Listeners say a bittersweet goodbye to swallows as they leave our shore.

Ep 6: Summer of Swallows - Leaving

Fledglings are learning to fly and avoid predators, like the sparrowhawk.

Ep 5: Summer of Swallows - Fledging

The chicks have arrived and they need feeding. What's for dinner?

Ep 4: Summer of Swallows - Feeding

Swallows are building their nests and we are peering in.

Ep3: Summer of Swallows - Nesting

From the tip of Cornwall to the coasts of Scotland, the swallows are arriving home

Ep2: Summer of Swallows - Arrival

The swallows are on their way, an epic 8,000 mile flight from South Africa. They're off!

Ep1: Summer of Swallows - Migration

Introducing A Summer of Swallows! A new podcast from Today and Radio 4

Ep0: Summer of Swallows

In the final episode, Becky Ripley and Emily Knight search for pufflings that have run into trouble on their journey from their burrows to the sea, guided by the light of the moon

Ep12: Planet Puffin - The Puffin Rescuers

Becky and Emily go in search of the last pufflings left in the burrows to give them a quick check-up before they leave their family homes and head out to sea

Ep11: Planet Puffin - Leaving the Nest

How do you draw puffins to an island they abandoned long ago? On Ramsey Island off the west coast of Wales, they're trying a very loud solution - blasting out the sound of puffins

Ep10: Planet Puffin - Puffin Decoys

If you think puffins are just small penguins, Warhorse author Sir Michael Morpurgo is here to tell you how wrong you are in this tale of how Puffin Books led him to love the birds

Ep9: Planet Puffin - Nuffin' Like a Puffin

Becky and Emily find the Isle of May's beaches awash with plastic waste and discover its not just plastic we can see that is damaging, but tiny fragments shed from our clothes too

Ep8: Planet Puffin - The Plastic Problem

Award-winning author Adam Nicolson presents a rich, visual piece of writing that celebrates the real puffin that's there to be seen when you look past the looks

Ep7: Planet Puffin - Looking Beyond Cuteness

Becky and Emily string up a giant net to catch puffins as they fly past. When the fish in their beaks are sent flying, they go running to gather them up in the name of science

Ep6: Planet Puffin - Netting Puffins

High winds and choppy waters slow Emily and Becky's return to the island, raising fears for some of the seabirds' chicks, and there's news of a mass puffin death in Alaska

Ep5: Planet Puffin - Rough Seas and a Wreck

Becky and Emily invite you to sink deep in sound as they present an immersive wildlife experience from master recordist Chris Watson

Ep4: Planet Puffin - The Seabirds' Sound Bath

Becky and Emily find themselves deep in a game of puffin roulette, all in the name of science. They go grovelling underground into puffin burrows to count how many chicks have been laid in this year's breeding season and the pufflings' protective parents don't shy away from an attack #PlanetPuffin

Ep3: Planet Puffin - Grovelling for Pufflings

Emily Knight & Becky Ripley, from Blue Planet II: The Podcast, stake out in a hide on the Isle of May to monitor how many puffins have survived the cold winter months. Spring is here, and the breeding season is about to kick off. 

#planetpuffin

Ep2: Planet Puffin - The Puffins’ Return

Emily Knight & Becky Ripley, from Blue Planet II: The Podcast, drop anchor at Scotland’s Ilse of May as the puffins return after a winter at sea and the year’s breeding season is getting under way. 

They meet reserve manager Steely for a tour around the island’s three famous lighthouses and hear the ghastly story that could have put its first burning beacon of flames to rest.

And a husband and wife who dedicated decades to studying puffins on the Isle of May reveal how much there’s left to discover about the mysterious life of the island’s puffins.  

As they report through the summer, Emily and Becky would love to hear your puffin stories: #planetpuffin

Join them for a slice of island life, where stories of the past are met by the cries of seabirds.

Ep1: Planet Puffin - Island Life

How do Puffins know where home is? Why do they mate for life? What do they eat? And where do they go in winter?  Emily Knight and Becky Ripley, from Blue Planet II: The Podcast, head to Scotland’s Isle of May to follow the fortunes of a puffin colony across this year’s breeding season. 

They’ll also be exploring some bigger questions on how climate change may be affecting seabird colonies as storms become more frequent and seas warm. How can we monitor their survival rates? And what can we do to help?  

And as they report through the summer, they’d love to hear your puffin stories: #planetpuffin

Join us for a slice of island life, where stories of the past are met by the cries of seabirds.

A Summer of Swallows

A Summer of Swallows

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