the space where they overlap and are One.

I sent out the announcement.

The next day there was an auspicious sight. We are in a severe drought. While watering zinnia seedlings—to provide nectar for butterflies—the spray had wet the mints underneath, and a male ruby-throated hummingbird (the only hummingbird in the Eastern U.S.) flew over to sit in the mist on a leaf only three feet away. He sat so still that I was able to see him more clearly than I’ve ever seen a hummingbird before. Then he washed himself vigorously for a full minute in the fragrant wet leaves. I imagine him enjoying his bath immensely—birds have a fine sense of smell.

Our co-leader Robin came over to the garden to help with the preparation. Instead of constructing a ritual loom of cedar like hers, as planned, we were inspired to weave what we call “the palisade” of wooden poles and branches (which provides a bit of enclosure to our dance space) with strips of blue cloth and threads from which to hang our birds, so the birds can migrate together on winds above and along rivers below. The uprights of the palisade form the warp and the cloth strips and strings form the weft of the metaphorical loom.

We would set out a bowl to receive Earth Day donations for the New Hope Bird Alliance, our local Audubon-affiliated bird advocacy group. This celebration would become a ritual prayer, sending our love to the migrating birds.

In the evening, my husband David and I ate dinner outside and watched bluebird parents bring an endless stream of bugs and caterpillars to their babies in a nest box nearby.

The Celebration

Sunday, April 26, Robin arrived early for the Earth Day gathering with a basket full of patterned neckties in shades of blue. These are some of the 50-60 colorful ties that had been given to her by a friend—who must have been some corporate sort ready to gladly give them up, along with the job. Over subsequent years, the ties had been put to many good uses. One time we made a solemn ritual of hanging a circle of especially vivid ties to form what turned out to be a humorous and slightly outrageous enclosure around a spiral Robin had created on the hill to honor the sacred Directions and Elements.

Today she proceeded to make artful additions of silky blue ties to the cloth strip winds blowing above and the rivers snaking below. She hung some of the birds that the women’s group had woven into the threads of her Earth-loom on the hill, to join the upcoming flight.

It had sprinkled here in the morning, but by the time people begin to arrive the sun is peeking out. Garden guides help participants, who in turn help each other, find and admire the blooming plants-of-Place on their checklists. We notice that the plants seem to visibly brighten when they are appreciated. The Native Plant Treasure Hunt provides a congenial opportunity for people to meet each other as well as the colorful perennials and flowering shrubs in their new spring dresses—white Mountain Laurel and Virginia Sweetspire, Golden Alexanders, red Columbines, Bluets and Wild Blue Phlox and Blue Stars, pink Bleeding Hearts, yellow Coreopsis, orange Butterfly Weed … the list goes on. Some visitors prefer to linger quietly in the velvety glow of the moss garden, absorbing the green endorphins.

Gradually, everyone gathers around a table to craft birds. Robin says, “We begin a sensory relationship with the magnolia leaves we want to create with, seeing sizes, shapes, colors and patterns, touching textures. Which leaves draw our attention?  Do we want the front or back side visible? To cut and shape it or leave as is? Do we want to attach another leaf—or 2 or 3—for wings, maybe a tail? Will the pointy end of the leaf form a beak or perhaps the twig end? Don’t forget the eye.”

We feel the sturdiness of each leaf and hear the pop of the needle poking through, followed by the rasp of the raffia thread. There are those familiar with stitching and those new or feeling out of touch with handiwork. There is intense focus and delight. All remain relatively non-judgmental and slowly add their own unique touches to their creations.

Absorbed in our bird-making, we begin to sing over and over, There’s a river of birds in migration, a na-a-tion of women with wings … of children … of men … of people … of all beings with wings. Reminds me of traditional harvesters and sailors singing work songs to sustain their rhythm, energy, and connection with each other.

From time to time someone gets up and reverently places a pinch of dried mealworms in a  bowl as an offering for the bluebirds nesting nearby. The app shows us that over a million birds had flown over the nearby town of Greensboro last night. Each person finds a special place to hang their finished bird to join the river of birds already in flight on the loom—and in the sky.

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Assembling in front of the lively, colorful, backdrop of birds in flight, we form a circle around drummer Diantha Rau and guitarist David Chaika. Diantha speaks a passionate invocation to the spirits of Earth and sky. Then Kathleen Hannan and I teach the words and movements of three Earth-honoring dances from the Dances of Universal Peace repertoire.

