[email protected]

In this episode, we explore the concept of Prescriptive Nature, and gain a better understanding of how and where these prescriptions are being used today in preventative medicine across the globe. 

 Special guest Dr. Joe Blanda MD discusses the ParkRX program and shares how he prescribed nature to his own patients while a practicing orthopedic surgeon, and continues this initiative through projects in his local community in Akron Ohio. 

 Holly Thomas shares the poem The Cure For It All by Julia Fehrenbacher

In the Mindful Birding Nerding Science Segment, Holly Thomas explores why Prescriptive Nature might face hurdles in traditional medical settings, and highlights some of the work going on in Poland, specifically that of two pioneers in the area of the therapeutic benefits of birding  Dr. Piotr Tryjanowski  Dr. Slawomir Murawiec, and Dr. Katarzyna Simonienko - specifically her article on Therapeutic Ornithology

 For our Joy of Birdsong segment, Holly & Holly bring you with them on a slow walk through an autumn landscape in southeastern Pennsylvania, sharing a few moments of their wondrous encounter with a pair of dueting Great Horned Owls 

 We invite you, our listeners, to share moments of gratitude you have with or for birds in our upcoming episode centering around Gratitude. Please email us before Nov.20. 2023 your recordings of gratitude, one minute or less, to:  [email protected] 

 Other Links:
Japanese results of prescriptive nature: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/8/781
WHO Paper: https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/state-mental-health-globally-wake-covid-19-pandemic-and-progress-who-special-initiative
Dr. Katarzyna Simonienko  https://www.forest-therapy.pl/en/forest-therapy/
Slawomir Murawiec
https://naturallybalanced.org/en/author/slawomirmurawiec/
Birding during COVID - http://www.psychiatria.com.pl/artykul.php?a=941
Nature and Mental Health: Birding is a Proven Solution https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9623220/

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

[email protected]

In this episode, Holly & Holly discuss ideas surrounding self-sustainability,through birds and nature with author Sophie Crossley, who works for Work in Mind a UK based organization dedicated to the connection between healthy buildings and workplace wellbeing, where there’s a strong focus on biophilic design or incorporating elements of nature into our work and living spaces for the wellness benefits. 

 In our Mindful Birding Nerding segment, Holly Thomas explores the book Blue Mind, by Wallace J. Nichols, and some of the take-aways from the book, and why and how we can benefit from spending time around water. 

 Holly Thomas shares a quote by Alan Watts from his book The Way of Zen.

 Chris Benesh shares a soundscape of the beautiful song of Hermit Thrush, recorded in California in the Joy of Birdsong segment. https://fieldguides.com/guides/chris-benesh/

Other links:
Forest Therapy
Association of Nature and Forest Therapy
Forest Therapy Hub
BBC's Suprising Benefits of Blue Spaces

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

[email protected]

This episode of the Mindful Birding Podcast is dedicated in loving memory of our friend Tom Johnson.

In this episode, we explore how birds and birding play an important part in the grieving process that we all experience in our lives.

We hear personal stories from Dr. Ed Pullen, creator and host of the Bird Banter Podcast, as he shares how birding was a helpful distraction in finding respite in coping with care-taking and deep loss.

Liz Pettit shares a story of how birds and birding helps in healing of her heart, after experiencing the loss of her son.
Her book Unimaginable is providing hope and comfort to many people.

The American Poet Mary Oliver's reflective poem
Starlings in Winter offers hope and inspires us to seek wonder in both the ordinary and the impossible. Holly Merker reflects on the spirituality and significance particular birds play after loss, particularly the Northern Cardinal.

Holly Thomas guides us through a reflective meditation for those we love, and offers tribute to a beloved friend of both of your co-hosts, as we honor the memory of extraordinary birder and person, Tom Johnson.

In our Joy of Birding segment with Chris Benesh, Chris reflects on how birds have soothed him amidst grief, especially in the loss of dear friend and colleague, Tom Johnson, AKA "The Albatross".  Chris shares an intriguing and moving recording of Southern Royal Albatrosses made in Campbell Island of New Zealand. 

