Slow Birding Weekend
Quimby Country Lodge & Cottages in Averill, VT
September 20th - 22nd, 2024
$750 per persoN
20 PARTICIPANTS
Imagine…a cozy fall weekend in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. You’re tucked away at an idyllic retreat where you can let go in order to reconnect with nature and yourself through your love of curiosity of birds. Your meals are taken care of, coffee is ready for you in the morning, and the flow of the weekend is laid out before you. You’ll enjoy the sunrise with the birds and sunsets with other mindful birders looking to reconnect just like you.
This unique immersive experience has been intentionally created to allow each participant the time, the space, and the support to discover or re-discover their innate authentic birder. Throughout the weekend your guides Amy & Bridget will help you cultivate curiosity and wonder by inviting you to explore and embrace strategies for slow birding and deep nature connection. We’ll use the sit-spot practice, mindfulness, journaling, and community storytelling as a framework for discovery while noticing fall warblers, soaring raptors, frolicking chickadees, and whoever else may show up.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Two guides with more than 20 years of experience each connecting people to nature through immersive experiences
Small group size of 20 participants allows us to focus on connecting with you and fine-tune your experience
Two nights lodging in one of Quimby’s rustic, quaint cottages with woodburning stoves
Delicious, healthy, and fresh meals in the main dining room (Friday dinner, 3 meals Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday)
Four guided sit-spot sessions throughout the weekend will focus on building a routine that embraces relaxing into our bodies and our senses in order to heighten our awareness
Early morning birding rambles on the extensive trail network
Mini-workshops on Saturday to explore deep observation of birds and opening ourselves to being in kinship with nature
Access to all of Quimby’s amenities (trails, lakes, watercraft, archery, etc.)
Fireside storytelling and community building on Friday and Saturday night
A collection of 5 prompts based on slow birding, mindfulness, and journalling to take home and fuse into your practice
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Quimby Country Lodge & Cottages on Forest Lake, Averill VT
Couple/single occupancy bedroom in one of the cottages.
YOUR GUIDES FOR THE WEEKEND
Meet Bridget Butler…
Bridget Butler, AKA The Bird Diva, has been working in conservation for more than 20 years throughout New England. Her Slow Birding practice has evolved over time and has expanded to include mindfulness and a deep understanding of kith and kin. She feels it's important that the birding community continues to strive to diversify what it means to be a birder and that this variety of perspectives will bring a richer set of strategies to bird conservation. Bridget lives in St. Albans, Vermont with her husband and three kids.
Meet Amy Butler…
For over 20 years Amy has been partnering with teachers, community members and families to help create opportunities for all children to connect to the natural world. She co-founded ECO - Educating Children Outdoors, a nature-based immersion program for public schools at North Branch Nature Center. She is also the author of a forthcoming book about the success of nature-based education in public schools to be published in 2024 by Cornell University Press. She lives in northern Vermont.
OUR TIMELINE TOGETHER
FRIDAY
5:15 pm Welcome & Social Hour
6:30 pm Dinner
7 pm Sunset & Introduction to Slow Birding
7:30 pm Guided group sit spot by the lake
8 pm Fireside sharing
SATURDAY
6:30 am Optional Sunrise Birding
7:00 am Coffee/Tea Baked Goods
8:30 am Breakfast
9:15 am Mini-workshop deep observation & mindfulness in birding
10:15 am Sit Spot Session with prompts
11:15 am Sharing Our Experience drawing lessons from our sit spot time
12:15 Lunch
1:15 Mini-workshop on kinship & rekindling our connection with nature
2:15 Sit Spot Session with watercolors, colored pencils, & prompts
3:15 Sharing Our Experience
4:15 Wander & Wonder solo time to reflect, process, and explore
6:30 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Deepening Our Connection to Place Through Birds
8:15 Fireside Sharing
SUNDAY
6:30 am Sunrise Birding
7:00 am Coffee/Tea Baked Goods
8:30 am Breakfast
9:15 am Sit Spot Session with prompts
11 am Sharing Our Experience and Closing Circle together
Please note that this is an approximation of how we’ll spend our time together. Amy & I may change the flow or content for the weekend depending on the participants’ interests, experience, and needs, fluctuations in the presence of birds, and the weather.
White-throated Sparrow
A quiet overlook on Forest Lake.
Welcoming the morning…
DETAILS…
The entire cost per person for the weekend is $750. This fee covers accommodations, food, instruction, and all other fees associated with online registration, insurance, rooms & meals tax, etc. If you have a partner who would like to join you but would not be participating in the workshops, please reach out to me by email (birddiva at gmail.com) to set up payment.
You may make a $250 deposit to hold your space. The remainder is due September 1st, 2024. Bird Diva Consulting will send a final payment invoice at that time.
Folks will be asked to sign a liability and photo release form when arriving at Quimby Lodge before starting the program sessions.
ROOMS
We have a great selection of cottages reserved with multiple rooms in each cottage. Rooms are set up for couples, double occupancy, and some single occupancy. Please let us know on your registration form if you’d like to room with a friend or if you’d like to request a single occupancy room. While we cannot guarantee a single occupancy room, we will do our best to accommodate requests.
Arriving Early or Staying Longer
You are invited to extend your stay by reaching out to the folks at Quimby Country to arrange for a longer stay if you’re interested. You may reach them by email at info@quimbycountry.com or by calling (802) 822-5533.
Refund Policy
While we realize unexpected circumstances arise that are out of our control, Bird Diva Consulting cannot guarantee refunds for registrations canceled within 30 days of the course. If a cancellation occurs within this window, we will attempt to fill the space from our waitlist and provide a full refund. There is a non-refundable $100 admin fee for cancellations up to 30 days prior to the program start date. If the course needs to be canceled by Bird Diva Consulting, we will provide a full refund.
2023 Quimby Weekend Slideshow
Testimonials
“It is often difficult to unhook from the pressures and pace of daily life, but not in this course. The setting and the gentle leadership of Bridget and Amy allowed me to shed my habitual tensions and sink into the experience. They created a safe and welcoming space in which connections with others were easy and the learning was a joy. Slow Birding is a direct path to opening the heart to nature and our fellow beings, human and otherwise.”
“I so appreciated learning about birds and birding in a beautiful calm environment. I felt held and supported by the workshop leaders, and like anything I or any other participant had to contribute was welcome and appreciated, never criticized. The workshop provided such a peaceful meditative space to commune with nature and one another, and to learn more about birds and birding. I hope more people get to have that experience. The more people who experience that different perspective on our relationship with the natural world, the better off we will all be. Highly recommended.”
