Waterlands

Where does a river become sea? And where do eels live? In this episode of Waterlands, Megan McCubbin takes us to the Severn estuary – one of the most dynamic estuarine systems in the world and also one of the most important for wildlife in Britain, in search of eels.

Joining her on this quest, are three eel fanatics, who have come to know and love this slippery fish from three different perspectives.

Michael Malay is an academic and author, whose book about migration and belonging, Late Lights, recalls the first time he held an elver in his hand. He is drawn to estuaries and stories of belonging and remembers how his mind was blown when he first heard the lifecycle of the European eel.

Andy Don explains the elusive nature of the eel and how confounding and fascinating they are from a scientist’s point of view. Once everywhere, all up and down river systems, to the point of being eaten by the poor and used as fertiliser or taxes, the eel is now critically endangered.

And WWT’s Abigail Mckay explains how the Wetlands Bioscience Team is using cutting-edge eDNA technology to find where eels are – and where they are not, in an attempt to help remove barriers and increase their numbers again.

Featuring: Michael Malay, Andy Don and Abi Mackay, Presented by Megan McCubbin

If this episode has inspired you to take action for wetlands or discover more about our rivers, visit wwt.org.uk.

Waterlands is brought to you by WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, produced by Ellie Richold, mixed by Melvin Rickarby and original music by Noah Bloom.

Amid all the wonderful wildlife that is attracted to rivers, birds are some of the most spectacular. In this episode of Waterlands, Megan McCubbin hears stories of birding and freedom, kingfishers and kittiwakes.

David Lindo, aka the Urban Birder, “hit the wall” a couple of times in a gardenless flat in Spain during lockdown. He shares how he sought out a river as soon as the restrictions were lifted, and was brought to tears by the sight and sound of nightingales and Cetti’s warblers.

The sound-recordist Chris Watson takes a bus into town to visit the very noisy, furthest inland colony of kittiwakes in the world. He explains how the birds choose to spend their summers amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Newcastle, under the Tyne bridge. 

And musician Nick Penny reveals what he discovered about the iconic kingfisher when he dedicated a year of his life to watching them on the River Nene near his house.

Featuring: David Lindo, Chris Watson and Nick Penny. Presented by Megan McCubbin

If this episode has inspired you to take action for wetlands or discover more about our rivers, visit wwt.org.uk.

Waterlands is brought to you by WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, produced by Ellie Richold, mixed by Melvin Rickarby and original music by Noah Bloom.

Have you ever wondered whether you could look at the plants and animals in a river and tell how healthy it is? In this episode of Waterlands, Megan McCubbin invites us on a journey to a sparkling clear chalk stream, where warblers sing and water crowfoot blooms – the River Wylye in Wiltshire.

She’s joined by someone who has spent 45 years working in river conservation and still loves every second; Andy Thomas, Conservation Officer at the Wild Trout Trust, who explains the different life that can be found in the many different habitats of a healthy river, from reeds in the margins to larvae in the silt, weeds in the gravel and fish in the pools.

Zarah Pattison, who hates the word ‘weed’ almost as much as Megan, shares her knowledge of two invasive plants – Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam  - and explains what to do if you find them. 

And Senior Reserves Manager, Rosie Ellis takes us on a tour of WWT Arundel, with its SSSI reedbed and toad patrol.

Featuring: Andy Thomas, Zarah Pattison and Rosie Ellis. Presented by Megan McCubbin

If this episode has inspired you to take action for wetlands or discover more about our rivers, visit wwt.org.uk.

Waterlands is brought to you by WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, produced by Ellie Richold, mixed by Melvin Rickarby and original music by Noah Bloom.

There is little more grounding than walking along a river. Scientists have shown that spending time near bodies of water, particularly while exercising, can boost your overall health and mood. In this episode of Waterlands, Megan McCubbin takes us on a journey to a remote and secret river in rural Wales followed by a city centre river in Cardiff.

