Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

With silent flight and ghostly heart-shaped faces, barn owls are among Britain's most captivating birds. Join Ranger Ajay Tegala, as self-confessed barn-owl obsessive Jake Brass takes us into his wonderful world of barn owls. With expert insight from The Barn Owl Trust.

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts

Production
Host: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributors: Jake Brass, photographer, and Kate Jellyman, The Barn Owl Trust

Jake walked on the Longshaw Estate in Derbyshire for this recording. Check out this map for walks on the estate -longshaw-map.pdf or head to the 'Top Trails' part of this page Longshaw, Burbage & the Eastern Moors | National Trust
You can get to the start point of many of the walks from Grindleford train station, which has trains from Manchester and Sheffield.

For other places to see Barn Owls at our sites, have a look at this page Our guide to barn owls | Wildlife | National Trust

Or plan your own walk at dusk or dawn, just please remember that barn owls are a protected species and disturbing them while they are nesting is illegal. There's more information here Legal protection of wild Barn Owls - The Barn Owl Trust

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If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

Beneath the trees at Hardcastle Crags, millions of tiny workers are busy building a city of their own.
Follow Rosie Holdsworth down to the forest floor, as she meets the northern hairy wood ants and discovers busy motorways, high-rise homes, and even an onsite food production line.
Production
Host: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer: Nikki Ruck
Sound Recordist : Jesus Gomez
Sound Design : Nikki Ruck

Contributors :
Anthony Arak
Steve Blacksmith
Alice James

photo credit : ©National Trust Images/Robert Morris

If you would like to visit Hardcastle Crags you can find out more here

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/hardcastle-crags

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

Join National Trust ranger Ajay Tegala in conversation with Zoe Hill, the National Trust’s first-ever Tree Nursery Officer. Zoe offers a fascinating insight into what it takes to grow climate-resilient trees for future generations, from caring for 50,000 young saplings to helping them thrive in an increasingly challenging climate. She also shares practical tips for growing and caring for trees in your own garden.

Together, Zoe and Ajay look ahead to the British landscape of 50 years’ time, exploring how the trees we plant today could shape the future of our countryside, and the vital role they can play in tackling climate change.

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://youtu.be/BrAcTeGQKJw

Production
Host: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Zoe Hill

Image copyright: ©National Trust Images/ Trevor Ray Hart

Discover more:
If you’d like to visit Holnicote, you can find out more here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/somerset/countryside-woodland/explore-holnicote-estate

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

Bats are some of Britain’s most mysterious mammals. From caves and woodlands to parks and abandoned buildings, they’ve adapted to an astonishing range of habitats, and as night falls, you might spot them emerging from their roosts.

National Trust ranger Rosie Holdsworth joins bat conservationist Steve Roe on a series of surveys across the Peak District, tracking these elusive creatures through winter and spring. Part of the National Bat Monitoring Programme, the surveys are helping to build a vital picture of how bat populations are faring across the UK.

Often feared and misunderstood, bats are far more fascinating than their reputation suggests. Join us on a journey into their hidden world to discover the remarkable lives of Britain’s bats, and why monitoring and protecting them matters.

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ZT4mlDD6j8U
Production
Host: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer: Jack Glover, Michelle Douglass, Jesus Gomez, Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Steve Roe, Allan Roe, Jess Eades, Helen Ball

Cover image copyright: Steve Roe

Discover More:

Want to know more about bats? Why not listen to BatChat, a podcast dedicated to these amazing creatures and hosted by Steve Roe, our main collaborator in this episode.

If you’d like to learn more about The National Bat Monitoring Programme and the bat surveys, you can sign up here.

To find your nearest bat group search this page.

Follow Steve’s Instagram account @steveroebatman
Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

Corvids, such as Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws are known for their high intelligence, problem solving abilities and complex social behaviour. But they’re also often associated with folklore, scary stories and horror movies.

Join us as we delve into the lives of the Clever Corvids, uncover the reasons behind their menacing image and find out that there’s more to these super brainy birds than a reputation for being frightening.

Production
Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth and Ajay Tagala
Producer: Katy Kelly
Sound design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors: Professor Nicky Clayton and Dr. Jo Wimpenny

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

Join National Trust ranger Ajay Tegala in another Wild Voices conversation with conservationist and content creator Emily Askew, and naturalist and wildlife advocate Ben Rumsby.
Recorded live at the Global Bird Fair in Rutland, Emily and Ben explore how social media is reshaping the world of birding and inspiring a new generation to connect with nature. From balancing the demands of the algorithm with authentic storytelling to building welcoming online communities, they discuss the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of sharing the natural world online.

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://youtu.be/1XeTSNw6dgs

Production
Host: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris & Ajay Tegala
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributors: Emily Askew and Ben Rumsby

Discover More
You can follow Emily on Instagram here: @emilyinnature_

And Ben here: @brnature1

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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 Ruck

Contributors

Tara McEvoy-Wilding - Assistant Warden Lundy Island
Laura Larkin – Buglife
Karim Vahed - Buglife
Joseph Pavitt – MS Oldenburg

We recorded this episode at Lundy Island
To find out more about the island and how to get there

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/lundy

https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland/

To find out more about the Lundy Cabbage
lundy-cabbage

To find out more about the Lundy Flea Beetle
www.buglife.org.uk

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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 | London | National Trust.

