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
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...
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 an...
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 anticlock...
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 brillianc...
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, meado...
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, whil...
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...
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 e...
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 ...
"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. Am...
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 t...
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 th...
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 hidde...
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 sh...
Join Chris Skinner at High Ash Farm for a vibrant spring morning filled with the tireless energy of returning swallows and the delicate beauty of the countryside. In this episode, Chris captures the dawn chorus as over 20 swallows busily build nests with mud and straw in the farm’s stables, marking the true arrival of summer. Venturing further, we explore the farm’s woodlands, where drought has left its mark on the bl...
Join Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin on a rain-soaked adventure at High Ash Farm, where the long-awaited spring showers bring life to the Norfolk countryside. Under dripping umbrellas, they explore the sticky secrets of mistletoe, a semi-parasitic plant thriving on ancient trees, and marvel at the delicate pink-tipped blossoms of the native crab apple, a spiny ancestor of modern orchards. At the lake’s edge, witness ...
In Episode 2.15 of The Countryside Podcast with Chris Skinner, we’re back at High Ash Farm, where the first swallows of the season have arrived, heralding the promise of summer with their daring aerial acrobatics. Chris’s infectious enthusiasm shines as he shares the miraculous 5,000-mile migration of these tiny birds, weighing less than a sugar cube, and their pinpoint return to the farm’s stables. We also discover t...
April unfurls its wonders at High Ash Farm as Chris Skinner guides us through a sun-dappled tapestry of nature’s finest. From the slither of a grass snake basking in the warmth to the ancient whisper of windflowers carpeting the woodland floor, this episode is a celebration of spring’s slow and swift marvels. We chase the delicate dance of brimstone butterflies, marvel at the sex-shifting ash trees in coral bloom, and...
In "Episode 2.13 - Stoats, Sloes, Snipe and Spawn," Chris Skinner ushers us into a misty late March morning at High Ash Farm near Norwich. A trail cam unveils the stealthy common snipe, its long beak probing the lake’s edge, while frog and toad spawn teems in the shallows—high ash caviar aplenty. Blackthorn hedges burst with blooms, promising sloe gin delights, and a bold stoat patrols the pasture with flair...
Join farmer Chris Skinner for another enchanting journey through the wilds of High Ash Farm in this week’s Countryside Podcast. As spring unfolds, Chris shares a magical early morning encounter with Roe deer—fairies of the wood—dancing through the undergrowth, their velvet antlers catching the first light. Back at the farm, the porch comes alive with tiny black garden ants, emerging from hibernation to feast on honey ...
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