344. A thrilling night-time quest to experience the great spring toad migration

344. A thrilling night-time quest to experience the great spring toad migration

Author: Our Media March 31, 2026 Duration: 53:26
It's night in the woods deep in the Cotswold Hills. Plodcast host Fergus joins friend and environmental writer James Fair to see if they can witness the great spring toad migration, where toads leave their winter hideouts and head across land in huge numbers to find a pond or lake to breed in. Have the daring duo left it too late? What will they find on this nocturnal ramble?Our Facebook page is back! Search "BBC Countryfile Magazine - Plodcast Community" or join the discussion here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/countryfilemagazineplodcast/?ref=shareThe BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is the Publishers Podcast Awards Special Interest Podcast of the Year 2024 & 2025 and the PPA Podcast of the Year 2022. If you've enjoyed the plodcast, don't forget to leave likes and positive reviews. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: theplodcast@countryfile.com. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. The Plodcast is produced by Jack Bateman and Lewis Dobbs. The theme tune was written and performed by Blair Dunlop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each week, The Plodcast offers a gentle, immersive journey into the landscapes and stories of rural Britain. Produced by Our Media, this series is more than just a guide; it’s a thoughtful audio companion that connects the science of natural phenomena with the deep cultural roots found in villages, coastlines, and rolling hills. You’ll hear from naturalists, historians, farmers, and artists whose lives are intertwined with the land, providing a rich tapestry of perspectives on place and society. The weekly episodes, released every Tuesday, delve into specific topics, from wildlife biology and conservation efforts to the social history embedded in ancient footpaths. Then, on Fridays, the pace shifts to a reflective Sound Escape-a chance to simply listen and unwind with the ambient noises of the outdoors. This podcast serves as a regular invitation to slow down and appreciate the complexities and simple wonders of the countryside, all through carefully crafted audio. It’s a blend of curious inquiry and peaceful respite, designed for anyone with an interest in travel, nature, and the quieter aspects of British life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 644

The Plodcast
Podcast Episodes
167. A walk with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall at River Cottage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:21
Catch up with writer, presenter, farmer, forager and campaigner Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, 20 years after his first adventures into smallholding which inspired millions to grow their own, keep chickens and live the goo…
Sound Escape 85: be mesmerised by the soft burble of a Welsh stream [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:53
Between the great, lumbering bulk of the Cambrian Mountains and Shropshire’s autumn-kissed hills there is a landscape of quiet repute. Here the ground rolls and tilts. Sheep graze the knolls, and between these there are…
Sound Escape 84: a mellow moment beside a sleepy Somerset canal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:04
It's a lazy September afternoon on a Somerset canal. You've found an enchanted place to rest beside a bridge – where a robin's wistful song sweetens the stillness. Even the dragonflies are dawdling. Clouds puff in the bl…
165. Wandering among wildflowers with botanist Leif Bersweden [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:49
Welcome to a new season of mindful escapes into the green outdoors in search of wildlife and wild people. As well as heading out into beautiful landscapes as autumn stretches into winter, we’ll be enjoying some episodes…
Sound Escape 83: relax to enchanting robin song beside a Welsh stream [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:09
Deep in a wooded cwm in Powys, there’s a spot down by the brook, half in the trees, half out, where the sunlight falls in ribbons onto the water. You go to it and settle on the pebble bank. Somewhere above, hidden among…
We preview season 14 – mindful rambles in nature [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:23
Season 14 of the Plodcast is all about mindful explorations of wild places – so you can get close to nature and feel like you're walking in wild places, even if you're stuck at work or on the commute. Come with us to the…
Sound Escape 82: soothing sounds of waves and seabirds in Anglesey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:23
It's early morning in a secretive bay on northern Anglesey. You're walking on a shingle bank that separates a serene, reed-fringed lagoon from the restless rising tide. The pipes and skirls of oystercatchers, redshanks a…
164. How a gin maker has created a wildlife haven [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:03
We return to gin makers Warners in the Northamptonshire countryside to roam the gardens and grounds with conservation and sustainability officer Johnny Easter. Planting a huge variety of herbs, aromatics and fruits has t…
Sound Escape 81: the chilling night-time lullaby of the nightjar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:13
It's a sultry summer's night on a lowland heath in southern England. A warm waft of heather and the gentle chirrup of a cricket break the stillness. And then, as the moon rises, the mechanical churr of a nightjar. BBC Co…