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

[email protected]

In this episode, Holly & Holly chat with child psychologist and author Dr. Geraldine Oades-Sese about her forthcoming children’s book Melusine: Birds of Many Feathers, a book that weaves the message of inclusivity and diversity using bird language and birding.
Dr. Gerry shares the importance of nature for childhood mental wellbeing and resilience, and tips on how to bring birds and nature into their lives, as well as her own experiences with using birds as a therapeutic vehicle both professionally and personally.

Holly Thomas explores one theory, showing causes and effects of attention fatigue, demonstrating the power of the natural world in our “Mindful Birding Nerding Science Segment”.

 Mary Oliver’s wisdom and skillful use of words invites us to explore our connections to the natural world in thought-provoking ways, and in this episode, Holly Thomas shares the poem Such Singing in the Wild Branches to celebrate gratitude for birdsong.

 Chris Benesh takes us on a trip to the mountains of New Mexico, where we listen to the soundscapes featuring Red-faced Warbler, Grace’s Warbler, Warbling and Plumbeous Vireos, Brown Creeper, and Mountain Chickadee.

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

[email protected]

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

[email protected]

In this episode, Holly & Holly wing their way across the Atlantic to visit with Dr. Angelika Nelson an acoustic ornithologist who works for the LBV (Landesbund für Vogel- und Naturschutz ) in Germany, and the lead author of the new book “The Power of Birdwatching” (Freya, 2023). Angelika shares how birds can teach us life-lessons and be a positive distraction in our daily lives, along with insight into why birdsong makes us feel so good. 

Recordist Beatrix Saadi-Varchmin’s Blue Tit and Common Nightingale songs are featured in accompaniment of Angelika’s interview. Learn more about Beatrix here: https://vogelgetwitter.de/

Our Mindful Birding Nerding Science Segment Dr. Holly Thomas explores a European study that measures life satisfaction and analyzes the correlation between life satisfaction and living around bird diversity. This study found a correlation of life satisfaction and bird diversity that were on the same scale as life satisfaction and income. Listen to learn more! 

Holly Thomas quotes Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring for words of inspiration. 

Listen to the bird heard singing which prompted recordist Chris Benesh drop everything he was working on, to give the song his full attention in our Joy of Birdsong segment. 

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

[email protected]

In this episode, Mindful Birding Network members Aaric Eisenstein, Roniq Bartanen and Matthew Young, along with co-hosts Holly Thomas and Holly Merker,  all provide tips, insights, and perspectives, that demonstrate how individualized the practice of Mindful Birding can be.

Let your mind escape while listening to Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things” and reflect on how nature and birds bring you to a calmer headspace. 

 In our Mindful Birding Nerding  science segment, Dr. Holly Thomas summarizes a recent study that suggests that Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can have the same effect as a well-known pharmaceutical in the SSRI class, posing the question of whether or not Mindful Birding might have those same beneficial effects.

Recordist Chris Benesh transports us to Australia for our Joy of Birdsong spotlight, as he shares the echoing and ethereal sounds of a Pied Butcherbird singing at dawn. 

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

[email protected]

Familiar voices from within the Mindful Birding Network share what Mindful Birding means to them. We hear these questions answered by Alex Harper, Dr. Barbara Patterson, Dr. Joe Blanda, Bridget Butler/Bird Diva, and Faraaz Abdool.

In our Mindful Birding Nerding science segment, Dr. Holly Thomas explores the science of why birdsong holds benefits to our wellbeing and provides an overview of a study published in Scientific Reports on birdsong and anxiety. We follow up with our Joy of Birdsong segment hearing from birdsong recordist and birding guide Chris Benesh, who offers us some peaceful moments with a Townsend’s Solitaire.

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

[email protected]

In this intro episode, co-hosts Holly Merker and Holly Thomas introduce the Mindful Birding Podcast, provide insight into the practice of Mindful Birding, and what that might mean, share the background of the Mindful Birding Network , and provide a peek into what's to come in future episodes. 

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