Ornitherapy

Holly Merker

April 20, 7:00PM (via Zoom)

Holly is cancer survivor who credits Ornitherapy in helping save her life. Holly used mindful birdwatching - Ornitherapy - as a powerful tool in in fighting cancer. She credits Ornitherapy as a frontline weapon in her arsenal of tools in restoring and maintaining good health, both mentally and physically. During the cancer treatment and recovery, Holly spent time watching birds in order to detach from the emotional and physical crisis that comes with a cancer diagnosis. Watching birds grounded her, and gave her a renewed perspective on life and survival. She believes that anyone can benefit from Ornitherapy if they are open to it, and she’s made it her life mission to bring this wellness regimen to you.

Holly has a background in art therapy, but employs birds and nature to achieve the same result for of mental, physical, and emotional wellness for the people she works with as an environmental and ornithological educator. She has been a birding instructor for multiple organizations, including National Audubon, Red Knot Outfitters Birding Guides, theAmerican Birding Association, and many others. She has co-owned, along with Richard Crossley, of ID Boot Camp an intensive bird identification outdoor learning program. Focused on bird distributions and populations, Holly serves as the Pennsylvania State Coordinator for Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird.org, and has been the Chair and a Voting Member of the Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee.

A strong believer in giving back to her community and ultimately to birds, Holly serves or has served on the Boards of Directors for: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology, the Delaware Ornithological Society, and is a Founding Member and Co-Chair of the annual Frontiers in Ornithology: A Symposium for Youth. She is passionate about connecting the next generation to birds and nature, and fostering conservation leaders through youth development and birding programs. One of her favorite projects has been helping run a bird club at the elementary school near her home. Holly spends any extra time she can find studying anything with wings, contributing to citizen science, exploring new music, antiquing, and spending time with her friends and family. She currently resides in the Philadelphia suburbs.