3rd Annual Juneteenth Harriet Tubman Bird Walk
3rd Annual Juneteenth Harriet Tubman Bird Walk
Worldbeat Cultural Center
June 21st
Join us for the inspiring Harriet Tubman Bird Walk, an annual event hosted by the WorldBeat Cultural Center in collaboration with the Celebrate Urban Birds Project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This unique birding experience is part of our Mindful Birding initiative, blending mindfulness, cultural traditions, and community science.
The walk takes participants on a serene journey through the Healing Peace Garden and nearby green spaces, connecting them to nature while honoring the legacy of Harriet Tubman. Guided by experienced birders and community leaders, this event emphasizes inclusivity, mindfulness, and the importance of green spaces for mental health and well-being.
Whether you’re an avid birder or a beginner, the Harriet Tubman Bird Walk offers a meaningful way to celebrate nature, mindfulness, and community.
Hog Island Audubon Camp
Hog Island Audubon Camp - Mindful Birding: Rekindling Connections with Nature
Guest Instructor
August 24 – August 28, 2025
Registration is open now for the 2025 Camp season!
There’s no better place to spend time decompressing and rejuvenating than Hog Island, and we are thrilled to offer this brand-new program for 2025. Centering on the restorative qualities of birds and nature, we’ll optimize the wellness benefits modern research and ancient wisdom affirms that nature provides us.
Globally recognized for its health enhancing effects, nature-based wellness programming is making a widespread splash in wellness trends. With a team of skilled and certified instructors, this session will incorporate techniques in mindful birding, nature journaling, yoga, and forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku), all within the peaceful and picturesque surroundings of Muscongus Bay.
Buteo Books Author Event with Tammah
Buteo Books Author Event with Tammah
Tuesday, Jun 10, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location:
Buteo Books
2240 4th Street, Suite A
San Rafael, CA 94901
Join Buteo Books and Tammah Watts for a discussion about her book, work, experiences, and the healing powers of birds. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or bird-curious, we invite you to attend and join the conversation. All are welcome!
Tammah will also read from ‘Keep Looking Up: Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching’ and sign copies.
This event is free to attend. RSVP here.
Black Birders Week at Chollas Lake Park
Black Birders Week at Chollas Lake Park
BIRDWATCHING WITH TAMMAH
May 31st - 9:30am to 12pm
Chollas Lake - 6350 College Grove Dr., San Diego 92115
Meet by Park office (near fishing dock)
WorldBeat Cultural Center and San Diego Bird Alliance invite you to celebrate Black Birders Week, a nationwide movement that centers Black voices, joy, and belonging in outdoor spaces. Created to uplift and support Black birders and nature lovers, Black Birders Week is a powerful call for visibility, connection, and cultural affirmation in nature.
For 2025, Black Birders Week carries the powerful theme “Grounded in Community,” celebrating Black joy, liberation, and collective power in the outdoors. Our event takes place on Day 7—Community Chorus—a day dedicated to lifting our voices together through shared stories, reflection, and celebration in nature.
What to Expect:
A slow, mindful nature outing through the lake
Birdwatching and identification tips
Restful pauses for reflection and connection
📱 Guidance on using the Merlin Bird ID app
🦆 All ages + experience levels welcome
🦜 Free and open to the public
Accessible Birding for Mental Health Webinar
Accessible Birding for Mental Health Webinar
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
2:00 PM ET | 1:00 PM CT | 12:00 PM MT | 11:00 AM PT
Birding can be a powerful tool for mental health, and it should be accessible to everyone. Join Birdability for a live virtual webinar on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time to explore how birding supports emotional well-being, mindfulness, and healing, especially for people with disabilities and other health conditions, who have been historically excluded from outdoor spaces.
This conversation will feature panelists who will share findings from recent research on birding and mental health, discuss how to integrate nature-based practices into health and wellness efforts, and use birding as an essential part of a mental health journey as a person with a disability. We will be joined by:
Eric Clow: Eric is a writer and birder with Becker’s muscular dystrophy. His poems and stories have been published in the Rio Review and Aural Literature. His bimonthly newsletter Bird City News explores the joy and adventure of birding with a disability. A passion for nature permeates Eric’s writing as does a love for the strange and tiny delights that surround him—everything from the muddy nose prints his dogs leave on his windows to the prehistoric shapes of succulents.
