About us
Welcome to Wake Audubon Society – where our love for nature meets a commitment to inclusion and belonging and providing programs, outings and activities where all can safely access and celebrate nature.
As a chapter of Audubon NC and the National Audubon Society, our 1,900-strong community in Wake, Johnston, Franklin, and Nash counties, North Carolina, is proud to lead education, conservation, and advocacy efforts to grow our region responsibly and with concern for the birds, wildlife and places we all live.
There is no requirement to join Wake Audubon Society in order to be a member of this Meetup. There is no fee for this Meetup. We encourage you to join Wake Audubon, however, as we depend on member fees to support our environmental projects.
This group enjoys local (and regional) outings to experience wildlife in the Raleigh, Wake County area of North Carolina. We focus on birding, and we enjoy teaching anyone who is new to birding. We welcome visitors to the area who want to attend our outings.
Wake Audubon hosts free, public, in-person educational programs that are generally held on the second Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. in the NC Museum of Natural Sciences Nature Research Center, 121 W Jones St. Raleigh, NC, 4th floor meeting room. Most of these programs can also be viewed virtually via Zoom. See the topic, and confirm the location and Zoom link for each program in our Meetup or calendar posts.
We also volunteer for various events, including river cleanups, invasive species removal, nestbox maintenance, helping with events at various parks and museums, and community science projects such the Christmas Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Count.
Thanks for your interest in Wake Audubon. Come, join us!
Our mission statement: "To foster knowledge, appreciation, and enjoyment of nature; to encourage responsible environmental stewardship; to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity."
Upcoming events
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Hilltop-Needmore Park (North), 2026-0822
Hilltop Needmore Town Park & Preserve, 4621 Shady Greens Dr, Fuquay-Varina, NC, USBirding at Hilltop-Needmore Park (North)
Saturday, AUGUST 22, 2026
Time: 8:30 to 10:30 am
4621 Shady Greens Drive, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Leaders: (Various leaders, including Larry Zoller, David Southwick and Matt Florez)
Free Bird Outing with Wake Audubon! Join us for a Wake Audubon bird outing at Hilltop-Needmore Park on the fourth Saturday of most months (check here for updates).
The walk is limited to 20 participants; the RSVP on Meetup opens August 1 at 7 am.We will meet at the lower end of the old Club House parking lot. Look for a "Bird Walk Here" sign. We will start promptly at 8:30 am regardless of the weather and should finish by 10:30 am.
Dress for the weather and be prepared to walk paved trails and occasionally on wet grassy fairways. There is some elevation change but we will not be moving quickly as we stop frequently for birds. No birding experience is necessary. Bring your binoculars and a bird guide if you have one. The walk is not recommended for children under 6. Please leave your pets at home.
Ebird hotspot site: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L16295752Let's Go Birding!
The Leader will make and share an ebird list and share it with your ebird account. Individual lists are discouraged because they duplicate the data, but you can edit your list once it's shared to you.16 attendees
Birding for Wellbeing at Apex Community Park 2026.08.30
2200 Laura Duncan Rd, Apex, No, USMindful birding at Apex Community Park
2026.09.30 | a Birding for Wellbeing event
Sunday, August 30, 8:15 – 10:30 a.m.- Enjoy food and fellowship 8:15 - 8:40 a.m.
- Birding – 8:40 - 10:30 a.m.
- All skill levels encouraged to come; borrow binoculars from us or bring your own.
Sponsors: Wake Audubon, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Wake County.
Our Birding for Wellbeing outings center on mindful practices, with a slow pace to observe birds, relax in nature, and enjoy social connection in service to our physical and mental health.
While laden with many other amenities, our time at the park will be spent on the paved greenway and natural walking trails in view of its beautiful 50+ acre lake.
Apex Community Park | Apex, NC - Official WebsiteDriving directions and logistics
- Turn into the Park at 2200 Laura Duncan Rd.
- Take the drive all the way into the park, passing stop signs and other amenities, until the drive makes a loop at the far end.
- Park there.
- Find us at the far end of this loop, at the trailhead.
- Look for Birding for Wellbeing signs to guide your path to our picnic table gathering area.
- Join Mark, Matt, Alexis, and Rick at the tables.
What to expect / bring
- We’ll start by snacking on pastries (some gluten free) as we all greet and enjoy community with each other. 8:15 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. Bring your morning beverage of choice.
