Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

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Wild Tales | Nature Podcast episodes

October 01 Bats | The Dark Knights Rise Again
Bats are some of Britain’s most mysterious mammals. From caves and woodlands to parks and abandoned buildings, they’ve adapted to an astonishing range of habitats, and as night falls, you might spot them emerging from their roosts.
National Trust ranger Rosie Holdsworth joins bat conservationist Steve Roe on a series of surveys across the Peak District, tracking these elusive creatures through winter and spring. Part of the National Bat Monitoring Programme, the surveys are helping to build a vital picture of how bat populations are faring across the UK.
Often feared and misunderstood, bats are far more fascinating than their reputation suggests. Join us on a journey into their hidden world to discover the remarkable lives of Britain’s bats, and why monitoring and protecting them matters.
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ZT4mlDD6j8U

Production
Host: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer: Jack Glover, Michelle Douglass, Jesus Gomez, Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Steve Roe, Allan Roe, Jess Eades, Helen Ball

Cover image copyright: Steve Roe

Discover More:

Want to know more about bats? Why not listen to BatChat, a podcast dedicated to these amazing creatures and hosted by Steve Roe, our main collaborator in this episode.
If you’d like to learn more about The National Bat Monitoring Programme and the bat surveys, you can sign up here.
To find your nearest bat group search this page.
Follow Steve’s Instagram account @steveroebatman

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

22 min
September 17 Clever Corvids
Corvids, such as Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws are known for their high intelligence, problem solving abilities and complex social behaviour. But they’re also often associated with folklore, scary stories and horror movies.

Join us as we delve into the lives of the Clever Corvids, uncover the reasons behind their menacing image and find out that there’s more to these super brainy birds than a reputation for being frightening.
Production
Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth and Ajay Tagala
Producer: Katy Kelly
Sound design: Jesus Gomez
Contributors: Professor Nicky Clayton and Dr. Jo Wimpenny

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
16 min
September 10 BONUS: Wild Voices | Can Social Media Save Birds?
Join National Trust ranger Ajay Tegala in another Wild Voices conversation with conservationist and content creator Emily Askew, and naturalist and wildlife advocate Ben Rumsby.
Recorded live at the Global Bird Fair in Rutland, Emily and Ben explore how social media is reshaping the world of birding and inspiring a new generation to connect with nature. From balancing the demands of the algorithm with authentic storytelling to building welcoming online communities, they discuss the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of sharing the natural world online.
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://youtu.be/1XeTSNw6dgs
Production
Host: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris & Ajay Tegala
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributors: Emily Askew and Ben Rumsby
Discover More
You can follow Emily on Instagram here: @emilyinnature_
And Ben here: @brnature1
Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
32 min
September 03 A Whole World on a Cabbage
A two-hour ferry ride from the North Devon coast lies a tiny island often described as Britain's very own Galápagos.
It's home to all sorts of wildlife, including a plant that grows nowhere else on Earth. And hidden among its leaves is a tiny beetle that only lives there too.
Join us as we head to Lundy to meet the people who spend their days counting cabbages, and discover why this little-known plant has become such an important conservation story.
Production
Narrator : Rosie Holdsworth
Producer and sound design by Nikki Ruck

Contributors

Tara McEvoy-Wilding - Assistant Warden Lundy Island
Laura Larkin – Buglife
Karim Vahed - Buglife
Joseph Pavitt – MS Oldenburg

We recorded this episode at Lundy Island
To find out more about the island and how to get there

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/lundy

www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland/

To find out more about the Lundy Cabbage
lundy-cabbage
To find out more about the Lundy Flea Beetle
www.buglife.org.uk

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

15 min
August 20 The London Parakeet Mystery
Brightly coloured ring-necked parakeets might now be a familiar sight in the London sky, but that wasn't always the case.

