The Mindful Birding Podcast

The Mindful Birding Podcast with Holly Merker & Holly Thomas
  • 5.0 (29)
  • HEALTH & FITNESS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

The Mindful Birding Podcast – Cultivating the health benefits and joy of Mindful Birding   Join co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas, along with other voices of the Mindful Birding Network and beyond, as we explore topics surrounding the practice of Mindful Birding. Episodes will delve into this style of observation, which pairs together elements of mindfulness and birding, amplifying the personal wellness benefits of both. Here, you’ll find episodes featuring insights into Mindful Birding from people around the globe, science segments, author interviews, tips for enhancing your Mindful Birding practice, plus a spotlight on the joy of birdsong. 

  1. APR 22

    Episode 37: Resilience through Mindful Birding

    mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, we explore the theme of resilience and the ways Mindful Birding can help strengthen our own psychological wellbeing during challenging times. We reflect on how turning our attention to birds can offer grounding, perspective, and gentle encouragement when life feels heavy or uncertain.  We also spotlight the role of the caregiver, and how finding time to connect with birds can offer much-needed respite, renewal, and restoration. *In our Joy of Birdsong segment, natural sound recordist Laura Sebastianelli shares a recording of American Woodcock performing a sky dance at Frazer Point on the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park in Winter Harbor, Maine. If you want to learn to record nature, or are already an experienced recordist, she invites you to join her and others in a Natural Sound Recordists Gathering for a week of exceptional field recording opportunities in the Cobscook Bay region of Maine to record, learn, and share among peers. *** Due to processing and automated mastering through our podcast platform, Laura Sebastianelli’s audio file was unfortunately badly distorted!  We sincerely apologize for this issue and would like to offer listeners access to the original recording, where you can hear her beautiful recording its unmastered, undistorted form.: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/435216921 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

    43 min

  2. MAR 18

    Episode 36 : 100% Attention & Mindful Birding with Faraaz Abdool

    mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode we spend time with long-time Mindful Birding Network member Faraaz Abdool, and we a style of birding that Faraaz calls Casual Birding, and how this style, like Mindful Birding, anchors itself in the quality of attention.   Faraaz is a wildlife photographer, author, speaker, and birding guide from Trinidad & Tobago who is passionate about making birding more accessible and meaningful for people everywhere. His book Casual Birding in Trinidad & Tobago, published in 2020, explores a philosophy of birding that emphasizes enjoyment, curiosity, and connection over competition. This intention of "birding and being" is Mindful Birding.  Faraaz’s photography and writing have been widely published, and he regularly speaks with birding groups, podcasts, and conservation audiences around the world. Through his guiding, media work, and collaborations , Faraaz helps inspire a deeper appreciation for birds and the experience of observing them. Check out Faraaz's website here: Faraaz Abdool,com More about Faraaz here 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

    45 min

  3. FEB 23

    Episode 35: Merlin & Mindful Birding

    mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, we discuss the Merlin Bird ID app, an AI tool for bird identification that can help us identify bird sounds, and we discuss how using Merlin impacts our experiences while practicing Mindful Birding, and pose the question: could Merlin sometimes be a barrier for deepening our experiences with birds around us, or be counter-active to Mindful Birding?  We’re curious to hear your thoughts on this too, and welcome your comments via email (see link above) In our Joy of Birdsong segment, natural sound recordist Laura Sebastianelli shares the sounds of a dawn chorus with a rich sense of place in Acadia National Park. If you want to learn to record nature, or are already an experienced recordist, she invites you to join her and others in a Natural Sound Recordists Gathering for a week of exceptional field recording opportunities in the Cobscook Bay region of Maine to record, learn, and share among peers. 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

    45 min

  4. JAN 24

    Episode 34: Being With: Mindful Birding & the Blurring of Self with Dr. Inbal Ravreby

    mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, Holly and Holly spend time chatting with Dr. Inbal Ravreby, a post-doctoral researcher at the Cornell University. We chat with Dr. Ravreby about how our experiences in nature and with birds can transport us into a different state of mind and shift our own self-perception. Something called "self-other" blurring, or self / non-self blurring. We talk about these fascinating research areas and how they might positively benefit our experiences while mindful birding.  In our Joy of Birdsong segment, we listen to the soundscapes of coastal Delaware and the voices of many migratory birds stopping over on an August morning at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on the east coast of the United States. Other resources mentioned in this episode include:  Nature and Health Alliance Forest Therapy  Mindful Birding Mindfulness Meditation  Empathy and Compassion 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

