The Plodcast

Plodcast regular Kevin Parr joins host Fergus Collins for a charming mushroom hunting walk in a wooded Welsh valley. Along the way, as the foraging basket with treats, they discuss Kev's extraordinary new book, An Unnatural History of Britain – his series of epic quests in search of animals that really shouldn't be here. It's an unmissable audio delight. An Unnatural History of Britain is published by The History Press. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After 36 hours of rain, the town floods and then the waters recede, surging down brooks such as this. You pause on a bridge above, hearing a stranger, bolder song in a stream you thought you knew so well. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we're heading to the bleakly beautiful Essex marshes to meet historian and birder Michael J Warren – and thousands of waders and wildfowl in this stunning area of big skies, haunting calls and endless water. Michael's celebrated new book, A Cuckoo's Lea (published by Bloomsbury) explores how our medieval ancestors included birds in so many of their places names (most of which survive today) and reveals how immersed in nature they were. It's a fascinating exploration, with the enchanting backdrop of wild Essex. Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Deep in the Essex Marshes, you find solitude on a path that skirts marsh and lagoon. But you're not entirely alone – from the creeks and open water the fluting calls of waders and ducks and the deeper gutteral utterances of Brent geese create a haunting soundtrack of true wilderness. Wilderness, that is, a sole fishing boat chugs by on its lonely morning mission. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join the Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah, Jack and Lewis in a wild corner of the centre of Bristol for a long-awaited Plodchat – a round-up of our nature adventures plus listener emails, recordings and other funny moments we've had out in the countryside. Photo taken from Ep. 312, where the team took on the Macmillan Mighty Hike (August 2025)! Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a still autumn morning and you've headed to the sea wall along the edge of the saltmarsh. A gentle rain falls as robins sing in the scrub on the landward side of the wall while occasional redshanks peep and lament from the marsh. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we're in Hampshire, looking for dormice. These tiny, charming little mammals are hard to find at the best of times but numbers have been declining for decades mainly due to changes to how we manage our woodlands. Plodcast host Fergus joins Ian White from the People's Trust for Endangered Species, Charlotte Rimmer who is Senior Countryside Officer for Test Vally Borough Council and Richard Genn who owns the woodland to find out more about the plight of Britain's dormice – and hopefully meet one of these 'fairy' creatures. Image from Getty Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A path winds on before you, running along the top of an ancient earthwork constructed over a 1000 years ago. To the west, the land falls away into a deep river valley, to the east, fertile farmland that this fortification once protected. Your feet crunch on this year's freshly fallen beech and hazel leaves while a wind blows up for the west, breaking over the dyke as an echo of an invading army. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the end of Saxon England last week, we head to the height of Saxon power in Mercia and the reign of King Offa (757-796). Plodcast host Fergus takes a walk along Offa's great work – a massive defensive earthwork that ran along much of the Welsh Borders and can still be encountered today. What is Offa's Dyke and why and how did Offa build it? Listen on to find out more. Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You've wandered down to the river to listen to its gentle song – but what's that strange birdsong? A metallic chirruping from the far bank... it's a dipper, it's while bib bobbing at the water's edge. And now a kingfisher zips past with a hoarse, high-pitched whistle. Moments of magic on an overcast autumn day. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Image from Getty. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Witness the reenactment of the Battle of Hastings – on the very site in Sussex where the future of England was changed forever in 1066. English Heritage invited the Plodcast to meet the people re-enacting Norman and Saxon life and then watch the battle unfold. So tune in with Plodcast host Fergus for an unforgettable day out in the countryside. Find out more about English Heritage's work preserving and celebrating the nation's history at https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/ Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A golden autumn sun is dropping behind the hills. A soft wind rides down from the uplands, over the lake and stirs the reedbed. Among the whispers carried on the breeze, you hear croaks, calls and gurgles of waterbirds and even frogs perhaps. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Explore the history and identity of England from Saxon times to the modern day through 25 poems. Host Annabel Ross meets author Catherine Clarke in the heart of England by the River Thames to discuss her work analysing famous and not-so-well-known verse that sheds light on how a nation sees itself. A fascinating and highly relevant journey – with singing and strange herons! Catherine's book A History of England in 25 Poems is published by Allen Lane Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's early in the morning and the human world is awake and bustling. But down by the river you pause to watch the water glide over its stony bed and listen as it composes a gentle, soothing chorus. Robins and long-tailed tits drop in from time to time with small, beautiful solos. