The Wildlife Explorer

Zoologist and author Jules Howard tells the stories of sex on Earth.

We find out some of the flirting techniques of the animal kingdom, how has sex shaped life on earth and what happens when animals don't sexually reproduce?

In this special episode we head to our Nature Nursery to find out about outdoor learning. We speak to the children and staff about why this nursery is so special.

We also hear from author Patrick Barkham about his book Wild Child: Coming Home to Nature and his experiences as a Forest school volunteer and as a father. Patrick also tells us why he believes it is so important that children explore the natural world.

Springwatch presenter and zoologist Megan McCubbin tells us about her new book 'An Atlas of Endangered Species'.

We hear about the work of pioneering conservationists, her own wildlife stories, and those of endangered species in their battle to come back from the brink.

In this marine special of The Wildlife Explorer we chat about some of the wonders of the underwater world.

We also discuss some of our fantastic marine projects at Essex Wildlife Trust, including the ENORI oyster project, our work with seagrass and the problems caused for marine species by plastics.

In this episode we talk with Hilary Jeffkins from Silverback Films who was a series producer of the BBC Wild Isles documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

We find out what went on behind the scenes of making this spectacular nature series, about the fascinating lifecycle of the large blue butterfly and what we can do to help save our wild isles.

Steve Backshall joins us for an ocean special. We find about his favourite wildlife experiences throughout his career, the importance of connecting with the nature on our doorsteps and even create our own version of Deadly-60!

We also find out what was scarier...coming face to face with a 4.5 metre crocodile or wearing the sparkly spandex on Strictly Come Dancing!

Steve also shares about his upcoming projects, including his Ocean live theatre tour: https://www.stevebackshall.com/liveshows

We have reached our 20th episode! 🥳

On today’s show, (the last of Season 2) we will be delving into the secret world of our nocturnal nature. While we’re all tucked up in our beds, the day is just beginning for some of our best-loved creatures. Snuffly hedgehogs scuttle around on little legs, badgers begin their night time quest for snacks and bats swirl in the skies hoovering up unsuspecting insects. But why do they keep such anti-social hours? What do they get up to in the wee hours of the morning? Let's find out...

https://www.essexwt.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/nature-neighbours

https://www.essexwt.org.uk/whats-on

https://www.wildlifewatch.org.uk/activities

https://www.essexwt.org.uk/actions

Welcome to a Halloween special edition episode of The Wildlife Explorer podcast full of myths, legends and ghosts. Lock your doors, shut the curtains and settle down for some spooky Essex tales.

This month, we're on the hunt for ghosts (of the owl variety!) and trying to solve some ancient Essex wildlife mysteries. From a scourge of mice with venomous teeth, to the slaying of a dragon. We'll be helping you to ID some of the UK's spookiest bird calls too - they can give you quite a fright! 

Today's show is a foodie special, finding out about some of the Essex companies that are working towards putting eco-friendly eating firmly on the map. We'll be talking to Fairfields crisps and Barn Farm Drinks to see how they produce the products we know and love on a mass scale. What considerations do they give to the wildlife that often share their farms and how are they striving for a more sustainable future?

On this month's episode of The Wildlife Explorer podcast, we look at some of the wonderful species and places that are special to Essex.

Take a tour around the spectacular Edwardian gardens of Warley Place, once home to famed horticulturist Ellen Willmot, get lost in the heather haven that is Tiptree Heath nature reserve and learn about what makes our native oysters far more than just an expensive starter.

Thank you for all your support for the show so far. If you enjoy listening, keep spreading the word and help us to reach more nature lovers in Essex and beyond.

Find out more about Warley Place and plan your visit - https://www.essexwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/warley-place

Get lost in the heather haven that is Tiptree Heath nature reserve - https://www.essexwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/tiptree-heath

On today’s show, We delve into a very modern mystery - where have all the eels gone? Despite being one of our most recognisable fish species, eels have disappeared at an alarming rate - and no one knows why. Not only that, there are many other surprising secrets eels are not willing to reveal to the human race just yet. Have a listen to find out why. 

We'll also be enjoying a day out at the beach accompanied by a very cute puppy called Betsy, and sauntering along the saltmarsh to discover all the new life that is bursting into the world at this time of year.

Our ‘What 3 Birds’ feature is back, helping you to identify three bird calls you may hear at this time of year and we look at what else you can spot this month in our 'Wildlife Wow's'.

