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Waterlands

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust

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

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  • 20 episodes
  • Updated Nov 14, 2024

Episodes20

Newest first
  • Nov 14, 2024 · 25 min

    Eels and Estuaries

    Where does a river become sea? And where do eels live?

  • Oct 31, 2024 · 24 min

    Rivers and Birds

    Amid all the wonderful wildlife that is attracted to rivers, birds are some of the most spectacular.

  • Oct 17, 2024 · 27 min

    Weeds, Reeds and Healthy Streams

    Have you ever wondered whether you could look at the plants and animals in a river and tell how healthy it is?

  • Oct 3, 2024 · 25 min

    River Rambling

    There is little more grounding than walking along a river. Scientists have shown that spending time near bodies of water, particularly while exercising, can boost your overall health and mood.

  • Sep 3, 2024 · 1 min

    Introducing Series 3....Rivers

    Join host Megan McCubbin to learn about how rivers and life have always been intertwined, providing vital homes for a host of our favourite species and shaping our way of life to this day.

  • Oct 26, 2023 · 32 min

    What Lurks Beneath...A Halloween Special

    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.

  • Oct 12, 2023 · 29 min

    Puddles of wonder

    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.

  • Sep 28, 2023 · 32 min

    Watching (and waiting) for Watervoles

    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.

  • Sep 14, 2023 · 27 min

    Ripple effects: people and ponds

    Water has a way of calming us “it just does something to us” says Nadeem Perera...but it can also bring us together. In this episode Megan McCubbin explores the abundant pond life of Cody Dock in East London, which not only attracts the likes of Reed Warblers and Sticklebacks but members of the local community who have all helped transform and shape the area into a rich haven. We also join co-founder and nature activist Nadeem Perera next to one of his favourite slices of nature, right in the heart of Bristol. He tells us how an encounter with a crow near a pond in the heart of his community sparked an interest in birds that would help shape his future and his whole outlook on nature. To face and help solve the climate crisis we need to work together, and community conservation is one of the most important things we can do. Ponds and mini-wetlands, however small and wherever we may live, need to be looked after because the ripple effects can be huge. Featuring: Gino Brignoli and volunteers at Cody Dock and Nadeem Perera of Flock Together. 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.

  • Aug 31, 2023 · 27 min

    Ponds and potatoes

    In years gone by a walk through farmland wouldn’t be complete without passing a pond or two. But sadly they’re increasingly rare on farms, but why? In this episode we head down to the farm to find out more about why rather than filling them in, farmers are now understanding the benefits that ponds can have in creating biodiversity. Riverford in Devon is one of the UK’s most well known organic farms and they’re bringing new life to the land, such as helping to provide homes for hungry toads, who are keeping the slugs off your lettuces. Riverford founder Guy Singh-Watson tells us all about it and how his perceptions of ponds have changed throughout his life. We also head to Ealing Wildlife Group in London to meet vet and conservationist Sean McCormack who’s work there is helping to preserve the Great Crested Newt in ponds which were once farmland ponds. Megan also learns about insect chimneys and ghost ponds from WWT’s Principal Research Officer, Dr Sarah Davies. Featuring: Guy Singh-Watson and Anna David from Riverford, Dr Sarah Davies (Principal Research Officer, WWT) and Dr Sean McCormack. 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.

  • Aug 17, 2023 · 27 min

    The remarkable garden pond

    When you think of ponds, do you think of the dizzying array of creatures that live within them? More than tadpoles and dragonflies, the humble pond is vital to entire ecosystems, and a small garden pond often supports more biodiversity than even a lake or river. And the best thing is – we’re never far from one. Whether it’s a bucket on an urban balcony or a mighty farm pond filled with amphibians and insects, these mini-wetlands can offer huge benefits to wildlife as well as our own wellbeing. In this episode we travel to Henry Slator’s garden pond in Devon to learn how it’s tranquillity and creatures helped Henry recover during his cancer treatment, and was the inspiration for his book Conversations at the Pond. We also take a peek inside the world of the dragonfly at London Wetland Centre. Featuring: Henry Slator, Dr Sarah Davies (Principal Research Officer, WWT) and dragonfly expert Dave Smallshire of the British Dragonfly Society. 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.

  • Aug 11, 2023 · 1 min

    Series 2 'Pondlife' with Megan McCubbin ...Coming soon!

    Join zoologist and wildlife presenter Megan McCubbin for a brand new series of Waterlands as she explores the wonders of the seemingly humble pond, home to a dizzying array of species. Whether it’s a bucket on an urban balcony or a mighty farm pond filled with amphibians and insects, this series of the podcast dives in to show us how these mini-wetlands sustain wildlife as well as our own wellbeing. You'll never look at a pond in the same way again!

  • Dec 1, 2022 · 20 min

    A watery future

    How did our wetlands drastically disappear and what is the radical potential of wetlands for our future?

  • Oct 6, 2022 · 20 min

    Feeling Blue

    Why is it that being close to water makes us feel so much better?

  • Sep 22, 2022 · 22 min

    Water on Our Doorstep

    Find out how urban centres and wetlands are intertwined and why we need water on our doorstep