Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcasts
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
Episodes
153 episodes
Episode 2.87 - Alfalfa Aphids and Self-Pruning Giants
On a misty, humid late-August morning at High Ash Farm, with rain threatening after another dry month of just 17 millimetres, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin stand on the farm’s poorest south-facing sandy field — the one exception still lush a...
Episode 2.86 - Beech Cupules and Clay Pond Drinks
On a fresher late-August morning at High Ash Farm, after just under ten millimetres of welcome rain has begun to tint the parched pastures with the faintest green, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin begin at the duck pond. An extraordinary mallar...
Episode 2.85 - Eclipse Crowds and Buzzard Bales
On another scorching mid-August morning at High Ash Farm, the day after a spectacular partial solar eclipse, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin reflect on an extraordinary evening. Around 500 well-behaved visitors and 250–300 cars gathered peacef...
Episode 2.84 - Drought Whips and Hornbeam Bracts
On a breezy mid-August morning at High Ash Farm, with temperatures still high after another week above 30°C and only a fleeting six millimetres of rain quickly absorbed by the parched ground, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin survey the aftermat...
Episode 2.83 - Tinder Fields and Hobby Missiles
On a fiercely hot, windy late-July morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin stand on one of the highest points of the farm as temperatures push into the 30s and a strong breeze turns the landscape into a tinderbox. Chris recou...
Episode 2.82 - Rook Roosts and Meadow Makers
On a still late-July evening at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner settles beneath a field maple in Fox's Grove as thousands of jackdaws and rooks gather overhead for their nightly communal roost. As dusk falls and the woodland fills with a remarkabl...
Episode 2.81 - Flamingo Pond and Burnet Banquets
On a beautiful but still dry mid-July morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin explore Woodcock Wood and a rarely visited blue clay pond — an old hand-dug clay pit that now serves as a precious watering hole in th...
Episode 2.80 - Butterfly Banquets and Nettle Nurseries
On another scorching July morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin explore the extraordinary abundance of butterflies thriving despite the relentless heat. Among thistle-lined field margins they encounter meadow browns, green-...
Episode 2.79 - Hayfield Kites and House Martin Mud
On a glorious early-July morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner rises at 6 a.m. to follow Neil mowing hay across Cantley Hill. A swirling flock of lesser black-backed gulls and red kites follows the mower, hunting small mammals and insects dis...
Episode 2.78 - Foxglove Spires and Peregrine Kills
On a breezy mid-June morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin stand among towering foxgloves in dappled woodland — spectacular spikes of purple, pink and white, buzzing with bumblebees. Chris explains their biennial life cycle...
Episode 2.77 - Dragonfly Dances and Bee Swarm Ball
On a glorious hot mid-June morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin begin at the maturing lake, alive with emperor dragonflies laying eggs, banded damselflies, and thousands of tiny fish fry (young roach and rudd) shimmering j...
Episode 2.76 - Pyramidal Splendour and Honey Fungus Worries
On a breezy, showery mid-June morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin walk through the magnificent wildflower meadows, now refreshed by welcome rain after weeks of drought. The pyramidal orchids are at their spectacular best ...
Episode 2.75 - Bee Orchid Wonders and Mistle Thrush Meadows
On a breezy early-June morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin walk through one of the glorious wildflower meadows carpeted in oxeye daisies, yellow rattle and other species. Chris reveals the hidden wonders of bee orchids — ...
Episode 2.74 - Firethorn Butterflies and Heatwave Heartbreak
On a breezy, sunny late-May morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner rejoices in an extraordinary influx of Painted Lady butterflies drawn to the pyracantha (firethorn) bushes around his house. He explains this “eruption” — a mass arrival from s...
Episode 2.73 - Holly Blue Heaven and Fox Cub Frolics
On a bright late-May morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner is thrilled by the appearance of a stunning male holly blue butterfly basking in one of the wildflower meadows. He explains its remarkable two-brood life cycle — using holly in spring...
Episode 2.72 - Stoat Kittens and Soaking Rain
On a welcome rainy mid-May morning at High Ash Farm, after weeks of drought, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin celebrate 10mm of soaking rain on the overwinter wild bird seed mix. They reflect on past hedge removal and changing farming practices...
Episode 2.71 - Aphid Aerial Plankton and Blossoming Hawthorns
On a chilly, grey early-May morning with a brisk northerly wind and five weeks of drought at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin explore the effects of the dry spell. Skylarks hover and sing over parched grass fields, while swallows...
Episode 2.70 - Sand Martin Spectacle and Earsham Colonies
On a breezy early-May morning, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin visit Earsham Gravel Quarry on the northern edge of High Ash Farm to witness a wonderful spectacle. Hundreds of sand martins swirl around the towering sand cliffs, pouring in and o...
Episode 2.69 - Bluebell Batteries and Badger Bedding
On a bright but brisk late-April morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner welcomes Matthew Gudgin with a fresh sense of wonder after his recent heart surgery. Starting close to home, he shares honey with common ants in a plant pot and explains t...
Episode 2.68 - Morning Melodies and Orange-Tip Eggs
In the soft pre-dawn light of mid-April at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner steps outside at 4:45 am to capture the awakening countryside. A blackbird sings gloriously from a nearby tree, its rich, fluid notes carrying beautifully in the cool, stil...
Episode 2.67 - Spring Swallow Spectacle and Woodland Whites
On a gloriously warm early-April morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin celebrate the long-awaited arrival of the swallows — fifteen adults sweeping in together in a single batch, already busily cleaning and repairing last y...
Episode 2.66 - Firebug Frenzy and Min-Till Marvels
A beautiful early-April morning at High Ash Farm and Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin are treated to classic “Mad March hares” — pairs and trios boxing and chasing across the overwinter seed mix, the females standing up on hind legs to fend off...
Episode 2.65 - Owl Odyssey and Second Chances
Fresh from a successful quadruple bypass at Papworth Hospital, Chris Skinner returns to High Ash Farm after nine days away, still bruised from head to foot but glowing with renewed purpose. In the living room he shares extraordinary stories of ...
Episode 2.64 - Spawn Surge and Mad March Hares
Just days before his successful triple bypass surgery at Papworth Hospital, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin stand at the overflowing lake at High Ash Farm, where a sodden winter has triggered one of nature’s most spectacular annual events. Hun...
Episode 2.63 - Cricket Bat Canopies and Tally Tales
In the soft pre-dawn light of mid-March at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner sits patiently in the Fox's Grove hide hoping for a glimpse of the elusive willow tit, one of the farm's dwindling specialities, while blue tits, coal tits and long-tailed ...