Three different river walkers explain why they do it and how it has changed their life. First up, television presenter (and president of WWT) Kate Humble shares her very special walk home with her trusty companion Teg, from the source of the River Wye to where it joins the River Severn near her home. 

The writer, Helia Phoenix takes us on a guided meditation and shares her story of ADHD breakdown, diagnosis and recovery, explaining how mindful walking along the River Taff, helped her access the simple beauty all around -  the colour of the wall or the sudden crash-landing of a duck onto water. 

And Li An Phoa of Drinkable Rivers has been walking for the last ten years for another reason – to bring awareness to her cause, to kick-start a coalition of the willing around each river that she visits, and because she made a promise to the Rupert River in Canada, to do all she could to return to a world with drinkable rivers.

Featuring: Kate Humble, Helia Phoenix and Li An Phoa. Presented by Megan McCubbin

If this episode has inspired you to take action for wetlands or discover more about our rivers, visit wwt.org.uk.

Waterlands is brought to you by WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, produced by Ellie Richold, mixed by Melvin Rickarby and original music by Noah Bloom.

We are all drawn to the beauty and power of rivers, but have you ever wondered how they have changed us? Or how we have changed them? In this episode, Megan McCubbin takes us to Devon, to meet the river poet Alice Oswald by her ‘pretty little stream’, the Torridge.

Writers and artists through the ages have been drawn to the beauty and power of rivers, and Alice is no exception. The river was a paradise throughout her childhood; a place for skimming stones, catching (and setting-free) minnows and escaping to another reality. She believes we are drawn to the wildness and otherness, as well as to the animals and different, changing landscapes of rivers as they travel from source to sea.

Paul Raven, Author of Rivers: A natural and not-so-natural history, examines the relationship between rivers and people since the ice age and shares how human actions across history have positively and negatively affected the health of our waterways and the creatures that depend on them. 

Roisin Taylor, Co-Director of UK Youth 4 Nature shares the important work they are doing to redress the balance and implores us to ‘find a dipper and then you’ll want to save that river.’

Featuring: Alice Oswald, Paul Raven and Roisin Taylor, Presented by Megan McCubbin

If this episode has inspired you to take action for wetlands or discover more about our rivers, visit wwt.org.uk.

Waterlands is brought to you by WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, produced by Ellie Richold, mixed by Melvin Rickarby and original music by Noah Bloom.

Have you ever stood beside a river and imagined where it all begins? In this episode of Waterlands, Megan McCubbin takes us to the Flow Country in Scotland, home to the world’s largest expanse of blanket bog, where water seeps slowly through a maze of pools before feeding rivers like the Thurso.

Joined by someone who’s spent a lot of time in this ecosystem, Millie Revel Hayward, Megan explores this fascinating and fluid landscape, discovering how the bog acts like a sponge, absorbing rain and releasing pure water into the ecosystem. As they bounce on the waterlogged land, like a natural trampoline, they reveal how this ancient peatland supports everything from breeding salmon to rare wading birds like the golden plover.

Dr. Mark Everard explains the complex, interconnected systems of rivers, from their underground sources to the impact of human activities like farming. He shares how changes in the landscape can shift a river’s path and flow before it even reaches the surface.

And artist Kathy Hinde dives into the sounds of the bog, crafting a unique soundscape from beneath the blanket of moss, capturing the rhythms of this hidden world.

Featuring: Milly Revill Hayward (RSPB Scotland), Dr. Mark Everard (Author and Environmental Scientist) and Kathy Hinde, Presented by Megan McCubbin

If this episode has inspired you to take action for wetlands or discover more about our rivers, visit wwt.org.uk

Waterlands is brought to you by WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, produced by Ellie Richold, mixed by Melvin Rickarby and original music by Noah Bloom.

Waterlands is back for a third series. Hosted by Megan McCubbin, zoologist, conservationist and Springwatch presenter, join her as she takes you on a journey exploring the UK’s vibrant rivers.

The series will unveil the vital interplay between our waterways and the life they support. Beyond literally travelling down rivers across the UK, this series also navigates the rich history and crucial roles that rivers play in maintaining balance in the environment and shaping human culture.

