One of the things I love the most about my home is the constant noise from the wildlife. There’s not as much as I feel there should be on account of encroaching urbanization, but the birds, at least, are always present.

Whenever I feel myself getting tense or stressed or just lapsing into a generally bleh mood (which tends to happen when I’ve been working or I’m stuck in executive dysfunction-induced task paralysis), going outside is a surefire remedy.

I find the sound of birds so soothing. That’s one of the reasons I’m attempting to cultivate a garden, a sort of safe space for wildlife in my backyard. I’d like to attract not just birds, but insects as well. I want there to be a healthy ecosystem visible out my window, free of the artificiality that dominates suburbia, which is one of the root causes of my city’s dire water crisis. I feel really happy when I see a bird landing on one of the trees I planted last September. The yard was fairly barren before then but now they have a little perch to rest on and communicate with the other birds. Hopefully it will only continue to grow.

Creating an environment that attracts wildlife and especially birds can be great for one’s mental health (if the environmental benefits weren’t enough). Hearing birdsong has been shown to significantly alleviate anxiety, depression, and paranoia. By contrast, the sounds of traffic (or urbanism more broadly) do the opposite. No surprises there: most people probably associate traffic with work and lateness; a general disruption to one’s sense of peace.

Birdsongs are very complex. Some, like nightingales and meadowlarks, seem to actually compose their songs, stopping a tune and starting it at the exact same spot, and changing up the style from one piece to the next. Birds can also learn new tunes after hearing them — they aren’t making up random sounds purely to attract a mate. I view birdsong as a reminder of nature’s creativity. It’s one of life’s underappreciated pleasures to be able to hear “natural” music.

We should strive to have many more green spaces in our cities and communities. Data shows that what’s healthy for the planet and other creatures is healthy for us, and what harms the planet harms us. We would all benefit from taking time out of our day to go outside and just listen to the birds for a bit. No distractions besides the sounds of nature. And if we don’t act to protect nature now, we may soon have very few birds left.