Depending on where you are right now, you might have access to areas where it鈥檚 safe to get outside听while maintaining six feet of distance from other humans鈥攐r you might not. Regardless, we鈥檙e all听stuck inside more than usual right now,听and we are eager for distraction.
These podcasts and recently released books will听help make the indoor hours fly by, and听they鈥檒l also听make you feel a little more connected to nature. Bonus: you鈥檒l be very prepared to spout new bird facts to your friends over Zoom.
Field Recordings
The podcast is my favorite pandemic discovery so far,听a near daily听release of different audio makers鈥 recordings from somewhere in nature. Each episode is around five minutes long, accompanied by a no-nonsense description of where it was captured and what you will hear. The variety and specificity of these dispatches is delightful鈥攖here are appearances from katydids and coyotes, peaceful moments during storms, even an . This is a good solution when you鈥檙e longing to be somewhere else听but have to find joy sitting right where you are.
鈥楴ature Obscura: A City鈥檚 Hidden Natural World,鈥 by Kelly Brenner
Naturalist and author Kelly Brenner makes even pond scum seem lovely in her exploration of urban nature within and beyond her hometown of听Seattle. By interviewing experts and sharing observations from the slimier parts of the city, Brenner makes the case that earthly wonders aren鈥檛听limited to designated green spaces at all. Using examples like the tiny ,听now found in places where nectar-bearing flowers previously didn鈥檛 exist (our backyards!), Brenner鈥檚 book is a comforting reminder that nature can be spotted just about anywhere.
鈥楾ales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality in a Divided World,鈥 edited by John Freeman
Tragically, climate change is one thing that鈥檚 not on pause right now, and is a small but engaging way to remind yourself of that. Through poetry, fiction, and reporting, writers from around the world tackle the existential quandaries of living on a dramatically changing planet: Margaret Atwood contributes a poem about rain, Japanese author Sayaka Murata creates an unsettling dystopia in which everyone is rated based on how likely they are to reach age 65, and author and hip-hop artist Gael Faye writes about the disappearance of fireflies from his native Burundi. Every piece听is short but impactful.
鈥楾rees in Trouble: Wildfires, Infestations, and Climate Change,鈥 by Daniel Mathews
Sorry to be a downer again, but it鈥檚 not a bad time to pay attention to wildfires, too.听Fire season is happening the worst of COVID-19听is over, and resources will be听 more than usual because of the pandemic. dives into the forces that threaten the forests of the West, from invasive species to climate change, with a focus on major fires. It explains how wildfires affect every other aspect of forest health, how human beings are in a constant race to properly manage it,听and how climate change is (of course) only making it worse. This is certainly not听an uplifting听book鈥攂ut it is听full of interesting potential solutions to said threats, and there鈥檚 lots of lovely writing about the region鈥檚 incredible diversity of trees to help you remember why all this is worth thinking about.
Bird Shit
So听you want to get into birding, now that birds are the only wildlife you can reliably watch听without breaking quarantine rules like a jerk.听Join the club! (Really, it鈥檚 an easy club to join: Audubon magazine has even endorsed the activity during shutdowns听and offered .) You can augment your new hobby with , a newish podcast in which cohosts Mo and Sarah banter about bird facts and the art of birding, while interviewing fascinating听people from the birding world. Its tone is hyperactive, and it gets pretty far down the听rabbit hole鈥攂ut you鈥檒l be there, too, after whipping out binoculars a few times.