Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

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Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

High Ash Farm

103 episodes

1 day ago

Send us a text Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a crisp September morning at High Ash Farm, where the farmyard's ancient oak hosts a luminous display of sulphur polypore—known as chicken of the woods—its vibrant, edible brackets spilling like molten gold. Bid a heartfelt farewell to the swallows in the stables, with over 100 fledglings reared amid a frenzy of aerial feeds. Wade into sun-kissed fields of sunflowers and wild bird seed mixes, uncovering whorled wonders like aromatic fiel...

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Send us a text Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a crisp September morning at High Ash Farm, where the farmyard's ancient oak hosts a luminous display of sulphur polypore—known as chicken of the woods—its vibrant, edible brackets spilling like molten gold. Bid a heartfelt farewell to the swallows in the stables, with over 100 fledglings reared amid a frenzy of aerial feeds. Wade into sun-kissed fields of sunflowers and wild bird seed mixes, uncovering whorled wonders like aromatic fiel...

Show more...

Episodes (20/103)

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.37 - Sulphur Glows and Swallow Farewells

Send us a text Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a crisp September morning at High Ash Farm, where the farmyard's ancient oak hosts a luminous display of sulphur polypore—known as chicken of the woods—its vibrant, edible brackets spilling like molten gold. Bid a heartfelt farewell to the swallows in the stables, with over 100 fledglings reared amid a frenzy of aerial feeds. Wade into sun-kissed fields of sunflowers and wild bird seed mixes, uncovering whorled wonders like aromatic fiel...

1 day ago

44 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.36 - Hawkbit Bites and Tree Tombs

Send us a text In this captivating episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin wander through High Ash Farm’s breezy late August pastures, where September’s dawn heralds autumn’s subtle arrival. Autumn hawkbit carpets the hillside with dazzling yellow blooms, its serrated leaves hiding antioxidants and vitamin C, a medicinal marvel for eyesight once mistaken for hawk bites, thriving in close-grazed grass amid drought. The month’s changeling nature unfolds with Norway...

1 week ago

42 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.35 - Lakeside Moults and Orchard Opulence

Send us a text Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a sun-drenched late August morning at High Ash Farm in the Norfolk countryside. This episode explores the serene beauty of the farm’s lake, where a majestic young mute swan is moulting amid darting swallows, vibrant kingfishers, and upending mallards. Discover the perils of lead poisoning for swans and the thriving aquatic plants like gipsy wort and flag iris. Venture to bountiful hedgerows laden with hawthorn berries, blackthorn sloes, ...

2 weeks ago

52 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.34 - Grey Ghosts and Autumn Winds

Send us a text In this breezy episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin confront August’s slate-grey skies at High Ash Farm, where autumn’s approach stirs poignant reflections. The grey partridge, a red-listed farmland icon, haunts Chris’s memories—once shot in coveys of 50, now vanishing due to habitat loss, early harvests, and predator control, despite biodiversity plans. Chris’s experiment with bird scarers mimics shooting’s toll, revealing an 80% drop in bird n...

3 weeks ago

45 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.33 - Finch Flocks and Clouded Wings

Send us a text In this breezy episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin witness High Ash Farm’s summer crescendo, where flocks take flight. Mixed groups of goldfinches and linnets—up to 250 strong—swarm over chicory fields, their silvery undersides gleaming as they devour seeds, evading kestrels and peregrines in a dazzling display of survival. Clouded yellow butterflies, migrants from southern Europe, flutter over lucerne, their orange wings a rare treat in this d...

4 weeks ago

39 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.32 - Sloes and Stings A Wild Farewell

Send us a text In this gusty episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin embrace August’s wild turn at High Ash Farm, where autumn whispers through the breeze. Rowan trees (mountain ash) dazzle with orange-red berries, a thrush feast and historical charm against witches, while blackthorn hedges yield a bumper sloe crop, ripe for Chris’s granny’s sloe gin recipe. A thriving wasp nest nestled in railway sleepers showcases nature’s paper artistry, balancing pollination ...

1 month ago

47 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.31 - Swallow Flights and Flaxen Fields

Send us a text In this tender episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin greet August’s first whispers at High Ash Farm, where summer fades into autumn’s embrace. Migratory swallows—juveniles from the north—sweep overhead in chattering flocks, while Barnfield’s wild bird seed mix bursts with flax, its Wedgwood-blue blooms echoing 1950s harvests, alongside thistles, mustard, and sunflowers yielding oil-rich seeds for winter’s hungry gap. A rare meadow clary, its deep...

1 month ago

38 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.30 - Burnet Wings and Knapweed Crowns

Send us a text In this vibrant episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin revel in a glorious late July morning at High Ash Farm, where nature dons its finest. Over a purple knapweed sea—its hard heads buzzing with bees—six-spot burnet moths dazzle with jet-black wings and crimson spots, emerging from reflective cocoons after a cyanide-rich diet of birdsfoot trefoil. Parasitic wonders like yellow rattle and lesser broomrape thrive, their seeds hinting at future life...

1 month ago

44 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.29 - Bluebell Seeds and Bindweed Bells

Send us a text In this captivating episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin explore High Ash Farm amid its third heatwave, where nature’s cycle thrives. In Fox’s Grove, bluebell stalks release shiny black seeds, their retractile roots pulling bulbs deeper into gravelly soil, a silent promise for 2026’s bloom. Along the hedgerows, large bindweed’s bell-shaped flowers—white with pink stripes—curl anticlockwise in a thigmotropic dance, feeding moths, while hogweed’s ...

