Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

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  ...

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...

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 win...

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 reputat...

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...

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...

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/podcas...

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. Toge...

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 So...

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...

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 N...

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...

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...

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 N...

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 bei...

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:...

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 r...

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 sp...

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...

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...

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...

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...

  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...

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' mos...

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...