Nature
Talks + Tours
Wellness + Cooking

The Art of Noticing: A Mindful Birding Experience

When

Sun, Oct 18, 2026 9:30AM – 11:00AM

Where

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center

Price

$25, including admission to the ground. Wave Hill members save 10%

Join nature educator Ryan Mandelbaum and yoga/mindfulness instructor Susie Caramanica to explore how mindfulness can deepen our awareness, observation, and enjoyment of the natural world.

This guided experience combines mindfulness practices with birding, inviting participants to slow down, clear mental distractions, and become more fully attentive to the environment around them. Through simple grounding exercises, participants will cultivate a focused awareness that can help them notice more—from a bird's song to subtle movement in the canopy, participants can fully appreciate an encounter that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The program begins with gentle mindfulness practices designed to settle the mind and sharpen sensory awareness. Participants will then be guided through the landscape, learning to identify birds by sight and sound while observing behavior, habitat, migration, and seasonal activity.

No prior experience with birding or mindfulness practice is necessary. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring water and binoculars if they have them.

Registration encouraged; online or by calling 718.549.3200 x251; drop-ins based on availability. Questions? Please contact us at information@wavehill.org or by calling the number and extension provided above.

Following this program, join us for Yoga in the Garden with instructor Susie Caramanica (additional fees apply).

Additional Fall 2026 Birding programs:

Sun, Nov 8: November Birding

Walks follow a route along mixed-material pathways with varying elevations. A limited amount of walking sticks are available to borrow. Pace varies from a slow walk to moderate walk throughout.

Ryan Mandelbaum

Ryan Mandelbaum

Ryan Mandelbaum is a science writer, naturalist, and member of the NYC Bird Alliance's Young Conservationists Council. Originally from Long Island, they travel around their resident borough of Brooklyn searching for and showing others local birds and stopover migrants. Ryan strives to make their walks welcoming, inclusive, and fun and they'll also share plenty of random facts to dispense about the parks, wildlife, science, and more. They have written about birds for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, Gizmodo, Audubon, Gothamist, and more. They also volunteer for the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas, Feminist Bird Club, and The Finch Research Network. When not thinking about birds, Ryan works full-time at IBM as a physics writer.
Susie Caramanica

Susie Caramanica

Susie Caramanica is a certified RYT 200-hour Hatha yoga teacher who received training in 2016. She is no stranger to health and fitness, maintaining a regular exercise routine of hiking, biking, running. She was a division 1 college track athlete and has been practicing yoga for over two decades. Interests shifted towards mindfulness after a serious health challenge that made spending more time on her mat her destiny. She enjoys making yoga accessible to all levels and people, emphasizing strength, stretch, breath and balance. She focuses on alignment while incorporating awareness along with a body-mind connection, essentially bringing a sense of calm, release and joy into each class. Susie lives in Wes