Slow birding at Shelley Lake Park 2026.01.24 | a Birding for Wellbeing event

Enjoy food and fellowship 8:30 – 9 a.m. Birding begins at 9:00 a.m.
Borrow binoculars from us or bring your own. Arrive at 8:20 if borrowing binoculars.
Sponsors: Wake Audubon and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Wake County.
Step outside with NAMI Wake County and Wake Audubon for a morning of connection, calm, and curiosity.

Our new partnership with NAMI Wake County continues with our 2026 launch of Birding for Wellbeing – mindful outings with a slow pace to observe birds, relax in nature, and enjoy social connection in service to our physical and mental health.

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.

What is slow birding?
If new to you, slow birding is an approach to observing birds that majors on mindfulness and connection, designed to appeal to persons who prefer a more, relaxed birding environment, whereby we take time to meet one another, and identify birds, enjoy their song, watch their behavior, and notice their habitats and the other wildlife around them.'

While slow birding can take on different forms, here we’ll amble around the lake to view the key species that call Shelley Lake Park home.

Your hosts
Our lead guide will be NAMI Wake County Executive Director Mark Simon. 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.

Co-guiding this outing will be Wake Audubon volunteer Lori Spangler, who regularly hosts birders around Shelley Lake, giving us insider’s knowledge of where to look for various species, with other Wake Audubon helper-guides along to assist.

Co-hosting will be Wake Audubon board director and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging event lead Rick LaRose (he/him), who serves to bring accessible and welcoming ways for everyone to enjoy birds and take part in nature, wherever they are in their life journeys.

Driving directions and logistics
Enter at 1400 West Millbrook Road, Raleigh in the parking lot for Sertoma Arts Center. Meet at the picnic tables to the right of the Center.

What to expect
We’ll start by snacking on pastries (some gluten free) as we all greet and enjoy community with each other 8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. Bring your own breakfast beverage of choice if you’d like.

During this time, we’ll assist anyone to borrow binoculars. If borrowing binoculars, please arrive by 8:20 to allow time to reach our gathering spot, be provided a pair and receive personalized help to focus them for your eyesight, meet other birders, and grab a snack. 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 (refillable) water bottle if you intend to drink and/or carry water with you on the outing. There’s water available at a station outside gendered restrooms located adjacent to the parking lot.

We’ll ask anyone needing to use them or refill a water bottle to please do so in time for our 9 a.m. birding start.

We’ll amble to the lake and enjoy the view from the long bridge, then traverse some distance clockwise along the 2-mile loop of paved scenic greenway trails around the lake. We’ll likely see Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons (both are actively nesting along the trail), as well as woodpeckers, sparrows, cardinals, and winter waterfowl. While the path is paved, we may step off to the side of it at times, or onto grassy fields, being aware of others and any cyclists.

The paved trail from the Center to the lake declines at a slope of 7 degrees and is then relatively flat around the lake. There’s a serpentine incline at the dam end of the lake (near the end of our path), and a short, 15-degree decline that can be avoided by a taking an alternate trail back to the center. If you use an adaptive mobility device and have any questions, please contact Rick.

More info at https://raleighnc.gov/parks-and-recreation/places/shelley-lake-park

What bird species frequent the Park and Trail?
Check out Shelley Lake Park sightings on ebird.org ahead of us adding a checklist of our own.
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L882613

Questions 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 Saturday, January 24!

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.