Check out all our Marine Week Celebrations here https://www.essexwt.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/marine-week 

Get involved in a beach clean, learn more about the species we share our coast with, download spotter and activity sheets and find out about our important projects to protect our precious marine habitats. 

Become a member of Essex Wildlife Trust - https://www.essexwt.org.uk/get-involved/membership

This episode of The Wildlife Explorer is slightly different to our usual episodes as we are having a 30 Days Wild takeover hosted by our Campaigns Officer, Bailey!

Abbie takes us out on a reptile survey and gives her top tips for how you can do your own at home. Some reptiles have a VERY unusual way of fending off predators - have a listen to find out why!

Lauren and Gemma talk us through their wild fitness plans and Emma and Bones share their own thoughts on how nature can have such an incredible impact on our mental health   

https://www.essexwt.org.uk

On today’s show, we are by the Blackwater on the trail of the elusive turtle dove, an exotic looking bird with a cat-like purr, sadly threatened with extinction. Can you help us find where they are hiding in Essex? We will also be delving into the fascinating folklore behind some of our best loved native plant species and wildflowers. How did their strange nicknames come about and why did people believe picking bluebells would have dire consequences for their children? Finally, we have a quick update about our BioBlitz campaign – where people all across the county are rising to the challenge of becoming the ultimate citizen scientist!

Thank you to Stuart Brooker for the wonderful birdsong recording heard in the background of our 'What 3 Birds' feature.

Links:

Seen or heard a turtle dove? contact: communications@essexwt.org.uk and mark.nowers@rspb.org.uk with the date, location, time and if possible, a photo. See www.operationturtledove.org for further details

For more information on Essex BioBlitz: https://www.essexwt.org.uk/essex-bioblitz-2022

To tune into our barn owl webcam and other webcams: https://www.essexwt.org.uk/wildlife/webcams

On today’s show, we delve into the fragmented world of our urban wildlife and reveal how you can become a champion for them. We will also be learning about the amazing colony of bats that have taken over the maternity roost situated at our Hanningfield Nature Discovery Park and finally, how being in nature can work wonders for your mental health.

Welcome back! We’re very excited to be back for Season 2 of The Wildlife Explorer with more special guests, experts from across the Trust and lots of fun facts about the wonderful wildlife we share our Essex home with.

On today's show, we’re going to be taking an honest look at some of the issues women may feel they face when looking at a career in conservation. From periods to pink rucksacks, nothing is off-limits. We'll be taking a woodland wander in search of our elusive Essex toads and offering advice about what you can do to help our emerging spring wildlife. We also have a brand new feature called 'What 3 Birds' which will hopefully help you to ID the birds you hear in your garden or when out for a walk. 

If you’re a regular listener of The Wildlife Explorer podcast, you’ll know that we wrapped up season one back in October with our ‘Autumn Arrivals’ episode full of stories about our magnificent migrant birds, fascinating fungi and what’s happening in nature throughout the season. 

However, we couldn’t finish the year without thanking you – our wonderful supporters. So, we thought we would add in a bonus ‘end of year special’ episode to revisit some of the projects we have been working on for wildlife this year, and see what has happened across the county since the projects were last featured. 

As it’s a festive time of the year for many, we thought we would also take a look at some of our seasonal traditions – why we decorate trees at Christmas time and the stories and folklore around some of our familiar plants such as mistletoe and ivy. 

Thank you for all your support this year, enjoy celebrating and we will see you again March for Season 2. 

We've reached our 10th episode! Today, we’re going to be talking all about autumn arrivals - from birds to mushrooms, there’s lots of new discoveries popping up during this season. So, if you struggle to tell your fieldfares from your redwings and your fly agarics from your jelly ears, we’ve got you covered (with some bonus bird impressions too..!)

We’ll also be explaining how and why birds choose to migrate such vast distances, as well as talking about a very important event for environmental issues across the globe - COP26. This is the UN’s climate change conference being held in Glasgow this year, starting on October 31. We will be asking MP’s to ensure this conference tackles both the climate and nature crisis and you can do your bit to help too.

Thank you to everyone who has joined us on our nature journey so far, keep an ear out for our bonus Christmas special episode in December and we will see you next year for lots more inspiring nature stories, special guests and updates about our conservation work.