Elizabeth Monje: A first-generation daughter of Mexican immigrants, Elizabeth Monje is a founder of Part-Time Birders and recent Master's in Social Work graduate who is passionate about clinical practice, mental health, and birding. Her Master's Thesis focused on the Perceived Benefits of Birding, through her qualitative research she found evidence that birding alleviates symptoms of anxiety and depression. Elizabeth Monje enjoys crafting, sewing, and enjoying the outdoors.
Tammah Watts: Tammah is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide, birder, and an advocate for the equitable accessibility of nature, health, and mental health for all. She is the best-selling author of KEEP LOOKING UP: Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching. Tammah lives in San Diego, California with husband, Harrison, and their little dog Sophie Cat, and she enjoys visiting (and birding) with their children and grandchildren.
Together, we will explore how access to birds and nature can foster community, reduce stress, and offer meaningful tools for resilience.
Black Birders Week 2025
Black Birders Week 2025
May 25th to 31st
#BlackBirdersWeek is a bold and unapologetic reclamation of the Black community’s role in environmental spaces—a powerful celebration of our enduring connection to the earth and a resounding call to dismantle the oppressive systems that have excluded us.
Sparrows represent our theme “Grounded in Community” emphasizing the shared need for visibility, respect, and action for both sparrows and the Black community. Through storytelling, education, and community building, our theme seeks to foster a deeper connection to nature and a more inclusive birding community, celebrating the vital contributions of both sparrows and Black birders to the future of conservation. Exciting updates are coming your way every week as we count down to Black Birders Week! Stay tuned for sneak peeks at events, activities, and ways to get stay engaged and get involved. You won’t want to miss what we have in store!
Join us as we celebrate Black birders, nature enthusiasts, and the joy of birdwatching. This year’s event promises to be bolder and more inspiring than ever!
Salton Sea Leadership Graduation
Salton Sea Leadership Graduation
Speaker
When: May 24th
Time: 10a-12p
Location: Coachella Valley History Museum
Address: 82616 Miles Ave, Indio, CA 92201
Cost: Free. Attendees may offer a small donation to the museum after 1:00pm to visit the exhibits.
Blind Birders Birdathon
Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon 2025
What: The Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon is a 24-hour birding event designed for birders who are legally blind. This inaugural event encourages participants to identify as many bird species as possible by sound (or sight!), celebrating accessibility and the joy of birding.
Who: Any legally blind individual in the United States - of any age and any level of experience - is welcome to participate.
When: Sunday, May 18, 2025
From 12:01 AM to midnight (local time)
Where: Anywhere you bird! Participants can bird solo, with a team, or alongside a sighted assistant. Backyard birding, traveling teams, an outing on a trail and more are all welcome.
San Diego Birdathon
Support the SoCal Bird Nerds & SDBA BIRDATHON 2025!
May 10th - 10am to 6pm
Counting Birds for Conservation
We're excited to take part in the San Diego Birdathon, a birding challenge supporting San Diego Bird Alliance’s local conservation, education, and advocacy efforts that benefit birds, other wildlife, and all who enjoy them.
YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR SOCAL BIRD NERDS TEAM BY:
Making a pledge -an amount per species or a flat amount that's right for you
You can join us & go birding and add to the bird count:
on one of the outings
from where you live, work or play
or both!
Sharing with your family, friends, coworkers/businesses, groups and communities
Cheering us on in the SoCal birdy nerdy spirit
A Conversation with Amy Tan
San Diego Bird Festival 2025: A Conversation with Amy Tan
Saturday, March 1
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
USD Shiley Theater
Amy Tan will take the stage for a unique conversation about her literary journey and her recent work, including The Backyard Bird Chronicles. Moderated by author Tammah Watts, A Conversation with Amy Tan will offer the opportunity to delve into the ways in which her life, experiences, and observations of the world have shaped her work.
The event will be followed by a book signing where attendees can meet Amy Tan personally and have her sign copies of her books. Warwicks will be on-site selling her works, including The Backyard Bird Chronicles and other releases, for those who wish to purchase a copy.
Info and Purchase tickets here.
Healthy Habits, Healthy Hobbies – The Benefits of Active Leisure
Wellness Wednesday: Healthy Habits, Healthy Hobbies – The Benefits of Active Leisure
PANELIST | IN-PERSON
Thinking about healthy changes for the new year? Don’t forget the power of recreation! Active leisure improves our physical and mental health, stimulates the brain, and promotes rest. Picking up a new hobby can feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Join us to learn about the health benefits of recreation, and local resources for getting started with a new hobby, or returning to an old one.
