Birding for Wellbeing at Apex Community Park 2026.08.30

Mindful 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 Website

Driving 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 Hotspot

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 Sunday, August 30!

See Wake Audubon's Rick LaRose and NAMI Wake County's Mark Simon talk with ABC11 news anchor Amber Rupinta about Birding for Wellbeing in celebration of May Mental Health Awareness Month!

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.