The Plodcast

We're listening to the rain. Its been dry for weeks, and this shower feels like its washing the world clean. The water runs down the roofs and gurgles in the drainpipes. 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 and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we're at the Global Bird Fair, held every summer on the edge of Rutland Water in the tiny county of Rutland. Plodcast host Fergus met two of the people behind the incredible Merlin app which you can use to help you identify birdsong. Alli Smith and Ian Davies from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on the podcast stage at Birdfair to hear how the magic happens. With special thanks also to Charlie Bingham for organising the Birdfair podcasts, Oscar Henderson for recording and producing, and to Swarovski for sponsoring the podcast stage. Credits for the birdsong recordings used in this episode: Leach's storm petrel by Diane Tessaglia-Hynes; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library Bobolink recorded by Wil Hershberger Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library 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: theplodcast@countryfile.com. 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

Soothed by the gentle lapping of water, you pause by a quiet lake. It's a hot day, but you find refuge sheltered under the rustling willow trees. Moorhen families drift by as the lively fish swim beneath. 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, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An extremely special edition of the Plodcast this week as we head to Knepp Wildlands in Sussex to look for storks and listen for turtle doves in the company of Isabella Tree. Isabella and her husband Charlie Burrell have transformed their former dairy farm into one of the best examples of rewilding in Europe – and it's a magical place to explore. Plodcast host Fergus was lucky enough to meet up with Isabella one midsummer evening. Isabella's new book Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back is illustrated by Angela Harding. It is published by Pan Macmillan. 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: theplodcast@countryfile.com. 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 on hampsted heath. A light shower has covered the trees in raindrops, and parakeets. As they gossip to pass the time before they're free to fly once more. 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 and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Plodcast team of Fergus, Hannah, Jack and Lewis embark on a 15-mile hike around the Gower Peninsular in South Wales as part of a Mighty Hike organised by the cancer care charity Macmillan.The team explore the coast path, chat to fellow hikers and enjoy some rare wildlife encounters along the way. Have a listen to their charming adventure, and for more plodding along the Gower Peninsula, listen to Ep. 96 with Fergus and Hannah!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: theplodcast@countryfile.com. 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

Take time out to sit by a chicken pen and listen to the gentle gossip of the hens – plus a pair of ducks - as they go about their daily business. Meanwhile, wood pigeons, wrens, goldfinches and others pass comment from the surrounding trees. 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, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alys Fowler, a passionate writer, gardener, and naturalist, takes us on an enchanting journey through North Wales' peat bogs. She shares the ecological significance of these unique wetlands and the diverse life they support, including carnivorous plants and sphagnum moss. The discussion also addresses the environmental impact of peat extraction and the need for sustainable gardening practices. Alys emphasizes the beauty of embracing wild nature while advocating for the preservation of these delicate habitats. Tune in for a delightful exploration of a misunderstood landscape!

Following the South West Coast Path through North Cornwall, you chance upon the ruins of Wheal Coates tin mine at the cliff's edge. Below, the sea seethes and surges, a wall of salty sounds rising up and through the mine's towering engine house. Any stray cobwebs you may have had hanging around are blown clean away. 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, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Monsters haunt the myths and legends of almost every culture in the world. Take a walk along the Dorset coast with Nicholas Jubber looking for the footprints of ancient monsters, to explore why humans have felt the need to invent frightening beasts and beings to scare us from the shadows. Kevin Parr is your Plodcast host this week. Nicholas's book, Monsterland: A Journey Around the World's Dark Imagination, is published by Scribe UK 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: theplodcast@countryfile.com. 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