Amy Abrams from the Grossmont Healthcare District will moderate this interactive panel presentation featuring local experts in gardening, birding, arts and crafting, and volunteer services:
Stephen Cantu (Master Gardener, Master Gardeners Association of San Diego)
Sally Lantz Cobian, MPH (Social Activities Coordinator, Alzheimer’s San Diego)
Katie Ruiz, MFA (Artist and Craftivist, The PomPomProject)
Tammah Watts, LMFT (Board Member, San Diego Bird Alliance)
When: Wednesday, January 22 | Presentation 10-11 AM, Film screening begins 11:30 AM
Where: Grossmont Healthcare District’s Conference Center Auditorium (9001 Wakarusa St. La Mesa, CA)
Contact: 619.825.5010, library@grossmonthealthcare.org, or visit us in person to learn more
Feature film: Thelma (2024)
Wellness Wednesdays are GHD-sponsored programs that feature different health topics every month. Wellness Wednesdays are free and open to all community members. Registration is not required.
Virtual Mindful Birding
A Collective Care Practice
In support of our collective care, Tammah Watts, Feminist Bird Club, In Color Birding and Weaving Earth have teamed up to offer a free Mindful Birding session! This experiential, virtual session will include a guided sensory experience to connect to the birds (and wider ecology) around us. May this simple practice offer some support in these uncertain times.
Join us for this free, hour long event on Sunday, November 24th at 9am PT/ 12pm ET.
Closed captions will be available and registration is required to receive the zoom link.
Register here.
Coastal Leadership Fellows Graduation
AUDUBON CA -Coastal Leadership Program
SPEAKER | MINDFUL OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE (MOE) | PRIVATE EVENT
Location: Audubon Center at Debs Park
Date: November 16, 2024
Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership
Adjunct Faculty Instructor -Bird Awareness
Mental Health Benefits of Birding - Panelist
Birdability Week 2024 - Mental Health Benefits of Birding Panel
VIRTUAL | PANEL DISCUSSION
When: October 23 at 12:30 PM ET
“Our amazing panelists—Tammah Watts, Holly Merker, Sheridan Alford, and Birdability Captain Ann Marie Geiger—will share personal stories and expert insights into how birding can uplift and heal. For folks with disabilities, health concerns, or just the everyday stresses of life, birding can be a powerful healing tool that offers a connection to nature and mindfulness. And really, it’s a wellness practice for everyone, bringing moments of joy and calm into our lives. Swipe to read how panelists describe this magic. We hope you will join us to learn more and share your own experiences of birding as healing!” - Birdability
International Bird Rescue - Soaring Twenties Benefit - CANCELLED
This event has been cancelled due to Bird Rescue is concentrating its efforts on responding to the #PelicanCrisis affecting hundreds of California Brown Pelicans.
KEYNOTE | IN-PERSON
Saturday, June 8, 2024 - 5pm - 11pm PT
Location: Millennium Biltmore Hotel 506 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $200 (Early bird pricing ends May 1st)
Please join us on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 5:00pm for a spectacular Gatsby-themed soirée that promises an evening of opulence, style, and grandeur while showcasing the historical work of International Bird Rescue.
Embrace the glitz and glamour of the 1920s while making a difference in the lives of birds in need. Don your Gatsby attire, spread your wings, and join us for a night of celebration, compassion, and community. Gatsby-style or evening attire preferred.
We are pleased to have as our featured keynote speaker, Tammah Watts. She is a bird storyteller, therapist, and author of Keep Looking Up: Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching.
The event also includes: dinner buffet & cash bar, silent auction, live music, Gatsby best-dressed contest, and more!
Sea & Sage Audubon General Meeting
PRESENTATION | VIRTUAL
Date: Friday, May 17, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Learn about and explore:
the many benefits of spending time in nature, and in particular with birds, for one’s physical and mental health, and overall well-being
how spending time with birds in a mindful way can deepen one’s appreciation for our feathered friends as well as enhance our connection to the natural world, and to ourselves
ways to develop heightened awareness and acceptance for birding in various settings and capacities from at home to far distant lands and,
how one’s story about life and birds can foster a sense of community that honors what we have in common as well as celebrates our differences.
Please join us for this fun-filled program. The meeting room opens at 6:30 PM; join us to socialize prior to the 7:00 PM meeting.
Bird Kinship: A Journey Into Bird Language and Mindful Birding
ONLINE COURSE
Date: May 16th to June 11th
This 4-week program will bring together long-time birders, and folks who are brand new to the bird world, to join in a supportive community as we participate in simple yet potent practices that cultivate a quiet mind, bring relaxation, and deepen our kinship with birds.