Or for some more ideas on where binoculars might come in handy
Best birdwatching walks in the UK | National Trust

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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 podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts

Production
Host: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris & Ajay Tegala
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Dr Sean McCormack

You can find out more about the Ealing Beaver Project here: The Ealing Beaver Project – Bringing Beavers Back to London

And you can discover more about Dr Sean McCormack here: https://www.instagram.com/thatvetsean/ https://linktr.ee/thatvetsean

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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
Wicken Fen Nature reserve

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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 this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ZT4mlDD6j8U

Production
Host: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Kim Wilson, McLaren Racing
Anna Marsden, Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Image: Yongala Dive exploring an underwater wreck.
Copyright credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

Discover More:
If you’d like to learn more about McLaren Racing’s Sustainability work, you can do so here: McLaren Racing - Committed to Sustainability

You can learn more about The Great Barrier Reef Foundation and it’s work here: Restoring coral reefs - Great Barrier Reef Foundation
McLaren Racing and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation fast‑tracking reef recovery - Great Barrier Reef Foundation

And you can become a reef defender here:
https://give.barrierreef.org/donate/reef-defender

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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 Dorrell

For more info:
Hoo Zoo is a fascinating wildlife park where your favourite animals are mixed alongside impressive life-sized dinosaurs in a unique and immersive setting. If you want to learn more about the park and its conservation and education projects, please visit https://www.hoo-zoo.com/

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt
Follow Hoo Zoo on Instagram @hoozooanddinosaurworld

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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.

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://youtu.be/RwmqQoFgUSk

Production
Host: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Karl Standley

If you’d like to learn more about the pitch at Wembley Stadium, you can book onto a tour here: https://bookings.wembleytours.com/stadiumtours/home.htm

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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

Find out more about conservation of the European Brown Bear in Romania
https://milvus.ro/en/mammals/brown-bear-conservation-and-research-program-in-a-model-area-in-romania/

Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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 Coleman

Production
Narration: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer: Nikki Ruck
Sound Recordist: Marnie Woodmeade
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez

With thanks to Carol Thomas at Plas Newydd

Find out more

Visit the red squirrels at Plas Newydd:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/plas-newydd-house-and-garden/red-squirrels-at-plas-newydd

Learn more about Red Squirrel Conservation
The Red Squirrels Trust Wales is working to protect red squirrel populations on Ynys Môn and across North Wales. If you would like to read more about some of the points raised in this episode, look here.
https://www.redsquirrels.info/about/faq/

See red squirrels on Brownsea Island (Dorset):
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/brownsea-island/the-rare-red-squirrel-on-brownsea-island

Listen to our episode on pine martens (Wallington, Northumberland):
https://ntpodcasts.org/WT25

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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 Wallington estate in Northumberland, habitats are being created where white-clawed crayfish can thrive.

Join Rosie and follow the story and the lives of the plucky little characters fighting for survival in England’s Northeast.

Production:
Host: Rosie Holdsworth
Producers: Michelle Douglass and Katy Kelly
Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Nick Allen

Discover more:
Find out more about Wallington and their work with the white-clawed crayfish:
Saving the native white-clawed crayfish | National Trust

Follow us @ wildtales Instagram account

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or a story idea, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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 Dr Jeremy Lockwood

Rosie and Jeremy went for the dinosaur walk at Compton Bay and Downs | Isle of Wight | National Trust
They parked at Compton car parking information | National Trust
You can see Comptonatus Chasei at the Dinosaur Isle Museum on the Isle of Wight.
Welcome to Dinosaur Isle - Dinosaur Isle Museum

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk

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 breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more. Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/

Production:
Narrator: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck

photo courtesy : Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group

With thanks to Mike Collins, Sheila Gundry, Lance, Lucy and Angela from the Charlcombe Lane Toad Group

Discover more:
https://www.froglife.org/what-we-do/toads-on-roads/how-to-become-a-toad-patroller/

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. Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/

Production: Host and Co-producer: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Marnie Woodmeade
Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez
Music: Swan Song by Charlotte Eve

With thanks to: Dafila Scott, Lizzie Bruce and the staff and volunteers at WWT Welney

Discover more:

Visit WWT Welney: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/welney

Visit Wicken Fen: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cambridgeshire/wicken-fen-national-nature-reserve

Learn more about wetland swans: https://www.wwt.org.uk/discover-wetlands/wetland-wildlife/meet-the-family/swans-found-in-uk-wetlands

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 how to start navigating the stars, and hear top tips for hunting the northern lights.

Production
Producer: Michelle Douglass
Sound Designer: Nikki Ruck
Contributor: Nazanin Jahanshahi

Get your Nature Fix
Follow Nature Fix on your favourite podcast app: https://podfollow.com/nature-fix

Discover the best National Trust spots for stargazing: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/outdoor-activities/top-spots-for-stargazing
Learn about night sky locations and activities:
https://gostargazing.co.uk/