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the evenings draw in, we're heading out with environmental historian Dr Andrew Flack to experience how the night change our sensory perception of the world. He has written a new book called Dark Natures: Finding Life in the Shadows, which is out soon. Annabel Ross is your host this week, looking at how humans and animals adapt to the dark – and how it can stoke fears and understanding of the natural world. Andrew is Associate Professor in Environmental and Sensory History at Bristol University. Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You've wondered down a country lane to find a small, ancient church with a square tower. Crumbling gravestones covered in moss or lichen lean here and there in the churchyard but no one is around. You find a welcome bench, sit down and simply listen. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we head back to high summer and the North Cornwall coast. Plodcast host Fergus takes a beach walk with artist Sarah Adams. Venturing into murmuring caves, Sarah shares valuable insight into the inspiration she takes from the rock formations, the light and the shadows – and how she goes about her work. And she's brought art materials for Fergus to have a go himself. To see Sarah's work, visit www.sarahadams.studio/Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awardsAnd now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page.The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're walking in beechwoods in a vale high up in the Welsh hills. Leaves are beginning to fall but the sound beneath your feet is the faint rustle of last year's leaves. Among them, an extraordinary variety of fungi are sprouting and the air is heavy with the scent of mushrooms. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Plodcast has learned that hundreds wallabies are living wild on the Isle of Man? How did these Australian marsupials get there and what impact are they having on local ecology? Friend of the Plodcast James Fair led the expedition into the Irish Sea to meet local experts - David Bellamy and Graham Makepeace-Warne from the Manx Wildlife Trust - and see if he could set eyes on these creatures from the other side of the world. Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the sun high on a cloudless day, you listen to the rippling waves of the Exmoor coast. The gentle foam trickles over deep red seaweed and smoothed rocks. Everything feels calmer here. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Lewis Dobbs and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A wonderful Plodcast walk this week – in Vallis Vale in the Mendip Hills. Plodcast host Fergus joins artist, historian and musician Amy Jeffs on a late summer walk along a beautiful stream discussing Amy's new book: Old Songs, which looks at the origins and importance of traditional ballads. Listen on for some true Plodcast magic – some unexpected wildlife encounters, beautiful singing and a bone whistle! Old Songs: Stories of Love and Death from Traditional Ballads by Amy Jeffs and Gwen Burns is published by Quercus Books Also, the Plodcast is very proud to announce that it is media partner for the Speakies – the British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. These new awards celebrate the very best in audiobooks. The Plodcast is partnering in the non-fiction category. Find the shortlists here: www.thebookseller.com/the-british-audio-awards And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the day draws to a close, the cattle gather for their night-time routine, and the birds sing their final calls of the day. The pink-and-orange sunlight spills through the trees and onto the farmyard's vast fields. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Lewis Dobbs and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Plodcast heads to Penzance in Cornwall this week to hear the haunting poetry of Katrina Naomi. Katrina met Plodcast host Fergus on a beach near the town to discuss her latest collection of poems Battery Rocks, inspired by the sea in all its dark beauty. Poor Katrina had injured her foot so was on crutches – and the whole Plodcast team wish her a speedy recovery. Battery Rocks is published by Seren. And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just as you're closing the back door as dusk falls, you hear a rustling in from the end of the garden. Is it a cat or a rat? No, it's a hedgehog foraging for slugs, beetles and worms around the compost heap. You sit quietly and listen to your visitor - its snuffles like the puffs of a tiny steam train. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we return to the Global Birdfair, held in summer at Rutland every year. Hear two inspiring conservation stories: the first interview is with Stephanie Borrelle who works with Birdlife International to conserve seabirds such as albatrosses in the Southern Hemisphere. The second chat brings us back to the UK and efforts to save two endangered birds: the curlew and the corncrake. Nick Acheson is our guest, talking about his work with the Deepdale Conservation Trust. Find out more about Stephanie's work: https://stephborrelle.com/ Find out more about Nick's work: https://deepdaleconservationtrust.org.uk/ These interviews were recorded live on the Swarovski Podcast stage – with thanks to Charlie Bingham and Oscar Henderson for helping organise and record the sessions. And now you can get in touch with the Plodcast team via: The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast group on Facebook & BBC Countryfile Magazine's Instagram page. The BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: [email protected]. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices