Episode 2.58 - Goshawk Glimpses and Woodcock Waves

Send us Fan MailIn the cruel grip of February's easterly winds at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin brave the chill to explore an eruption of woodcocks fleeing frozen Europe, their numbers swelling amid redwings, fieldfares, and nomadic lapwings, while frost-lift threatens crops and prompts calls for protecting red-listed species like the beleaguered grey partridge. A thrilling discovery unfolds: a new badger set, the farm's third, teeming with four displaced newcomers—including a pregnant sow gathering bedding for imminent cubs—amid sandy excavations on a west-facing slope, their nocturnal labyrinths a testament to delayed implantation, worm-rich diets, and territorial scent-marking, all captured on trail cams in a habitat ripe for mustelid marvels. Nearby, a roadside vigil reveals plump young buzzards and a rare goshawk perching in pine copses, drawn to hay-spilled seeds and small mammal feasts, showcasing raptors' adaptive hunts from aerial strikes to ground pursuits. At dawn, a robin sings "inwardly" through a closed beak in the frosty farmyard shrubbery, its muffled melody echoing Gilbert White's notes amid emerging lords-and-ladies and snorting horses. Listener warmth flows: global well-wishes for Chris's triple bypass, tales of enhanced nature appreciation from Snettisham to California, and queries on conservation reforms to safeguard biodiversity for generations. This episode blends winter's harsh arrivals with hopeful habitat triumphs, ideal for embracing nature's resilient rhythms in the face of seasonal strife.https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/18635838-episode-2-58-goshawk-glimpses-and-woodcock-waves.mp3?download=trueSupport the showPlease email any questions for Chris to answer on the podcast [email protected] podcast is brought to you by High Ash Farm. To support our efforts in creating this content, please consider making a small monthly or one-off donation. Your contributions help us with production costs, and after expenses, every penny goes towards conservation and maintaining free public access at High Ash Farm. Support us here:https://donorbox.org/podcast-12or from the Podcast page here:Podcast | High Ash Farm