Podcast reviews: Enjoy the great outdoors even while indoors with these three fascinating nature shows
The circular economy (Alice Bassie), eco burials (Colin McAteer), the art of protest (singer Sive), refurbished gadgets (Colin Baker) and ethical finance (Ciarán Hughes) have each been discussed; for jaw-dropping facts on the efficacy of oysters at cleaning water systems, tune into David Lawlor's episode, though be prepared to seethe at the one on Lough Neagh, the island of Ireland's largest freshwater lake that has been plagued with algal blooms due to chemical run-off from agricultural and industrial mismanagement, invasive species and climate change.
Naturalist (and Strictly contestant) Steve Backshall is a familiar face on TV and he's here with fellow broadcaster and wildlife biologist Lizzie Daly and journalist Sarah Roberts for That's Just Wild (Acast, Apple, Spotify).
It's a bit like the aural version of The Really Wild Show, but there's plenty for adults too, as readers of all – and unknown – ages submit their most burning questions, including Hudson, age seven, asking if sharks fart, to Frederick, age three, wondering why do tortoises go on land and turtles in the sea ('can we have a moment to contemplate that is a three-year-old asking that question,' quips Backshall).
Suzy Buttress was one of an estimated 13,000 visitors to this year's Global BirdFair at Rutland Water in England's East Midlands, dubbed 'the Glastonbury of birdwatching'. She's the host of The Casual Birder (Apple, Spotify; casualbirder.com) a too-modest name for a person who started the podcast in 2017, to share her regular bird-spotting diaries, and has become quite the maven after interviewing ornithologists, zoologists, conservationists and wildlife photographers in the years since.
A recent episode was recorded at the BirdFair, where she chatted with fellow punters and speakers, while her chat with naturalist and filmmaker Simon King is simply fascinating. In short, this series is just the ticket for anyone bereft between TV's Springwatch and Winterwatch.
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