- 15 minutes 53 secondsClever 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/podcastsIf 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]
17 September 2026, 4:00 am - 31 minutes 13 secondsBONUS: 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 RumsbyDiscover 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]10 September 2026, 4:00 am - 14 minutes 40 secondsA 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-cabbageTo 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]
3 September 2026, 12:00 am - 18 minutes 36 secondsThe London Parakeet MysteryBrightly 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]20 August 2026, 4:00 am - 26 minutes 35 secondsWild 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 McCormackYou 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]6 August 2026, 4:00 am - 15 minutes 59 secondsThe 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]
23 July 2026, 12:00 am - 20 minutes 57 secondsRacing 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/ZT4mlDD6j8UProduction
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 SustainabilityYou 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 FoundationAnd you can become a reef defender here:
https://give.barrierreef.org/donate/reef-defenderFollow 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]9 July 2026, 4:00 am - 19 minutes 9 secondsFinding 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 DorrellFor 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]25 June 2026, 4:00 am - 19 minutes 53 secondsWembley 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.htmFollow 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]11 June 2026, 4:00 am - 26 minutes 9 secondsEuropean Brown Bears | Where are you?Deep in the forests of Transylvania, one of Europe’s largest populations of brown bears still roams freely, often surprisingly close to busy towns and cities. Join National Trust ranger Rosie Holdsworth and her family as they hunt for signs of bears in the forests near Brașov, Romania. There, they discover what it really means to share a landscape with Europe’s largest land predator.
Production
Presenter: Rosie Holdsworth and Hebe
Producer : Nikki Ruck
Sound design: Jesus Gomez
Contributor: Csaba Domokos from the Milvus Group
Discover More
Find out more about conservation of the European Brown Bear in Romania
https://milvus.ro/en/mammals/brown-bear-conservation-and-research-program-in-a-model-area-in-romania/
Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account
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 May 2026, 12:00 am - 15 minutes 7 secondsOperation Nutcracker | The Return of the Red Squirrel
Red Squirrels were once a common sight in woodlands around the Uk but now, they’re one of our rarest Mammals.
In this episode of Wild Tales, we head to Plas Newydd on the island of Ynys Môn in Wales, where a remarkable effort to bring them back is underway.
For the Welsh transcript of this episode please click here.
Red squirrel, Anglesey, Wales
©National Trust Images/Rob ColemanProduction
Narration: Rosie Holdsworth
Producer: Nikki Ruck
Sound Recordist: Marnie Woodmeade
Sound Design: Jesus Gomez
With thanks to Carol Thomas at Plas NewyddFind out more
Visit the red squirrels at Plas Newydd:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/plas-newydd-house-and-garden/red-squirrels-at-plas-newydd
Learn more about Red Squirrel Conservation
The Red Squirrels Trust Wales is working to protect red squirrel populations on Ynys Môn and across North Wales. If you would like to read more about some of the points raised in this episode, look here.
https://www.redsquirrels.info/about/faq/
See red squirrels on Brownsea Island (Dorset):
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/brownsea-island/the-rare-red-squirrel-on-brownsea-island
Listen to our episode on pine martens (Wallington, Northumberland):
https://ntpodcasts.org/WT25
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]
13 May 2026, 2:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App