The Plodcast

Be inspired to join the Big Butterfly Count with a walk on the Dorset coast with Richard Fox, Head of Science at the charity Butterfly Conservation. Britain's butterflies are in trouble but you can help. Richard leads this week's Plodcast host, Kevin Parr, on a magical butterfly walk at Bindon Hill on the Dorset coast – and shows how you can embark on your own Butterfly Count where you live. Join the Big Butterfly Count at: bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/ - and remember, the count continues till 12 August this year. 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

After many dry weeks, heavy rain falls and the oak woodland thirstily drink in the live-giving water. You pause at the base of a particularly magnificent tree and listen to the gentle fall of raindrops. 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

In this engaging chat, children’s author Andrew Hussey, known for his books like 'Any Trout About?' and 'There's No Deer Around Here', joins Fergus Collins to wander along the stunning River Test in Hampshire. They share captivating wildlife encounters and personal stories about the interplay between nature and technology in childhood. The importance of outdoor experiences for families is emphasized, alongside creative initiatives like the Anywhere Book Club, designed to connect children with nature through storytelling. This journey celebrates conservation and the beauty of the natural world.

The sun is sinking low in the sky, its golden light glowing through the meadow grasses. As young swallows twitter in their maiden flights and a blackbird sings a lullaby, the eerie bubbling calls of curlews rise to meet the dusk. 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

Rupert Gavin, a writer and cultural historian known for his book 'Amorous or Loving?', joins to delve into the Battle of Eddington, a pivotal yet obscure clash between Saxons and Vikings. They explore how this battle shaped English identity and language under King Alfred’s rule. Rupert highlights the fascinating evolution of English and its ties to other languages, unraveling the intricacies of England’s linguistic and cultural heritage while reflecting on the impact of lesser-known historical events.

This week's Sound Escape was recorded in Kent by Plodcast listener Jeanette Sharples. Jeanette was up early, walking along the edge of a field when she heard this wonderful male nightingale in full voice. 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 Jeanette Sharples, introduced by Hannah Tribe. Image by Getty. 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

Join writer and naturalist Sophie Pavelle, author of 'To Have or to Hold', as she takes a scenic stroll through Devon's River Otter. She uncovers astonishing relationships in the animal kingdom, from harmonious partnerships to bizarre parasitic dynamics. Delight in tales of beavers shaping ecosystems and learn how hair worms manipulate their hosts. Sophie also shares insights on climate change and the humorous side of nature writing, weaving together personal experiences with vital conservation lessons.

As you wander through an old farmyard, the incessant happy chatter of sparrows greets you. Nesting in the crumbling eaves, the colony has had a good year and the walls, shrubs and gutters teem with noisy fledglings and harassed parents. 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. Image by Getty 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

Britain's wildlife is often extremely elusive and many species are rarely seen. Unless, of course, you head to the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey. Here, David Mills has an unrivalled collection of mammals, reptiles and other creatures that you can watch and photograph in semi-natural surroundings. Join Annabel Ross who visited David and enjoyed a fabulous tour and some unique insight into our native wildlife. For more about the British Wildlife Centre: https://britishwildlifecentre.co.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 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

A male blackbird sings so seductively, you have to stop to listen. Perched deep in an elder tree, and with his mate snug on a second brood of eggs this year, he has time to croon, his notes sweet and lazy as the scent of the elderflower around him. 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. Image by Getty 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