Holly Merker is a professional birding guide, author, and educator, who has a background in art therapy but today delivers Nature-based Wellness programming for people of all ages. Certified as a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide (ANFT), and in Wellness Counseling, she has also completed training in mindfulness practice (MBSR/Koru Fundamentals). A global advocate for Mindful Birding, she founded The Mindful Birding Network in 2021. Holly is a co-author of two books guiding readers into optimizing the wellness benefits that birds provide us, including Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul ( Crossley Books, 2021) and The Power of Birdwatching /Die Kraft der Vogelbeobachtung (Freya verlag, 2023).

Holly loves exploring and sharing two of her greatest passions  — yoga and mindful birding.  She believes the simple (but not always easy) act of focusing attention on the present moment can be a gateway to well-being.  As a former scientist studying stress and inflammation with a PhD in Physiology from UC Berkeley, a certified yoga and meditation teacher, and a longtime birder, Holly loves exploring the area where science and the practice of mindful birding overlap and is ever curious about natural ways to tap into our innate powers of holistic well being.  She offers yoga/nature/birding outings and workshops and is an active member of The Mindful Birding Network.