We invite you to join us for an experiential dive into the practices of Bird Language and Mindful Birding! Over the course of 4 weeks from May 16th to June 11th we will be focusing on slowing down and relaxing your nervous system through tuning into the birds, while also building a relationship of reciprocity with them. By paying attention to birds’ vocalizations and behaviors, and striving to understand what they are communicating about in our neighborhoods, we also come to learn how our choices, actions and behaviors can support their well-being.
COURSE DETAILS
This program is designed to be accessible from your homeplace and to bring you into deeper relationship with your bioregion. We will meet via zoom twice per week for four weeks on Thursdays and Tuesdays. Thursdays’ calls are 1.5 hours and will include both educational and experiential elements. Tuesdays’ calls are 1 hour in length and are fully experiential, with the option to participate inside and outdoors. To increase accessibility we are providing two options to join on Tuesdays — one in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening. Participants are invited to choose one, or join both if they would like. All calls will be recorded so you can enjoy live or on demand.
BWIAB - 2024 Birding with the Stars - Birding with Tammah
We're pleased to offer these special opportunities to spend time in the field with some of the keynote speakers at The Biggest Week In American Birding. All of these people have graciously agreed to donate their time, so 100% of the proceeds from these trips will benefit Black Swamp Bird Observatory's Youth Birding Programs.
Date: Sunday, May 5
Time: 8:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Maumee Bay State Park "Big Hill" Lot #7
Fee: $50
Registration Required: Yes
The Biggest Week in American Birding Keynote
The Biggest Week in American Birding - May 3-12, 2024
KEYNOTE |BOOK SIGNING | IN-PERSON
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Ballroom - Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center
Join Tammah Watts as she weaves together personal story and avian life to reveal the marvelous phenomenon shared among us. This interactive presentation invites the audience to become acquainted, or perhaps re-acquainted, with the many benefits one experiences connecting with our feathered friends at home, in the community, and beyond.
A-Way in Nature: a Mindful Outdoor Experience with Birds
MINDFUL OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE (MOE) | IN-PERSON
April 27, 2024 - 9am - 11am PT
Location: Anstine-Audubon Nature Preserve,
2437 Hutchison Street, Vista, CA 92084
Deepen your connection with our feathered friends! Learn to:
● sit/lie quietly and practice mindfulness in nature (Bird Perch)
● use your senses to observe the birds while leaving your equipment behind
● connect with birds in a meaningful and personal way to enhance your well-being
This workshop is suitable for all interest levels and capacities and all are welcome to participate in the manner most suited for them. We will meet for a brief overview of connecting with birds followed by time to actually practice mindful birding and experience the many benefits for your wellbeing-including having fun! Birding equipment is not required nor encouraged for this workshop.
San Diego Audubon BIRDATHON 2024
San Diego Audubon BIRDATHON 2024
Birding for a Cause!
Each year we celebrate the arrival of spring and come together for Birdathon to get outside, count birds, and build community. Birdathon is like a walkathon, except instead of counting miles, you count birds! Teams and individuals pick a day to get outside in San Diego County and try to identify as many species as possible within 24 hours, while raising funds along the way.
The funds that we raise help to support San Diego Audubon's conservation, education, and advocacy efforts to defend birds and their habitats in San Diego county. In 2024, we hope to bring in $30,000 during Birdathon and inspire people to love and protect the natural world!
Information and registration for event here.
TEAM HEALTH - Enjoy nature and identify as many bird species as possible as part of Team Health's Birdathon, while raising funds for a local conservation. It’s like a walkathon but more fun! Tammah will be there to say a few words and Team Health will be doing a raffle at the end for a few copies of “Keep Looking Up”
San Diego Bird Festival 2024
San Diego Bird Festival 2024 - Feb 21-25, 2024
Host | Co-Moderator | IN-PERSON
CHAMPIONS OF THE BIRDVERSE
Birds in Comics Panel -Tammah Watts, Lisa Chaddock, Christian Cooper, and others
It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! It’s BIRDS IN COMICS!
Calling all nerds, bird nerds, and comic enthusiasts -along with all the rest of us who are simply interested. Hawks, Owls, Falcons, Songbirds, and even ducks, are some of the characters that come to mind.
Come marvel with the panel of birding speakers as they discuss the festival’s theme, “Birds Make Us Better” within the realm of the super hero to the comic strip -and beyond.