- During this time, we’ll assist anyone to borrow binoculars. Please arrive at 8:15 to be provided a pair and receive personalized help to focus them for your eyesight. There’s no requirement to use binoculars, yet, we’ll have plenty to borrow if you choose to do so and provide a safe space to learn.
- Bring your own filled water bottle if you intend to drink and/or carry water with you on the outing.
- Find gendered restrooms to the right of the parking lot/loop.
- Paths are paved with some slight grade changes, with some natural paths through wooded forest should birds call us to seek them there.
- Anticipate dappled shade and areas of sun, so be prepared for both.
Your hosts
- Our guide will be NAMI Wake County Executive Director Mark Simon, recovering from a foot injury. An avid birder, Mark is grateful for how birding has served his own mental health and passionate about sharing this source of well-being with others.
- Helping Mark will be Matt Florez, NC Environmental Educator, Outdoor Nature Instructor at Town of Holly Springs and Senior Program Assistant at Town of Cary; Matt's also a Wake Audubon board director.
- Licensed therapist and yoga teacher Alexis Schulman, LCMHC, began birding as a way to deepen her own mindfulness in nature and support her personal wellbeing. Through her work in mental health and mindfulness-based practices, Alexis has become interested in how slowing down our attention outdoors can support both observation and a calm mind. She developed the mindful birding framework for this series in collaboration with Wake Audubon and NAMI Wake County and will help guide these practices during the outings.
- Wake Audubon board director and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging event lead Rick LaRose (he/him) serves to bring accessible and welcoming ways for everyone to enjoy birds and take part in nature, wherever they are in their life journeys.
Today’s practice: Resilience
Resilience is our ability to adapt to change, move through challenges, and keep going when things don’t quite go according to plan.
Nature gives us a template for practicing this. Conditions are constantly changing, and birds and other wildlife continually adapt to what is around them. We can practice the same while birding - noticing when the experience is different from what we expected, making room for disappointment or discomfort, and staying open to what is actually here.During this outing, we’ll look to nature as a model for resilience and explore how being present with change and uncertainty can help us become a little more comfortable with the unexpected.
With brief mindful pauses, we’ll consider questions such as:- What hasn’t gone quite as expected today? Can you make some room for the experience as it is?
- If what you hoped to see or experience isn’t here, what else becomes available to your attention?
- Can you notice something unexpected around you? How might it represent the way nature adapts to change?
- Where can you see resilience happening in the natural world around you right now?
What bird species frequent the Park and trail?
Check out Apex Community Park sightings on eBird ahead of us adding a checklist of our own.
Apex Community Park, Wake, North Carolina, United States - eBird HotspotQuestions ahead?
- Email event manager Rick LaRose at rlarose.was@gmail.com.
- Text Rick on the day of the event with any questions at 919 609-7570.
We're looking forward to sharing community and birding together with you on Sunday, August 30!
Wake Audubon advocates birds, wildlife, nature, and environmental conservation with a commitment to providing activities where all can safely access and celebrate nature as their authentic selves.
NAMI Wake County is the local affiliate for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. We provide advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that people affected by mental illness can build better lives.
Why partner together?
As more and more stressors impact our everyday lives, the toll on our mental health can be debilitating.
As remedy, birding, bird song, and time in nature are proven to ease stress, boost mood, promote community, and strengthen well-being. We’re a natural fit.23 attendees
Early Bird at Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve 2026-0905
Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve, 2900 Horse Shoe Farm Road, Wake Forest, NC, USEarly Bird at Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve (registration required off Meetup)
Saturday, SEPTEMBER 5, 2026, 8 am - 9:30 am
Register Off-site only: Requires a login and password:
Login first at LoginThen register for this free event at: Register for Sep 5
Or Click on Search -- Activity Search and type in "EARLY BIRD"
Workshop code is 'HFNPEARLYBIRD"
Grab your binoculars and meet us at beautiful Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve for a bird-watching hike led by Wake Audubon volunteer naturalist, LynnErla Beegle.Spend your morning watching and learning about birds that prefer meadows and forest edges on this approximately 1.5 mile hike. For beginning and advanced birders. Bring your binoculars, or borrow a pair of ours. Pre-registration is required. Limited to City of Raleigh residents.
Meet in the parking lot at Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve 2900 Horseshoe Farm Rd, Wake Forest, NC, 27587 .1 attendee
Past events
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