Megan and her guests will cover all aspects of rivers, from explaining how they are formed to highlighting their critical role in carbon capture and supporting unique species of moss, plants, birds, and insects.

Have you ever peered into the blackness of a pond at night and wondered what lurks beneath? Come with us and find out in this special, spooky, episode!

From creatures with unimaginably strange bodies that could be straight out of a sci-fi movie, to the bizarre upside-down swimming water boatmen - life in a pond can be brutal. It really is the world of eat, or be eaten.

Like lots of other habitats, as dark falls, ponds turn other-worldy, yet often we don’t get to experience them. In this episode we’ll show you that there’s lots for us to see, and hear, that we can only experience at nighttime. 

Host Megan McCubbin peers into her own pond on a stormy wet night to see what she can see, from the pond creatures around on the surface to the bats overhead.

Hear the spooky and strange sounds underwater with ecologist and underwater sounds expert Jack Greenhalgh. Discover why nature is the source of many of good horror story, with author Lucy Christopher. And previous guests Ellie Jones from WWT and writer Henry Slator share their favourite spooky pond creatures.

You’ll never have a nocturnal nosy at pond in the same way again!

If listening to this podcast inspires you to take action for wetlands and find out more then visit wwt.org.uk

Waterlands is a series brought to you by the WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, the producer is Melvin Rickarby and original music is by Noah Bloom.

When is a pond not a pond? Well, when it’s a puddle!

When you think of a puddle, children jumping around in their wellies may be one of the first things that come to mind. But there are some types of pond which really have more in common with a puddle, they come and go, they’re wet, then they dry up. They’re known as ephemeral ponds, and in this episode Megan McCubbin heads back to where she grew up, the New Forest to hear their magical story.

The mysterious temporary ponds we’re visiting are even more important because they’re one of the only places in the UK that are home to some very special creatures (and one of the oldest surviving animal species in the world) the tadpole shrimp. Like the ponds they live in they also come and go, get wet and dry up, they lay dormant until the rain comes and then spring back into life.

Megan meets expect Dr Naomi Ewald in the excited hope of seeing one up close. A real and very rare treat for anyone to experience!

Featuring: Dr Naomi Ewald from the Freshwater Habitats Trust and Dr Sarah Davies (Principal Research Officer, WWT) Presented by Megan McCubbin.

If listening to this podcast inspires you to take action for wetlands and find out more then visit wwt.org.uk

Waterlands is a series brought to you by the WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, the producer is Melvin Rickarby and original music is by Noah Bloom.

They’re one of our most precious but sadly most threatened species in the UK. So, how can ponds help sustain this wonderful species and why do we need to help them thrive?

We’ve donned our binoculars for this episode as we celebrate the wonder of watching wildlife and go in search of the illusive watervole. Some of Megan McCubbin’s earliest memories were down at a local pond, waiting to catch a glimpse of it’s wildlife and remembers hearing a watervole’s distinctive ‘plop’ for the very first time. 

We meet Jo Cartmell in a favourite spot next to her village pond to hear about how she’s dedicated years to monitoring, and blogging about a group of voles who live there (even giving them names). She knows them more than anybody else, will we get to to spot one? And Dr Daniel Foreman of Swansea University explains why such such a quintessentially British pond and wetland species have become so threatened and how we can protect them.

Also find out why ponds are such amazing places for sustaining the life of not just watervoles, but an abundance of species as we take a journey from the bottom of the pond to the surface with Ellie Jones from WWT.

(And we should also point out watervoles are very cute, here’s a photo)

Featuring: Jo Cartmell (@Watervole and find out more at watervole.or.uk), Dr Daniel Foreman, and Ellie Jones from WWT. Presented by Megan McCubbin.

If listening to this podcast inspires you to take action for wetlands and find out more then visit wwt.org.uk

Waterlands is a series brought to you by the WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, the producer is Melvin Rickarby and original music is by Noah Bloom.