Imagine being able to see your favourite shop shimmering in the distance, full of delicious food to feed you and your family, but all roads leading to it are cut off. In a roundabout way, this is the problem our wildlife faces on a daily basis. With an ever increasing number of houses and roads being built, the pockets of habitat wildlife rely on are getting smaller. We are trying to change that by ensuring wildlife corridors are in place to connect habitats across the county - and you can help too! 

On today's episode, we'll be looking at the problems fish face getting from A to B in our rivers, the wondrous journeys of brent geese, a wander around our Abbotts Hall Farm nature reserve and how you can get involved in our exciting new campaign, the #BigWildSeedSow for which, with your help, we are aiming to plant one million native wildflowers across the county.   

On today’s episode we will be talking all about our amazing Essex coastline. From our unique orange seals to our swaying underwater seagrass meadows. We’ll be heading off on a rooftop adventure looking out from the top of the Nature Discovery Centre at Thameside Nature Park as well as finding out about some of the more unusual species that you may be able to spot around the county.

Find out how you can share our shores with the wonderful wildlife that rely on this special habitat and a chance to get your running shoes on for the Essex Coastal Challenge too

On today’s episode we’ll be talking all about our brilliant bugs and why they matter so much. From the familiar to the strange, the big to the small, bugs play a huge part in ensuring a healthy eco-system – as well as being amazing beings in their own right. Find out who came to visit our moth trap, what we’re doing to help bees and invertebrates at Two Tree Island, how you can help insects simply by driving your car, as well as tips for providing a better environment for bugs in your own garden.

Go on, give a bug a hug! 

On today’s episode we’ll be talking about one of most fundamental aspects of being able to live a happy and healthy life – and that’s our wellbeing. Specifically, we’ll be looking at how nature can have such an important part to play in helping us to achieve this.

From Random Acts Of Wildness to meditation, the power of volunteering to the importance of instilling a love of nature in our children, we hope there will be something that everyone can find useful on their own personal journey to enhancing their sense of wellbeing.

On today’s episode of The Wildlife Explorer, we’ll be getting up at the crack of dawn to experience one of nature’s greatest gifts – the dawn chorus. We’ll also be delving a bit deeper into the lives of nightingales, which many people would say are the showpiece of the dawn chorus, as well as finding out about the coastal and migratory birds that still like to get involved in the action; albeit with a background of rolling waves rather than rustling trees. We’ll also be answering your question of the week and sharing lots of other facts along the way.

On today's episode of The Wildlife Explorer we'll be talking bats, badgers and swallows and I'll be joined by some experts from across the Trust who will be delving into these creatures often secretive lives to tell us a bit more about what they're up to now spring has burst into life.  We'll also be answering your question of the week and telling you about some of the species and spectacles you can hope to see this month. Grab a cuppa and come and join us for a wander through the countryside. 

Today’s bumper episode of The Wildlife Explorer is all about trees and we’re going to be joined by special guest James Canton, who’s the author of the BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week 'The Oak Papers'. He will be sharing his experiences with one special tree in particular, an aged oak called the Honywood which he visited through the seasons and in all weathers. 

He’ll be telling us about what he learnt from sitting underneath the ancient boughs and how we can all be more intimately connected with nature. We’ll also be joined by some special guests from across the Trust helping you to decide which trees are best to plant in your own garden, the magic of trees in spring, at what point an ancient woodland becomes an ancient woodland and you can learn more about our very own tree of life situated at our Fingringhoe Wick reserve.

Today’s episode of The Wildlife Explorer is a bird special and I will be joined by some expert special guests from across the Trust, who are going to be telling us lots of things you may not know about our feathered friends! So, come with us for a walk along the beach to learn about some of the wonderful waders that live there, find out the difference between dabbling and diving ducks, learn the best way to feed the birds that come into your garden, why you might not want to be neighbours with a wren and finally, how to tell the difference between crows, rooks and ravens.

Welcome to The Wildlife Explorer, a podcast by Essex Wildlife Trust, where we aim to inspire you with our work to protect the wildlife and wild places of Essex, and what you can do to help wildlife wherever you live.

In today's episode, we will be talking about how lockdown has affected our wildlife in positive, negative and sometimes surprising ways, amazing wildlife spectacles you can see this winter, how saltmarshes are our unsung heroes in the fight against climate change, we share our top winter wildlife gardening tips and answer the question - where do butterflies go over the winter?

Whether you live in Essex or Outer Mongolia, join us for a show full of fun facts, interviews with our experts and special guests and top tips to help wildlife thrive.