Episode 38: Devil's Bitch

Chris Skinner has been busy counting the swallows on the farm. He catches their early morning chatter as the thirty-seven birds prepare for the day ahead.Chris takes Matthew Gudgin and terrible terrier Rat, to a field full of creeping buttercups. They return to the woodland where the bluebells were. They're long gone now, but standing  in their wake are the towering foxgloves - Digitalis purpurea. Chris, Matthew and Rat then come across some enormous animal hoof prints of red deer and Chris explains what the stags are doing at this time of year as the doe rear the fawns.Back at the farm truck, the pair  delight at reading the letters, emails and pictures sent in from listeners. They read aloud a peculiar verse that describes swifts as devil’s bitches and Chris explains why they were given such a name!Click here to download the MP3 file of this episodeChris Skinner's Countryside Podcast was produced by SOUNDYARD - a non-profit company on a mission to turn up the volume on under-heard voices. Join the SOUNDYARD newsletter