Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

A two-hour ferry ride from the North Devon coast lies a tiny island often described as Britain's very own Galápagos.  It's home to all sorts of wildlife, including a plant that grows nowhere else on Earth. And hidden among its leaves is a tiny beetle that only lives there too.Join us as we head to Lundy to meet the people who spend their days counting cabbages, and discover why this little-known plant has become such an important conservation story.Production Narrator : Rosie Holdsworth Producer and sound design by Nikki Ru...

Brightly coloured ring-necked parakeets might now be a familiar sight in the London sky, but that wasn't always the case.   Join Ranger Rosie Holdsworth and Johnathan Miller-McCall as we track down these acid-green birds and understand how they got here, and why they're thriving. Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts  Production Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth with Johnathan Miller-McCall Producer: Claire Hickinbotham Sound: Nikki Ruck and Jesus Gomez If you fancy seeing the parakeets, we recorded this podcast at Morden Hall Park | Londo...

Join National Trust ranger Ajay Tegala in a Wild Voices conversation with veterinary surgeon, conservationist and founder of the Ealing Wildlife Group, Dr Sean McCormack. Recorded live at the Global Bird Fair in Rutland, Sean shares the remarkable story of bringing beavers back to London for the first time in 400 years and explains why community-led rewilding is transforming urban landscapes.Together, Sean and Ajay explore what it means to reconnect people with nature, why access and belonging matter, and how local action could shape a wilder future for us all.     Watch a video of this pod...

Every spring, the unmistakable call of the cuckoo echoes across Wicken Fen Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire. But behind that familiar sound lies one of nature's most extraordinary deceptions. Join ranger and naturalist Ajay Tegala as he uncovers the astonishing lengths a cuckoo will go to raise its young. Production Host : Ajay Tegala Narrator : Rosie Holdsworth Producer : Nikki Ruck Location Sound : Claire Hickinbotham Sound Design : Nikki Ruck If you would like to learn more about the habitat of Cuckoos and Reed Warbler we recorded this episode at W...

Coral reefs are among the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth, yet climate change, pollution and overfishing are driving their rapid decline.In response, Formula One champions McLaren Racing and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation have joined forces, combining engineering, data analysis and marine science to help restore coral reefs before they are lost.National Trust ranger Ajay Tegala is joined by Anna Marsden and Kim Wilson to explore how this innovative partnership is accelerating reef restoration and what it could mean for the future of coral conservation.  Watch a video of t...

What do you do when a capybara escapes into the Shropshire countryside? In this episode, ranger Rosie Holdsworth joins Will Dorrell, co-founder of Hoo Zoo in Telford, to uncover the remarkable story of Cinnamon, the runaway capybara, and the efforts to bring her home. They also discover how Cinnamon’s adventure turned her into a global social media star.  Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts    Production Host:  Rosie Holdsworth Producer: Jesus Gomez Albiach Sound: Jesus Gomez Albiach Contributor: Will Dorre...

As the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup gets underway, we're heading to Wembley Stadium, the home of the England national team, to explore the crucial role the pitch plays in the beautiful game. With Wembley setting the benchmark that World Cup venues across North America are looking to emulate, Ranger Rosie Holdsworth joins Karl Standley, Head of Grounds and Surface Transitions, to uncover what it takes to maintain this world-famous playing surface. From UVC lights and surgically sharp mower blades to turf grown at secret locations, we discover the science, skill and precision behind one of football's most iconic pitches.  </p...

Deep in the forests of Transylvania, one of Europe’s largest populations of brown bears still roams freely, often surprisingly close to busy towns and cities. Join National Trust ranger Rosie Holdsworth and her family as they hunt for signs of bears in the forests near Brașov, Romania. There, they discover what it really means to share a landscape with Europe’s largest land predator. Production  Presenter: Rosie Holdsworth and Hebe Producer :  Nikki Ruck Sound design: Jesus Gomez Contributor: Csaba Domokos from the Milvus Group Discover More ...

Red Squirrels were once a common sight in woodlands around the Uk but now, they’re one of our rarest Mammals.  In this episode of Wild Tales, we head to Plas Newydd on the island of Ynys Môn in Wales, where a remarkable effort to bring them back is underway. For the Welsh transcript of this episode please click here. Red squirrel, Anglesey, Wales ©National Trust Images/Rob ColemanProduction Narration: Rosie Holdsworth Producer: Nikki Ruck  Sound Recordist: Marnie Woodmeade Sound Design: Jesus Go...

