A Summer of Swallows Podcast
A regular podcast from Today on Radio 4, following Britain's swallows throughout the summer, and through their breeding season.
A regular podcast from Today on Radio 4, following Britain's swallows throughout the summer, and through their breeding season. Emily Knight, plus experts, listeners and swallow-lovers all over the country, get to know these iconic birds.
Episodes are occasional 鈥� depending on the swallows
Produced by Emily Knight and Eliza Lomas
This podcast feed also includes episodes from the earlier series, Planet Puffin. All things puffin. Both the silly and the serious; the scientific and the cultural.
Episodes to download
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Ep 6: Summer of Swallows - Leaving
Thu 7 Oct 2021
Listeners say a bittersweet goodbye to swallows as they leave our shore.
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Ep 5: Summer of Swallows - Fledging
Mon 20 Sep 2021
Fledglings are learning to fly and avoid predators, like the sparrowhawk.
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Ep 4: Summer of Swallows - Feeding
Tue 29 Jun 2021
The chicks have arrived and they need feeding. What's for dinner?
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Ep3: Summer of Swallows - Nesting
Thu 27 May 2021
Swallows are building their nests and we are peering in.
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Ep2: Summer of Swallows - Arrival
Thu 6 May 2021
From the tip of Cornwall to the coasts of Scotland, the swallows are arriving home
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Ep1: Summer of Swallows - Migration
Fri 30 Apr 2021
The swallows are on their way, an epic 8,000 mile flight from South Africa. They're off!
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Ep0: Summer of Swallows
Tue 20 Apr 2021
Introducing A Summer of Swallows! A new podcast from Today and Radio 4
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Ep12: Planet Puffin - The Puffin Rescuers
Mon 22 Jul 2019
In the final episode, Becky and Emily rescue pufflings in trouble on their way to the sea
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Ep11: Planet Puffin - Leaving the Nest
Mon 15 Jul 2019
The last pufflings are checked over before they leave their burrows and head out to sea
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Ep10: Planet Puffin - Puffin Decoys
Mon 8 Jul 2019
How do you draw puffins to an island they abandoned long ago? One way is to do it loudly
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Ep9: Planet Puffin - Nuffin' Like a Puffin
Mon 1 Jul 2019
Writer Michael Morpurgo explains how the puffin became the last word in children's books
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Ep8: Planet Puffin - The Plastic Problem
Mon 24 Jun 2019
Becky and Emily explore the issue of plastic as they trawl beaches awash with waste
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Ep7: Planet Puffin - Looking Beyond Cuteness
Mon 17 Jun 2019
Award-winning author Adam Nicolson looks at the internal life of a bird bound in cuteness
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Ep6: Planet Puffin - Netting Puffins
Mon 10 Jun 2019
Becky and Emily string up a giant net to catch puffins in the name of science
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Ep5: Planet Puffin - Rough Seas and a Wreck
Tue 4 Jun 2019
Stormy weather scuppers Emily and Becky's return and news arrives of a wreck in Alaska
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Ep4: Planet Puffin - The Seabirds' Sound Bath
Mon 27 May 2019
Becky and Emily invite you to sink into the sound of the puffins' realm
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Ep3: Planet Puffin - Grovelling for Pufflings
Mon 20 May 2019
Becky and Emily risk puffin attacks as they grovel underground for chicks
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Ep2: Planet Puffin - The Puffins鈥� Return
Mon 13 May 2019
After a cold winter at sea, the puffins return to the Isle of May.
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Ep1: Planet Puffin - Island Life
Mon 6 May 2019
Emily Knight & Becky Ripley drop anchor in Scotland鈥檚 puffin paradise.
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Welcome to Planet Puffin
Fri 3 May 2019
Emily Knight & Becky Ripley follow the fortunes of a Scottish puffin colony.
Thirteen proper puffin facts
Here are some of our favourite Puffin facts.
Seven birds and their mysterious folklore stories
Why some of our feathered friends may signify more to us than others.