E Malama (Hawaian)

E Malama ika Heiau—(2x) Let us nurture this sacred ground/temple/Earth

E Malama pono ika Heiau Pono means to set things right. Yes, let us do the right thing and take care of the sacred Earth

Earth and sky, sea and stone, hold this land in sacredness—(2x)

All My Relations (after the Lakota phrase Mitakuye Oiasin)

May I walk in beauty, may I walk in peace—(2x)

All, all my relations—(2x)

All life is sacred, the mountains and the seas

All life is sacred, the animals and the trees

All, all my relations—(2x)

Hey ya, hey ya, hey ya

Hey ya, hey ya, hey—(2x)

All, all my relations—(2x)

Madre Tierra, Madre Vida

Madre Tierra, Madre Vida—(2x) Mother of Earth, Mother of Life

Llévame en tu Corazon, Hold (or carry) me in your Heart,

La Medicina de tu Amor It is the Medicine of your Love

Love shines on the faces of the dancers—neighbors, designers of native plant gardens, members of men’s groups and women’s groups—as well as experienced dancers from the Dances of Universal Peace community. Love for the birds, love for each other, love for the world.

To end, we dedicate any healing or joy we have received for the benefit of the world, singing, May all beings be well. May all beings be happy. Peace, peace, peace. Thank to the enthusiastic participants who had arrived seeking to honor the local plants and animals. Appreciation to the leaders of the garden walks, the crafts, and the dances. Gratitude to the loving spirits of guidance for working their magic to help us deepen our relationships with each other and with the Earth beings present all around us. May we take our rightful place as co-creators, in partnership with the creative energies of Life.

After the celebration is over, people talk on into the evening, watching mama and papa bluebird taking turns bringing a steady stream of caterpillars, spiders, and mealworms to their babies and flying away with little white packets of poop. Google says, “The little white packets you see bluebirds and wrens carrying out of their nests are fecal sacs—essentially clean, gelatinous ‘diapers’ that contain the nestlings’ waste”³ to keep the nests clean and to avoid attracting predators, like raccoons.

In her new book The Glorians, Terry Tempest Williams, my favorite heart-filled writer of nature-and-spirit, who in some twenty books describes the myriad of ecological and spiritual interconnections she witnesses, urges us to pay attention to the presence of the “holy ordinary” that surrounds us.⁴ Can’t get much more ordinary than bird poop!

Regarding those caterpillars, the NC Wildlife Federation says, “There are 178 species of butterflies and over 3,100 species of moths in North Carolina. The base of our food web is moth caterpillars! Birds, bats, snakes, lizards, frogs, salamanders, spiders, squirrels, mice, skunks, wasps, and other insects rely on moths to survive.” These small animals, in turn, are food for the larger mammals. Can’t get much more holy than moths that sacrifice their own bodies to feed all their neighbors!

Later, one of the participants told us he walked around the back garden, hearing a plethora of birds singing, and saw a blue grosbeak. Wondering if they were migrating through NC, we found out that some are passing through, but most are arriving from their wintering grounds in Central America to stay here and breed. They construct their cup nests in shrubs, like elderberries, which are now budding up. They line the inner cup with fine strips of bark, grass, and cloth. [uh-oh!]

April 30, the bluebirds fledged today!

 

Text © BL Chaika, photos © BL and D Chaika

 

Notes

1. Columbia, South America, Clean Energy Summit, AP News https://apnews.com › article › conference-santa-marta… Colombia hosts global summit to tackle fossil fuel reliance | AP News Apr 24, 2026 · Governments from nearly 50 countries will meet in Colombia’s Caribbean

Santa Marta was just the beginning – 350.0rg 

2. There Is A River of Birds chant: https://www.gatheringofcircles.com/songs_we_sing/32%20River%20Of%20Birds.mp3

3. Little white packets: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&udm=50&aep=42&source=chrome.crn.rb&q=bluebirds+and+wrens+flying+out+of++nests+with+little+white+packets/ .

4. Terry Tempest Williams, “The Glorians are Among Us,” video of keynote address to the 2026 Bioneers conference, Bioneers, April 23, 2026, https://bioneers.org/terry-tempest-williams-glorians-among-us-zstf2605.