Mindful Birding in Montreal
by Amanda Booher, Communications Manager, Audubon Great Plains
Two years ago, I knew I needed to focus on my mental health through an awareness of depression, anxiety, and overwhelm. I began practicing yoga regularly and after each class, I left feeling lighter. I was hooked and I wanted to share this feeling and experience with others, but I never wanted to be a yoga teacher. What has always resonated with me, was the the guidance to let go of my thoughts and be present with myself, and I wanted to share that with others. I got my MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) certification and a month later I met Barbara Patterson.
In 2023, I attended the Audubon Leadership Conference in Estes Park and flocked to the owl species printout on the wall during an icebreaker where I met Barbara from the Mindful Birding Network. She might not remember this, but we connected over the ice-breaker session and had a short laugh and chat. Later that evening, we were excited to greet each other again at dinner and she specifically invited me to her Mindful Birding session despite not having registered for it. I was in.
My first sit spot was nestled under a tree along the Big Thompson River. Having been a little insecure in my birding capabilities, I learned that species identification didn’t matter! What!? Wasn’t that the point of birding? But this was mindful birding, and we were instructed by Barbara to practice layered observation and layered listening. While I didn’t see many birds, I did enjoy the flow of the stream going by, and the playful squirrel getting curious and maybe a little too comfortable with my presence. I felt the Earth with my fingertips and gently touched the tree behind me.
This moment changed everything for me. I learned about the background and history of mindful birding, listened to the podcast, cruised their website, and obtained resources that would help me learn about this practice. When I got back from Colorado, I insisted to my supervisor that we had change my performance goals for the year, I needed to guide mindful birding and provide the same type of opportunity I experienced in Estes Park, to others. I went on to host 14 sessions and reached over 150 people through this practice.
This brings me 2025, where I got to lead the Mindful Birding Field Trip in Montreal, Canada during the Audubon Leadership Conference. It was our first full day of the conference, people were excited to be in there, our attendees loaded on a bus, and we were off to L’Angrignon Park. Excitement came over me to be in this this incredible park, with like-minded people from our birding community, and the realization that they chose to experience Mindful Birding. I caught my breath. We did our introductions, formed connections with nature moments in a circle, and welcomed each other to the space. Our group had individuals from all over the United States, Indigenous Community members who served in various conservation roles, and attendees from South America and different parts of Canada. To say this was the most diverse group I had the privilege to lead is an understatement.
The setting was in a green adorned park with scattered trees, shrubs, and wetlands. A tern greeted us, and excitement was building. Then we sat and observed. Participants were guided to look in the distance for movement in the sky, in the middle ground for a possible flutter mixed within the leaves, and to look closely and get curious to the ground and plants around them. We paused. We were present. We heard laughter of children from a field trip nearby and calls from birds letting us know they were there. And just when we were completing our sit spit and regathering, we were gifted with the takeoff of a Great Blue Heron that only some had previously noticed from their sit spot. The joy was contagious, and we gathered to share what we we noticed and- a common theme was shared in noticing of the bumble bees digging in pollen.
Many shared that this was the calmest and best they have felt in months. The practice was complete and in shared unity, we connected and created a space of calm and further appreciation of our natural surroundings, and I continue to be in awe of what Mindful Birding can bring.
The author, Amana Booher
Amanda’s Mindful Birding Field Trip in Montreal, Canada during the 2025 Audubon Leadership Conference
