Episode 5: Mindful Birding is for Everyone

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In this episode, we share why Mindful Birding is truly for everyone, and how Mindful Birding is gaining a wider awareness as a style of birding within the birding community, as larger birding festivals give a nod by featuring programming and offering Keynotes surrounding this style of birding. 

Holly Thomas explores the wide welcome Mindful Birding offers for all people, and how to bring mindfulness into any birding style that you love, or bring mindfulness to a new style of birding that you would like to explore. 

Holly Merker chats with Bridget Butler, AKA the BirdDiva, about their recent experiences at The Biggest Week in American Birding festival, and how Mindful Birding played a role in both the programming and in birding styles at this enormously popular event.  

In our Mindful Birding Nerding science segment, Holly Thomas explains “Doc Log” as a form of medicine and covers the “Doses of Neighborhood Nature: The Benefits of Health of Living with Nature” and what health benefits we are receiving from time in nature, and what we miss when we don’t have that time.  

Is Winnie the Pooh a Mindful Birder? Holly Merker reads an excerpt from the book “The Tao of Pooh: The principles of Taoism demonstrated by Winnie-the Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff, that gives you the answer.  

Chris Benesh takes us to Ulva Island, New Zealand to experience the sounds of the New Zealand Bellbird as it transports you back in time.

Other links from this episode:
The Art of Mindful Birdwatching by Claire Thompson
Southeast Arizona Birding Festival
Freya McGregor
Article: Why Birds and Their Songs are Good for Our Mental Health by R. Sima

Intro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgain
Intro Birdsong & Clips throughout : Western Meadowlark
Outro music: “Inspired by Nature” by PlayAgain
Outro Birdsong: Eastern Meadowlark
Mindful Birding Network Website
Instagram: @mindfulbirdingnetwork
Produced by Co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas