Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

High Ash Farm
  • 5.0 (6)
  • NATURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

  Nature, Wildlife and Countryside Living with Chris Skinner from High Ash Farm Chris Skinner, a Norfolk farmer, takes a unique approach to farming, prioritizing biodiversity and wildlife conservation in every practice. Tune in every Sunday morning as Chris, alongside broadcaster Matthew Gudgin, explores topics on nature, wildlife, and rural life. Join them for strolls through High Ash Farm and beyond, spotting wildlife and addressing your queries about the natural world. Email questions for Chris to answer to Chris@highashfarm.com

  1. 6D AGO

    Episode 2.62 - City Coos and Collared Comebacks

    Send a text In the bustling heart of Norwich city centre beneath the clock tower of City Hall and the ledges of St Peter Mancroft, Chris Skinner answers listener Jocelyn Baxter’s question about five different-coloured pigeons in her garden. Surrounded by swirling flocks of up to 500 feral pigeons (the domesticated descendants of the wild rock dove), he traces their extraordinary journey from remote Scottish cliffs and Welsh caves to urban rooftops, including their role as ancient Egyptian messengers under Rameses III and heroic WWII carrier pigeons. Back at High Ash Farm the story unfolds across all five British species: the abundant wood pigeon — agricultural pest number one with its soporific five-note call, white wing crescents, flimsy stick nests and protein-rich “pigeon milk” for squabs; the collared dove, once Britain’s rarest bird and now one of its fastest-spreading success stories since the 1950s; the rapidly declining turtle dove with its gentle purring song and iconic summer sound; and the often-overlooked stock dove, a hole-nester in tree trunks and specially made boxes. Listener gems add extra delight: Phil Getty’s photo of house sparrows outwitting bird spikes under a louvred sunshade in America, Kerry’s striking elm bark beetle patterns (the tiny architects behind Dutch elm disease that changed the Norfolk landscape forever), and Chris from Masham’s trail-cam footage of hedgehogs still active in winter thanks to garden feeding. This episode celebrates one of our most familiar yet frequently misunderstood bird families, perfect for appreciating the remarkable adaptability and hidden histories all around us. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18802012-episode-2-62-city-coos-and-collared-comebacks.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

    49 min

  2. MAR 1

    Episode 2.61 - Brimstone Breakthrough and Violet Ventures

    Send a text On a gloriously mild first day of March at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin are stopped in their tracks before they even leave the yard by the season’s first brimstone butterfly — a dazzling male sulphur-yellow vision emerging from dense ivy on the stable wall, its ivy-shaped wings proving once again why this hero plant is the ultimate winter refuge. Just yards away, the 42 sparrow nest boxes are a riot of chatter and activity, every one occupied in a heart-warming reversal of the old “Sparrow Clubs” that once tried to eradicate them. In the south-facing edge of Cantley Hill Plantation, sweet violets have already been blooming for weeks, while the common dog violet carpets the bank in pale purple drifts, its delicate spurred flowers and honey guides a masterclass in miniature beauty. Crossing into the southern fields of Stoke Holy Cross, they find field pansies (Viola arvensis) and their close cousin the wild heartsease glowing among the overwinter seed mix, alongside groundsel’s tiny yellow stars (the “old man’s head” of folklore) and shepherd’s purse with its triangular seed pods. High above, buzzards spiral and stoop in early courtship displays against the blue sky, while skylarks pour out song and Rat the terrier digs frantically for whatever scent has caught his nose. Listener warmth arrives from North Carolina with photos of the famous white squirrels of Brevard and from a local angler thrilled by underwater footage of a River Tas brown trout. This episode captures the very first tender stirrings of spring — butterflies, violets, pansies and hopeful nesting — ideal for celebrating nature’s quiet, colourful return after winter’s long wait. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18761657-episode-2-61-brimstone-breakthrough-and-violet-ventures.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

    39 min

  3. FEB 22

    Episode 2.60 - Pine Pillars and Peacock Pauses

    Send a text 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 t**s 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 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

