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In the crisp northerly chill of late February at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin explore the historic carriage store turned log haven, where a meticulously stacked pile shelters hibernating peacock butterflies—jet-black camouflaged wings mimicking shrivelled leaves, their glycerol-laced blood warding off frost amid tales of metamorphosis from egg to voracious nettle-feeding caterpillars, red pupae, and nine-month lifespans, alongside brimstone and small tortoiseshell kin snug in ivy nooks for six dormant months. A serendipitous skyward spectacle unfolds: three buzzards in courtship spirals, their four-foot wings tilting in thermal-less winds, stooping and stacking in a turret display over Cantley Hill Plantation, heralding early nesting in mature conifers. Amidst Barn Wood's narrow 400-meter belt—planted for timber and shooting with towering 150-year-old Scots pines scarred by lightning—they unravel Britain's biodiversity tapestry: from oceanic influences moderating our island climate to coastal marshes, upland ptarmigan haunts, wetland egrets, grassland skylarks, and arable hedgerows, emphasizing habitat diversity's role in fostering specialists like mountain hares, noctule bats in trunk scars, long-tailed tits roosting in communal huddles down woodpecker holes, and wrens probing ivy for prey. Farm vignettes add charm: geese laying chilled eggs in shaded nooks to delay incubation, fallen sycamores hosting rot and invertebrates, and rabbits burrowing in sandy gravel. Listener insights illuminate: global well-wishes from Ohio to Wicklow, debates on climate change's extremes amid Norfolk's floods, swift migrations evading Congo competition for UK's insect bounty and nesting sites, and etymological nods to "bald as a badger" from piebald black-and-white markings. This episode weaves winter's resilient refuges with spring's stirring skies, ideal for cherishing nature's intricate habitats and seasonal rhythms.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18718266-episode-2-60-pine-pillars-and-peacock-pauses.mp3?download=true

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Please email any questions for Chris to answer on the podcast to
Chris@highashfarm.com

This podcast is brought to you by High Ash Farm. To support our efforts in creating this content, please consider making a small monthly or one-off donation. Your contributions help us with production costs, and after expenses, every penny goes towards conservation and maintaining free public access at High Ash Farm.
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Podcast | High Ash Farm

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In the drizzly gloom of mid-February at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin marvel at a restless flock of 200 redwings—migratory thrushes with speckled breasts and rusty flanks—congregating en masse on close-grazed pastures, their seep calls and defensive flights a prelude to their North Sea crossing back to Scandinavian breeding grounds, amid tales of nocturnal migrations, tundra nests, and communal roosts, while watchful goshawks and buzzards lurk nearby. A zigzag quest across overwinter wild bird seed mixes yields elusive common snipe—amber-listed wetland waders with probing bills and jinxing flights—displaced by flooded river valleys, alongside diminutive jack snipe and insights into their mechanical "drumming" displays from vibrating tail feathers, proven by 19th-century cork experiments. Serendipitous sightings abound: bounding hares, a rare grey partridge (England's native red-listed heart-marked gem) evoking coveys and courtship chases, skylarks trilling aloft, pheasants flushing at close quarters, and pregnant Chinese water deer lolloping uphill. Amidst emerging daffodils and sweet violets, they spotlight diminutive wildflowers: star-like chickweed buds feeding finches and buntings, and orchid-esque red dead nettle with hooded pink blooms and honey guides, a harmless mint-family mimic thriving on disturbed soils. Listener echoes enrich the ramble: urban moorhens in London gardens, sparrowhawk pursuits through hedges, badger etymology linking "bald" to white stripes or shaved pelts, starling serenades, and debates on thrush family classifications. This episode celebrates late winter's fleeting visitors and resilient blooms, ideal for embracing the subtle stirrings of spring's approach.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18674464-episode-2-59-redwing-rallies-and-snipe-searches.mp3?download=true

Support the show

Please email any questions for Chris to answer on the podcast to
Chris@highashfarm.com

This podcast is brought to you by High Ash Farm. To support our efforts in creating this content, please consider making a small monthly or one-off donation. Your contributions help us with production costs, and after expenses, every penny goes towards conservation and maintaining free public access at High Ash Farm.
Support us here:
https://donorbox.org/podcast-12
or from the Podcast page here:
Podcast | High Ash Farm

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In the cruel grip of February's easterly winds at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin brave the chill to explore an eruption of woodcocks fleeing frozen Europe, their numbers swelling amid redwings, fieldfares, and nomadic lapwings, while frost-lift threatens crops and prompts calls for protecting red-listed species like the beleaguered grey partridge. A thrilling discovery unfolds: a new badger set, the farm's third, teeming with four displaced newcomers—including a pregnant sow gathering bedding for imminent cubs—amid sandy excavations on a west-facing slope, their nocturnal labyrinths a testament to delayed implantation, worm-rich diets, and territorial scent-marking, all captured on trail cams in a habitat ripe for mustelid marvels. Nearby, a roadside vigil reveals plump young buzzards and a rare goshawk perching in pine copses, drawn to hay-spilled seeds and small mammal feasts, showcasing raptors' adaptive hunts from aerial strikes to ground pursuits. At dawn, a robin sings "inwardly" through a closed beak in the frosty farmyard shrubbery, its muffled melody echoing Gilbert White's notes amid emerging lords-and-ladies and snorting horses. Listener warmth flows: global well-wishes for Chris's triple bypass, tales of enhanced nature appreciation from Snettisham to California, and queries on conservation reforms to safeguard biodiversity for generations. This episode blends winter's harsh arrivals with hopeful habitat triumphs, ideal for embracing nature's resilient rhythms in the face of seasonal strife.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18635838-episode-2-58-goshawk-glimpses-and-woodcock-waves.mp3?download=true

Support the show

Please email any questions for Chris to answer on the podcast to
Chris@highashfarm.com

This podcast is brought to you by High Ash Farm. To support our efforts in creating this content, please consider making a small monthly or one-off donation. Your contributions help us with production costs, and after expenses, every penny goes towards conservation and maintaining free public access at High Ash Farm.
Support us here:
https://donorbox.org/podcast-12
or from the Podcast page here:
Podcast | High Ash Farm