925 Providence Road
Newtown Square, PA 19073
(610) 353-2562
land@wctrust.org
Mindful Birding at Dusk
Ornitherapy or Mindful Birding leads to heightened awareness during bird observation, benefiting our mind, body, and spirit. We’re pushed and pulled in many directions, no matter our age. If we allow birds and nature to slow us down, we are practicing a form of self care. Research shows that exposure to nature actively reduces stress, depression, and anxiety, while helping build a stronger heart and immune system.
This workshop will help you learn the concepts of Ornitherapy – a practice of mindful birding.
We will begin with an intro explaining the concepts of Mindful Birding and how and why birds and nature help promote overall wellbeing. Through guided instruction, we’ll learn simple mindfulness exercises to engage our sensory awareness while tuning into the birds and natural world surrounding us.
We’ll use focused techniques and prompts in a gently guided walk or sit spot, enhancing our understanding of birds while promoting quality versus quantity of the experience. Participants will use Mindful Birding Journals (provided with program) to increase observation and awareness.
Benefits of Mindful Birding:
· Enjoy a reprieve from life stressors and pressures
· Gain enhanced sensory awareness (sight, sound, smell, touch)
· Better understand bird life through intentional observation
· Deepen your observation skills
· Enhance your identification skills, while building a stronger foundation for overall bird ID
· Increase self-reflection through birds and nature
Holly Merker has a background in art therapy, but today employs birds and nature toward the same goals of wellbeing in her work as an environmental educator and birding guide. She has worked as a professional birding instructor for National Audubon, the American Birding Association, Hillstar Nature, and other organizations. Passionate about connecting young people to birds, she co-founded the Frontiers in Ornithology Symposium. Dedicated to bird conservation, she is the state’s coordinator/reviewer for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird Pennsylvania since 2005, and a two-term voting member of the PA Ornithological Records Committee and Committee Chair. She is lead author of the book Ornitherapy:For Your Body, Mind, and Soul (along with co-authors Richard Crossley and Sophie Crossley, Crossley Books, 2021). Holly spends every possible moment practicing Ornitherapy herself, which she credits in helping her defeat breast cancer, restoring her health mentally and physically.