We will explore the intersection of some of the heroes (and villains turned heroes) named after birds, ways birds are featured in comics, and the wonder of self-discovery. Birds in comics have become a way to speak to the deeper character of the hero, and in some ways show us our best selves. There will be time to hear from attendees and Q&A. Capes and wings are optional.
Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM pacific
Location: Marina Village Conference Center- Terrace Room
A-Way in Nature: a Mindful Outdoor Experience with Birds
MINDFUL OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE (MOE) | IN-PERSON
January 20, 2024 - 9am - 11am PT
Location: Anstine-Audubon Nature Preserve,
2437 Hutchison Street, Vista, CA 92084
Deepen your connection with our feathered friends! Learn to:
● sit/lie quietly and practice mindfulness in nature (Bird Perch)
● use your senses to observe the birds while leaving your equipment behind
● connect with birds in a meaningful and personal way to enhance your well-being
This workshop is suitable for all interest levels and capacities and all are welcome to participate in the manner most suited for them. We will meet for a brief overview of connecting with birds followed by time to actually practice mindful birding and experience the many benefits for your wellbeing-including having fun! Birding equipment is not required nor encouraged for this workshop.
Audubon After Dark: Bird Story Hour
GUEST STORYTELLER| VIRTUAL
December 14 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm mountain time
Have you received a gift from a bird? We warmly invite you to tell us during Audubon After Dark: Bird Story Hour, a virtual community space for bird story sharing! Join us to share your favorite bird tales and hear authentic, engaging, often humorous, and touching stories from fellow bird lovers.
This month, we will be joined by best-selling author Tammah Watts. Tammah is a licensed marriage and family therapist, Certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide, birder, and an advocate for the equitable accessibility of nature, health, and mental health for all. Tammah was also the co-host of Audubon California's Bird Story Hour events.
For the December event, the prompt is "What gift have you received from a bird?" and "What gift have birds given you?" However, stories of all themes are welcome!
Nature Night
PRESENTATION | VIRTUAL
December 12 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm pacific
Join Tammah Watts as she weaves together personal story and avian life to reveal the marvelous phenomenon shared among us. This interactive presentation invites the audience to become acquainted, or perhaps re-acquainted, with the many benefits one experiences connecting with our feathered friends at home, in the community, and beyond.
A-Way in Nature: a Mindful Outdoor Experience with Birds
MINDFUL OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE (MOE) | IN-PERSON
December 2, 2023 - 9am - 11am PT
Location: Anstine-Audubon Nature Preserve,
2437 Hutchison Street, Vista, CA 92084
Deepen your connection with our feathered friends! Learn to:
● sit/lie quietly and practice mindfulness in nature (Bird Perch)
● use your senses to observe the birds while leaving your equipment behind
● connect with birds in a meaningful and personal way to enhance your well-being
This workshop is suitable for all interest levels and capacities and all are welcome to participate in the manner most suited for them. We will meet for a brief overview of connecting with birds followed by time to actually practice mindful birding and experience the many benefits for your wellbeing-including having fun! Birding equipment is not required nor encouraged for this workshop.
WBFI 2023 Annual Meeting
WBFI 2023 Annual Meeting*- San Diego, CA
PRESENTATION | MINDFUL OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE (MOE) | IN-PERSON
*This event is for WBFI Members and their guests.
November 9, 2023
2:15 – 3:00 PM Presentation: Keep Looking Up: Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching
3:00 – 4:30 PM Mindful Outdoor Experience
Paradise Point 1404 Vacation Road, San Diego, CA 92109.
Darien Library Author Visit
Darien Library Author Visit
BOOK TALK | PRESENTATION | VIRTUAL
September 7, 2023 at 7pm EST
Migratory Bird Day Bird Book Club
Migratory Bird Day Bird Book Club
BOOK DISCUSSION | VIRTUAL
Thursday, August 31st, 2023: 5pm PT, 6pm MT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET
Oceanside Library Author Visit
MINDFUL OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE | BOOK TALK | BOOK SIGNING | IN-PERSON
Join Tammah Watts for a MINDFULNESS MEDITATION WITH BIRDS - a mindfulness outdoor experience (MOE).
August 26, 2023 at 10am
Location: Civic Center Library - 330 North Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054
The San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books at the University of San Diego
GUIDED MINDFULNESS MEDITATION | BOOK TALK | BOOK SIGNING | IN-PERSON
Join Tammah Watts at the 7th Annual San Diego Festival of Books for a Book Talk and MINDFULNESS MEDITATION WITH BIRDS - a mindfulness outdoor experience (MOE)