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In this episode we talk with Freya McGregor, owner of Access Birding LLC , about what it means to create accessible and inclusive experiences for everyone, and why Mindful Birding offers an inclusive and therapeutic experience for all people. We'll hear about the Access Birding certification course, and other opportunities on innovative approaches to accessibility and inclusivity in birding overall.

In our joy of birdsong segment, Seth Benz of the Schoodic Institute , a nonprofit org supporting Acadia National Park in Maine, shares a segment of a soundscape recording by Laura Sebastianelli . You can listen to the full recording of the soundscape here: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/456772271

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

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In this episode, we have a conversation with Lillian Stokes and Matthew Young, authors of the interactive and engaging new book The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada, a book that embodies hope and joy, and can serve as a bridge between our personal wellbeing and understanding finches.

The authors share how their backgrounds in social work and mental health pairs together with their work with birds, and what finches can teach us.

For the Joy of Birdsong segment, Chris Benesh offers us an array of finch songs to enjoy, including Lawrence's Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, Black-headed Siskin, Red Crossbill,

Learn more about finches and research surrounding them by checking out the Finch Research Network

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

Send us a text

In this episode, we honor gratitude for wild birds, by playing voices of gratitude from around the world, which some of our listeners and network members have offered. We thank all that have contributed and those of you who listen!
You will hear the voices of:

Arax, United Kingdom

Don Boyd, New Mexico

Pamela Lowell, Massachusetts

Pam Kolber-Zicca, New York

Mary, Colorado

Holly Thomas, New Mexico

Dave Edson, Massachusetts

Jo, California

Laurel, Michigan

Holly Merker, Pennsylvania

Julie, Maryland

Susan Preston, New Mexico

Jack Bruce, Georgia

Amanda Booher, South Dakota

Lindsay McNamara, New Jersey

Anne, Pennsylvania

Poem by Mary Oliver: “With Thanks to the Field Sparrow”

In the Mindful Birding Nerding segment: Holly Thomas explores the science of gratitude and joy

Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1150952

A neural link between generosity and happiness

https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15964

In the Joy of Birdsong segment, Chris Benesh is back with the song of a Horned Lark recorded in Oaxaca, Mexico

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