Join Ranger Rosie Holdsworth and Johnathan Miller-McCall as we track down these acid-green birds and understand how they got here, and why they're thriving.
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts
Production
Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth with Johnathan Miller-McCall
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham
Sound: Nikki Ruck and Jesus Gomez
If you fancy seeing the parakeets, we recorded this podcast at Morden Hall Park | London | National Trust.
Or for some more ideas on where binoculars might come in handy
Best birdwatching walks in the UK | National Trust
Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
19 min
August 06 Wild Voices | Nature and Belonging
Join National Trust ranger Ajay Tegala in a Wild Voices conversation with veterinary surgeon, conservationist and founder of the Ealing Wildlife Group, Dr Sean McCormack. Recorded live at the Global Bird Fair in Rutland, Sean shares the remarkable story of bringing beavers back to London for the first time in 400 years and explains why community-led rewilding is transforming urban landscapes.
Together, Sean and Ajay explore what it means to reconnect people with nature, why access and belonging matter, and how local action could shape a wilder future for us all.
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts
Production
Host: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris & Ajay Tegala
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Dr Sean McCormack
You can find out more about the Ealing Beaver Project here: The Ealing Beaver Project – Bringing Beavers Back to London

And you can discover more about Dr Sean McCormack here: https://www.instagram.com/thatvetsean/ https://linktr.ee/thatvetsean

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
27 min
July 23 The Great Cuckoo Con
Every spring, the unmistakable call of the cuckoo echoes across Wicken Fen Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire. But behind that familiar sound lies one of nature's most extraordinary deceptions. Join ranger and naturalist Ajay Tegala as he uncovers the astonishing lengths a cuckoo will go to raise its young.

Production

Host : Ajay Tegala
Narrator : Rosie Holdsworth
Producer : Nikki Ruck
Location Sound : Claire Hickinbotham
Sound Design : Nikki Ruck

If you would like to learn more about the habitat of Cuckoos and Reed Warbler
we recorded this episode at
Wicken Fen Nature reserve

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

16 min
July 09 Racing for Reefs | From Formula 1 to Coral Conservation
Coral reefs are among the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth, yet climate change, pollution and overfishing are driving their rapid decline.
In response, Formula One champions McLaren Racing and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation have joined forces, combining engineering, data analysis and marine science to help restore coral reefs before they are lost.
National Trust ranger Ajay Tegala is joined by Anna Marsden and Kim Wilson to explore how this innovative partnership is accelerating reef restoration and what it could mean for the future of coral conservation.
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ZT4mlDD6j8U
Production
Host: Ajay Tegala
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Kim Wilson, McLaren Racing
Anna Marsden, Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Image: Yongala Dive exploring an underwater wreck.
Copyright credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

Discover More:
If you’d like to learn more about McLaren Racing’s Sustainability work, you can do so here: McLaren Racing - Committed to Sustainability
You can learn more about The Great Barrier Reef Foundation and it’s work here: Restoring coral reefs - Great Barrier Reef Foundation
McLaren Racing and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation fast‑tracking reef recovery - Great Barrier Reef Foundation
And you can become a reef defender here:
https://give.barrierreef.org/donate/reef-defender
Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
21 min
June 25 Finding Cinnamon | A Capybara Gone Rogue
What do you do when a capybara escapes into the Shropshire countryside?

In this episode, ranger Rosie Holdsworth joins Will Dorrell, co-founder of Hoo Zoo in Telford, to uncover the remarkable story of Cinnamon, the runaway capybara, and the efforts to bring her home.

They also discover how Cinnamon’s adventure turned her into a global social media star. Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts

Production Host: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer: Jesus Gomez Albiach
Sound: Jesus Gomez Albiach
Contributor: Will Dorrell
For more info:
Hoo Zoo is a fascinating wildlife park where your favourite animals are mixed alongside impressive life-sized dinosaurs in a unique and immersive setting. If you want to learn more about the park and its conservation and education projects, please visit https://www.hoo-zoo.com/

Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt
Follow Hoo Zoo on Instagram @hoozooanddinosaurworld

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
20 min
June 11 Wembley Stadium | Football's Perfect Pitch
As the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup gets underway, we're heading to Wembley Stadium, the home of the England national team, to explore the crucial role the pitch plays in the beautiful game. With Wembley setting the benchmark that World Cup venues across North America are looking to emulate, Ranger Rosie Holdsworth joins Karl Standley, Head of Grounds and Surface Transitions, to uncover what it takes to maintain this world-famous playing surface. From UVC lights and surgically sharp mower blades to turf grown at secret locations, we discover the science, skill and precision behind one of football's most iconic pitches.
Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube: https://youtu.be/RwmqQoFgUSk
Production
Host: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris
Sound: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Karl Standley

If you’d like to learn more about the pitch at Wembley Stadium, you can book onto a tour here: https://bookings.wembleytours.com/stadiumtours/home.htm
Follow us on Instagram @wildtalesnt

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]
20 min