White-clawed crayfish were once common in Britain’s waterways. But thanks to a restaurant craze in the 1970’s, that brought the American signal crayfish to our shores, our only native freshwater crayfish is under threat from this invasive species.  White-clawed crayfish are eco system engineers keeping rivers and streams clean and they also have amazing limb re growing superpowers. But they’re being outcompeted for food and habitat by the American signal crayfish and succumbing to a killer plague being spread by them. But, with a little help from Ranger Nick Allen and the team at Walling...

Ever hunted for fossils on a beach and felt like you might actually find something? Rosie heads to the Isle of Wight to the scene of the most complete dinosaur discovery in the UK in a hundred years.  She’s joined by Dr Jeremy Lockwood, part of the original dig team and now casually known as a “namer of dinosaurs,” as they retrace how this once‑buried giant came back into the light. Production: Host: Rosie Holdsworth Producer: Claire Hickinbotham Sound Recordist: Nikki Ruck Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez  With thanks to D...

As winter turns to spring , toads, frogs and newts across Britain begin their annual journey, making their way back to the ponds where they breed.For many, that journey means crossing busy roads and not all of them make it to the other side.In this episode of Wild Tales, we spend the night with the Charlcombe Lane Toad Patrol, discovering the dedication and determination it takes to give these remarkable animals a fighting chance.  [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. Quick br...

The Bewick’s or ‘Tundra’ swan has eluded ranger Ajay Tegala for years.  It's hardly surprising: the swan’s epic migration is under pressure, and their numbers are dwindling. Can Ajay find them at their winter retreat of WWT Welney?  Ajay speaks to fellow swan lover, artist and zoologist Dafila Scott and site manager Lizzie Bruce to aid his search for these hardworking swans.  [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.  ...

This week we’re sharing another of our podcasts we think you’ll enjoy. Nature Fix takes you on adventures with people whose lives have been shaped by the outdoors. In this episode, wrap up warm and turn your eyes to the skies for a stargazing tour from the middle of Manchester. Nature Fix Host Claire Hickinbotham joins astronomer and adventure enthusiast Nazanin Jahanshahi, to discover how there’s lots to see in the night sky wherever you live. On this awe-inspiring city celestial voyage, you'll be wowed by a rare planetary parade, learn...

Orford Ness is well practiced at keeping secrets; in the 1940s it was classified military research, but now it is a brand new colony of grey seals. Countryside Manager Matt Wilson guides us around the bomb craters to try and find the newest and blubbery-est residences. We find out how they came to be on this moon-like beach and how they’re faring on this remote site. [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get...

Pine martens were once common in Britain but now, they're one of our rarest carnivores.  These slinky, tree-dwelling predators had virtually disappeared in England and Wales by the turn of the 20th Century. But pine martens are making a comeback.We follow Ranger Dan Iceton at Wallington estate in Northumberland, as he tries to encourage pine martens to make these woodlands their forever home.And we discover conservation success in other parts of Britain where the animals have returned.Follow the story and secret lives of the mysterious m...

The Farne Islands in the North Sea, off the coast of Northumberland, have a very special species of seabird during the summer that fiercely protects its young with its dive-bombing technique. However, it’s the Arctic Terns’ ability to fly thousands of miles during their migration from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle that really sets them apart.  Join Rosie and Rangers Dan Iceton and Tom Hendry on Inner Farne as they spend time with the Arctic Terns and experience their dive-bombing tactics first-hand.   [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoo...

 Just outside Belfast, lie the Mourne Mountains - a land of granite peaks and wide skies, but also a place of witches, fawns and lions.  Protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, an Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a UNESCO Global Geopark, this remarkable landscape is also a doorway to imagination.  Join National Trust ranger Kate Martin as she journeys from the streets of Belfast to the Mourne Mountains, exploring the places that shaped C.S. Lewis’s childhood and inspired his creation of Narnia. Discover how city, story and landscape came together to form...

The rock faces of Cwm Idwal are cold, dark and uninhabitable; unless what you love is to dangle off the frozen cliffs. Ice climbing takes you into a winter playground, but as the climate crisis thins the ice, how can climbers and conservationists work together to save one of the UK’s rarest flowers?   Join ecologist and botanist Barbara Jones and ice climber Tom Carrick to scale one of Wales' most dramatic mountains and discover how the precious Lili'r Wyddfa (Snowdon Lily) can survive in this isolated location. For the Welsh transcript of this episode please click here...

As the festive season unfolds, one familiar face keeps appearing – the little robin. But behind its cheerful presence, is there more to this charming bird’s story?  National Trust ranger Rosie Holdsworth chats to garden wildlife specialist Sean McMenemy about the remarkable life of robins, revealing their fascinating year-round behaviour and why this beloved bird deserves to be celebrated all year long.   (AD) Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more. Find...