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Waterlands

By: Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
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  • Summary

  • Immerse yourself in the sounds of the riverbank, crashing tides, wild marshes filled with birds and the underwater sounds of the humble pond as we bring to life our incredible wetlands - and reveal their power to shape our future for the better. Join zoologist and wildlife presenter Megan McCubbin as she explores the wonders of our watery worlds and how wetlands have fed, inspired and transported us from countryside to city, source to sea.  Our wetlands bring us together across species and continents. They’re the source of life as we know it. Yet wetlands only cover about 6% of our planet, and they’re disappearing fast, despite the fact that people and 40% of all wildlife are reliant on them.  This is a podcast all about the wonderful, sometimes surprising and often underappreciated watery places around us, and how they can help us with some of the biggest issues facing life on this planet. ​  You’ll never look at a marsh or pond the same way again. Finalist - Best Climate Podcast, British Podcast Awards 2023
    Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, 2023
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Episodes
  • What Lurks Beneath...A Halloween Special

    What Lurks Beneath...A Halloween Special
    Oct 26 2023
    Have you ever peered into the blackness of a pond at night and wondered what lurks beneath? Come with us and find out in this special, spooky, episode! From creatures with unimaginably strange bodies that could be straight out of a sci-fi movie, to the bizarre upside-down swimming water boatmen - life in a pond can be brutal. It really is the world of eat, or be eaten. Like lots of other habitats, as dark falls, ponds turn other-worldy, yet often we don’t get to experience them. In this episode we’ll show you that there’s lots for us to see, and hear, that we can only experience at nighttime.  Host Megan McCubbin peers into her own pond on a stormy wet night to see what she can see, from the pond creatures around on the surface to the bats overhead. Hear the spooky and strange sounds underwater with ecologist and underwater sounds expert Jack Greenhalgh. Discover why nature is the source of many of good horror story, with author Lucy Christopher. And previous guests Ellie Jones from WWT and writer Henry Slator share their favourite spooky pond creatures. You’ll never have a nocturnal nosy at pond in the same way again! If listening to this podcast inspires you to take action for wetlands and find out more then visit wwt.org.uk Waterlands is a series brought to you by the WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, the producer is Melvin Rickarby and original music is by Noah Bloom.
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    32 mins
  • Puddles of wonder

    Puddles of wonder
    Oct 12 2023
    When is a pond not a pond? Well, when it’s a puddle! When you think of a puddle, children jumping around in their wellies may be one of the first things that come to mind. But there are some types of pond which really have more in common with a puddle, they come and go, they’re wet, then they dry up. They’re known as ephemeral ponds, and in this episode Megan McCubbin heads back to where she grew up, the New Forest to hear their magical story. The mysterious temporary ponds we’re visiting are even more important because they’re one of the only places in the UK that are home to some very special creatures (and one of the oldest surviving animal species in the world) the tadpole shrimp. Like the ponds they live in they also come and go, get wet and dry up, they lay dormant until the rain comes and then spring back into life. Megan meets expect Dr Naomi Ewald in the excited hope of seeing one up close. A real and very rare treat for anyone to experience! Featuring: Dr Naomi Ewald from the Freshwater Habitats Trust and Dr Sarah Davies (Principal Research Officer, WWT) Presented by Megan McCubbin. If listening to this podcast inspires you to take action for wetlands and find out more then visit wwt.org.uk Waterlands is a series brought to you by the WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, the producer is Melvin Rickarby and original music is by Noah Bloom.
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    29 mins
  • Watching (and waiting) for Watervoles

    Watching (and waiting) for Watervoles
    Sep 28 2023
    They’re one of our most precious but sadly most threatened species in the UK. So, how can ponds help sustain this wonderful species and why do we need to help them thrive? We’ve donned our binoculars for this episode as we celebrate the wonder of watching wildlife and go in search of the illusive watervole. Some of Megan McCubbin’s earliest memories were down at a local pond, waiting to catch a glimpse of it’s wildlife and remembers hearing a watervole’s distinctive ‘plop’ for the very first time.  We meet Jo Cartmell in a favourite spot next to her village pond to hear about how she’s dedicated years to monitoring, and blogging about a group of voles who live there (even giving them names). She knows them more than anybody else, will we get to to spot one? And Dr Daniel Foreman of Swansea University explains why such such a quintessentially British pond and wetland species have become so threatened and how we can protect them. Also find out why ponds are such amazing places for sustaining the life of not just watervoles, but an abundance of species as we take a journey from the bottom of the pond to the surface with Ellie Jones from WWT. (And we should also point out watervoles are very cute, here’s a photo) Featuring: Jo Cartmell (@Watervole and find out more at watervole.or.uk), Dr Daniel Foreman, and Ellie Jones from WWT. Presented by Megan McCubbin. If listening to this podcast inspires you to take action for wetlands and find out more then visit wwt.org.uk Waterlands is a series brought to you by the WWT. It’s an 18Sixty production, the producer is Melvin Rickarby and original music is by Noah Bloom.
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    33 mins
Social Sciences Biological Sciences Earth Sciences
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