    44 min

  5. 11/26/2025

    Episode 33: Gratitude for Birds III

    mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com We’re excited to share our third annual “Gratitude for Birds” special—an episode shaped by the voices and heartfelt reflections of our own community. Through voices from around the world, we explore how practicing gratitude can deepen our mindful birding experiences and support our overall feelings of wellbeing. We invited our listeners and members of the Mindful Birding Network to share gratitude for birds, and now, we’re delighted to pass the microphone to them.  You will hear from Dave Edson, Karen , Krista Haenen, Arax Seghman, Ryan, Joy R., George Armistead, Freya McGregor, Susan J. Preston, Pam Zicca, Bruce, and Emily. Holly Thomas reads Mary Oliver’s poem Red Bird, and for our Joy of Birdsong segment, Holly Merker shares songs of an iconic red bird, the Northern Cardinal  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

    39 min

  6. 10/31/2025

    Episode 32: Bringing Bird Soundscapes Indoors with Terra

    mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com There are times when we cannot get outdoors but our wellbeing can surely benefit from the sounds of a natural landscape. Especially so when we can connect to the birds around us by immersing ourselves in the sounds of our own neighborhoods or yards.  In this episode we sit down with Casey Halverson and Scott Whittle, creators and project leads for Terra, a monitoring device that brings live listening experiences of the outdoors, indoors, as they share how we can use Terra to help birds, and other wildlife, as well as ourselves.  In our Joy of Birdsong segment, Chris Benesh returns to share a recording of a Stygian Owl, right in time for Halloween.  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

    36 min

  7. 09/26/2025

    Episode 31 Mindful Birding & Sensory Engagement: Stories of deepening our connections

    mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this episode, we spend time chatting about deepening our connections to birds through Mindful Birding experiences and how engaging our senses can enhance our experiences and feelings of connections.  We cover a variety of subjects, including some key take-aways from a New York Times article published in August that asserts that time spent in nature can boost your attention span.  In our Joy of Birdsong segment, we showcase the music of a singing Blackburnian Warbler recorded by special guest Wil Hershberger, on behalf of the Schoodic Institute’s Birds of Acadia Sound library.  Additional links: Practical Applications of Grounding to Support Health, Glover, K., 2022 Wil Hershberger's Song of Insects  Seth Benz : https://schoodicinstitute.org/team/seth-benz/ Schoodic Notes Blog: https://schoodicnotes.blog/author/schoodicnotes/ 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

    47 min

  8. 08/22/2025

    Episode 30: Mindful Birding & Nature Journaling Part II with Cheryl Fallstead

    mindfulbirdingnetwork@gmail.com In this 30th episode of the Mindful Birdng Podcast, we bring you Part II of Mindful Birding and Nature Journaling. We chat with Cheryl Fallstead, current president of the Mesilla Valley Audubon in Las Cruces New Mexico and learn the ways in which she personally has come to find joy and personal growth through Nature Journaling, and how this has been incorporated into the programming of Mesilla Valley Audubon. In our conversation, Cheryl talks about the Wild Wonder Foundation and the upcoming virtual conference open to all. In the Science Segment, Holly Thomas overviews research and papers focusing on the wellness and learning benefits of Nature Journaling centering on these two papers: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14729679.2024.2425933 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504622.2024.2405901 Thanks to all of you who shared feedback from our previous episodes. We invite you to reach out to us if there’s a topic you are interested in hearing more about, or want to share your takeaways from the Mindful Birding Podcast. 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

    31 min
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5
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29 Ratings

About

The Mindful Birding Podcast – Cultivating the health benefits and joy of Mindful Birding   Join co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas, along with other voices of the Mindful Birding Network and beyond, as we explore topics surrounding the practice of Mindful Birding. Episodes will delve into this style of observation, which pairs together elements of mindfulness and birding, amplifying the personal wellness benefits of both. Here, you’ll find episodes featuring insights into Mindful Birding from people around the globe, science segments, author interviews, tips for enhancing your Mindful Birding practice, plus a spotlight on the joy of birdsong. 

Information

  • Creator
    The Mindful Birding Podcast with Holly Merker & Holly Thomas
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Mindful Birding Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Mindful Birding Podcast

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