    51 min

  4. FEB 15

    Episode 2.59 - Redwing Rallies and Snipe Searches

    Send a text 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

    43 min

  5. FEB 8

    Episode 2.58 - Goshawk Glimpses and Woodcock Waves

    Send a text 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

    45 min

  6. FEB 1

    Episode 2.57 - Bypass Journeys and Thrush Tunes

    Send a text In the cosy confines of High Ash Farm's office amid blustery rains, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin sift through aerial snapshots chronicling decades of agricultural evolution—from bustling dairy herds and beef cattle in clay barns to solitary stewardship amid modern uncertainties. Chris recounts a train odyssey to Papworth Hospital for his impending triple bypass, traversing Breckland's pine corridors and sandy warrens, then plunging into Cambridgeshire's jet-black fens teeming with lapwings, greylag geese, mute swans, and cormorant-laden trees, a vivid reminder of landscapes reclaimed from ancient reed beds and glacial sands. A detour to the wind-sheltered Lettuce Wood unveils young oaks, hornbeams, and hazel shrubs laden with lamb's-tail catkins, their wind-dispersed pollen heralding early spring amid tales of white magic warding evil spirits, Celtic coppicing for hurdles and thatch, and post-Ice Age colonisation alongside birch pioneers. A dawn serenade from a masterful song thrush—repeating polished notes from atop a field maple—evokes living heritage, its sky-blue eggs and anvil-smashed snails a nod to declining red-listed wonders. Listener warmth abounds: global well-wishes, queries on winter pollinators like moths and gnats, debates on bird feeders amid diseases, avian survival in cold snaps, and curiosities like garden pockmarks from short-tailed voles. This episode weaves personal milestones with timeless countryside lore, ideal for finding solace in nature's resilient echoes. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18590525-episode-2-57-bypass-journeys-and-thrush-tunes.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

    49 min

  7. JAN 25

    Episode 2.56 - Fungal Flurries and Mole Mysteries

    Send a text In the rain-softened fringes of Fox's Grove at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin recount Rat's near-fatal burrow plunge into a rank-scented fox den, thwarted by a timely tether amid the terrier's muffled underground barks. Amid global well-wishes for Chris's heart surgery—from Yorkshire's aconite admirers to Michigan's feeder-watching fans—they explore nature's revival rhythms: annuals racing seed-to-seed in one fervent burst, perennials like bluebells and snowdrops harnessing bulb-stored solar energy tugged deeper by contractile roots, and biennials bridging seasons with two-year tenacity—foxgloves amassing rosettes on acidic soils for digitalin-rich spires, and teasels staking clay claims with seed-laden heads for goldfinch sustenance. Frost-hardy candle snuff fungus puffs spore clouds from decaying stumps, its black-woolly base and white tips recycling woodland detritus into fertile leaf mould. Moles paddle through sandy labyrinths, their hillocks betraying worm quests in subterranean fortresses, while overwintering ladybirds huddle in nettle curls and rabbits perforate warrens for soil aeration. Listener insights illuminate: winter moths pollinating early blooms, crooks mobbing buzzards for prey, and Swiss rail-track solar innovations sparing farmlands. This episode celebrates life's cyclical ingenuity and communal support, ideal for embracing renewal's subtle awakenings. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18547013-episode-2-56-fungal-flurries-and-mole-mysteries.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

    39 min

  8. JAN 18

    Episode 2.55 - Foxglove Flourishes and Teasel Triumphs

    Send a text In the sun-dappled depths of Fox's Grove at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin thwart Rat's subterranean ambitions with a timely tether, averting a repeat of his 30-minute underground escapade amid fox burrows scented with rank winter musk. Delving into nature's revival, they unravel the rhythms of plant life cycles: annuals sprinting through seed-to-seed in one fervent year, perennials like enduring bluebells and snowdrops returning eternally from bulb-bound solar stores pulled deeper by contractile roots, and biennials bridging the gap with two-year tenacity—foxgloves amassing emerald rosettes on acidic soils for summer's digitalin-laced spires, and teasels staking clay claims with prickly seed heads that sustain goldfinches through the hungry gap. Amid listener well-wishes for Chris's impending heart surgery—echoing gratitude from global fans in Michigan, Canada, and Switzerland—tales emerge of moths pollinating frost-defying blooms, crooks mobbing buzzards to pilfer prey, and innovative Swiss rail-track solar panels sparing farmlands. This episode illuminates the quiet ingenuity of seasonal renewal, ideal for finding hope in winter's subtle awakenings. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18513025-episode-2-55-foxglove-flourishes-and-teasel-triumphs.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

    42 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

  Nature, Wildlife and Countryside Living with Chris Skinner from High Ash Farm Chris Skinner, a Norfolk farmer, takes a unique approach to farming, prioritizing biodiversity and wildlife conservation in every practice. Tune in every Sunday morning as Chris, alongside broadcaster Matthew Gudgin, explores topics on nature, wildlife, and rural life. Join them for strolls through High Ash Farm and beyond, spotting wildlife and addressing your queries about the natural world. Email questions for Chris to answer to Chris@highashfarm.com

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