1 month ago

50 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.28 - Amphibians to Azure A Farm Miracle

Send us a text In this enchanting episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin embrace a damp July morning at High Ash Farm, where a farm miracle unfolds. By the lake, tens of thousands of froglets and toadlets leap from their tadpole origins, abandoning the water in a breathtaking exodus, their tiny forms navigating metre-high grass to escape herons and owls. Half a mile away, a kingfisher’s azure brilliance—cobalt wings and halcyon hues—dazzles from a crafted perch,...

2 months ago

43 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.27 - Admiral’s Dance and Teasel Maze

Send us a text In this vibrant episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin revel in High Ash Farm’s sultry July heat, where nature pirouettes in a stunning display. The red admiral’s dance unfolds as this migrant aristocrat flutters over an oak tree’s amber sap, its orange-and-black wings a vivid spectacle, while common centaury’s pink blooms nod to ancient healing myths. A butterfly bonanza—peacocks, meadow browns, small whites, speckled woods, and a ragged-winged c...

2 months ago

43 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.26 - Ragged Robins and Rustic Nests

Send us a text In this delightful episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin linger in High Ash Farm’s yard, where sparrows thrive amidst 42 nest boxes, their fledglings peeking out as parents deliver 2000 daily feedings—a red-listed revival from near extinction 25 years ago. Nearby, bouncing bet (soapwort) unveils creamy blooms with soapy leaves, a historical gem once used to cleanse ancient fabrics, while bladder campion’s balloon-like flowers and red ragged robin...

2 months ago

49 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.25 - Salt Marshes and Storms, A Summer Surge

Send us a text In this captivating episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin embrace a radiant June morning at High Ash Farm, where nature’s might and beauty collide. Following a fierce storm that dumped 38 millimetres of rain in an hour and a half, the farm’s meadows reveal a tapestry of grasses—tall meadow fescue, Yorkshire fog’s purple haze, and sweet vernal’s perfumed blooms—standing resilient against the deluge. A buffer strip, crafted 20 years ago, proves its...

2 months ago

48 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.24 - Skylarks and Pyramids, June’s High Harmony

Send us a text In this enchanting episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin ascend to the lofty heights of High Ash Farm, where June’s wild symphony reverberates across Norfolk’s landscape. On the historic gun field—once a wartime bastion with searchlights and artillery guarding Norwich from German bombers during the 1940s—a skylark soars, its trilling melody piercing the sky just yards away, a poignant echo of resilience. Nearby, pyramidal orchids rise from chalky...

3 months ago

43 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.23 - Roses and Red Kites - June’s Wild Waltz

Send us a text In this vibrant episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin brave a blustery June morning at High Ash Farm, where summer’s rhythm pulses through Norfolk’s countryside. By a windswept hedgerow, they marvel at field and dog roses, their delicate white and pink petals whispering tales of Roman introductions and heralding scarlet hips for autumn. A majestic red kite, mobbed by crows, glides over crimson-tinted soil, joined by buzzards relishing disc-churne...

3 months ago

42 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.22 - Woodpeckers and Witches’ Brooms Summer’s Secret Symphony

Send us a text "Woodpeckers and Witches’ Brooms: Summer’s Secret Symphony" In this captivating episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin dive into the early summer splendour of High Ash Farm, where nature hums with hidden wonders. From their bird hide, they marvel at great spotted woodpeckers—vivid parents darting to a lofty nest, feeding insatiable chicks in a slender sycamore’s embrace. Amidst the woodland’s rustle, they uncover the sticky allure of honeydew, as ...

3 months ago

45 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.21 - Shepherd’s Purse, Soldier’s Float

Send us a text Bask in the sunlit splendour of High Ash Farm’s wildflower meadows, where Chris Skinner guides us through a vibrant tapestry of nature’s small wonders. Marvel at the common blue butterflies, their Wedgwood-hued wings dancing over bird’s foot trefoil, a legume bursting into bright yellow bloom. Amid the meadow, yellow rattle thrives, subtly parasitizing grasses to foster a haven for declining insect species. Discover the rare shepherd’s purse and shepherd’s needle, crucifers wit...

3 months ago

48 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.20 - Cubs and Cones, Woodland’s Shared Spaces

Send us a text Join Chris Skinner in the verdant depths of Fox's Grove, where spring unveils a remarkable tale of coexistence: badgers and foxes sharing the same sprawling set, with cubs of both species thriving in harmony. Discover the delicate beauty of the early purple orchid, steeped in Shakespearean lore, and marvel at the ash trees’ surprising sex-switching as they produce a prolific crop of keys. Scots pines stun with their rapid growth spurts, while roe deer bark in the distance, addi...

4 months ago

44 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.19 - Fox Cubs’ Feast, Galls’ Hidden Guests

Send us a text Join Chris Skinner at High Ash Farm for a captivating exploration of nature’s quirks in Norfolk’s countryside. This week, Chris unveils the ghostly spectacle of a spindle tree shrouded in the webs of brown tail moth caterpillars, a phenomenon both eerie and fascinating, while warning of their irritating hairs. The journey continues with a dive into the world of oak galls—marble galls and oak apples—revealing the hidden lives of gall wasps and the historical charm of Oak Apple D...

4 months ago

45 minutes

Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts

Episode 2.18 - May’s White Veil, Swifts’ Sickle Flight

Send us a text Embark on a captivating journey with Chris Skinner as he ventures from High Ash Farm to the Suffolk coast at Aldeburgh to witness the awe-inspiring arrival of swifts. Marvel at these sickle-shaped marvels as they soar above the marshes, hoovering up aerial plankton and clocking millions of miles in their lifetime. Back at the farm, Chris explores the delicate white blooms of hawthorn, alive with bees and flies, and shares its eerie historical ties to the scent of death. The epi...

4 months ago

51 minutes