Nature's Voice

Swallows,martins,cuckoos and many other summer visitors have yet to arrive this year and on this edition of Nature's Voice we hear from Bird's Magazine editor Mark Ward about why this might be. Plus Danae Sheehan - the RSPB's migrant's programme manager - talks about her work in West Africa, where many of these birds overwinter, why their numbers are declining and conservation projects involving local villagers which benefit both birds and people

The Big Garden Birdwatch 2013 shows sparrow and starling numbers continuing to decline and on this month's Nature's Voice we look at how saving nature starts at home in our gardens and window boxes. Jane Markham talks to the RSPB's Adrian Thomas - Homes for Wildlife blogger and gardening expert - about what to plant to give our birds, butterflies and bees a helping hand

How wildlife friendly is your garden? On this month’s Nature’s Voice we’re celebrating National Nestbox week from seven year old Henry’s point of view - with a little help from his mum and his grandmother. Plus RSPB wildlife advisor Ian Hayward has some top tips about how to choose the right nestbox for your garden and explains why they can really make a difference for the birds and animals around us.

It’s January already and time for the world’s biggest annual bird survey - Big Garden Birdwatch! Kate Long, author of ‘The Bad Mother's Handbook’ has taken part with her family for the last seven years. Her sons are now 15 and 12. As a wildlife enthusiast and nature blogger Kate tells Jane Markham that there's never been a better time to be a teenager with an interest in nature. We'll also have tips and ideas for how you and your family can get involved and what to look out for.

After both drought and flood in 2012 for this month's Nature's Voice Jane Markham visits Otmoor - a wetland reserve in Oxfordshire - to find out how they are coping in this bleak mid winter. And we get tips from RSPB staff about how they prise their children away from their presents over the festive season to get them outdoors and enjoying the natural world around them.

Mike Dilger - ecologist and natural history presenter - has a new book out, written for the RSPB. Wild Town aims to show children that wildlife is all around us in our towns and cities as well as in the countryside. Jane Markham talks to Mike about some of the animals and habitats to look out for on his ultimate urban safari.

Are children today losing touch with nature? The RSPB is joining forces with academics from the University of Essex to find out how connected 8 to 12 year olds are to the natural world. On this edition of Nature's Voice, Jane Markham talks to the RSPB's chief executive Mike Clarke about the research and we hear from children and parents at a family Fun Day on a reserve with insights from TV psychologist Emma Kenny. Plus the winner of this year's RSPB Telegraph Nature of Farming Awards tells us how he has made his farm a haven for wildlife while running a profitable business.

Sarah Outen - the first woman and the youngest person to row solo across the Indian Ocean - talks about the drama of her summer at sea and her support for the RSPB's work to save the albatross. Her 'London to London via the World' challenge was cut short by a tropical storm but that didn't stop her kayaking around Mull later in the summer to see some fantastic wildlife. Plus this month's Step up for Nature gives details of how to make sure the fish we eat is caught sustainably and without threatening the world's endangered albatross populations.

The finalists in this year’s Nature of Farming Awards have been selected and in this edition of Nature’s Voice we hear from all four of them and how they are working to protect nature on their farms. The Make Your Nature Count results are in and Jane Markham talks to the editor of the RSPB’s Birds magazine, Mark Ward, about the wildlife he sees from his home overlooking farmland. Plus step up for nature by making your voice heard in the debate over EU funding for farmers.

The Rio+20 Earth Summit may not have seen a giant leap forward for the environment, but as the RSPB's Sacha Cleminson tells Jane Markham on this edition of the Nature's Voice, it has perhaps nudged the agenda forward. We also assess a new report calling for a woodland culture for the 21st century to restore our ailing woodlands. And why not step up for nature and create a woodland glade in your garden - even if it's tiny!