Geology, PS Waverley and Parakeets
5/30/20261 hr 24 min
Right in the heart of London is one of the city’s most popular attractions, The Natural History Museum. Last week, Rachel met up with John Tweedie, head of the Centre for UK Nature and UK Nature Recovery, who explained why the museum’s ponds have become a hotspot for all kinds of insects, including the striking willow emerald damselfly.
To celebrate the tercentenary of James Hutton's birth, a new Deep Time Trail at Siccar Point has been launched. It features a redeveloped 1.3km pathway, new seating, cycle racks, an arrival pillar and spectacular stone viewpoints to help visitors explore the birthplace of modern geology. Mark and geologist Dr Angus Miller visit the site on the Berwickshire Coastal Path.
Only a tiny number of people have completed all 282 of Scotland’s Munros in a single winter. In 2024, Anna Wells became the first woman and only the fourth person on record to achieve the feat. She’s written a book about the challenge and spoke to Helen Needham about the experience. You can listen to the full podcast at Scotland Outdoors
Street artist Mark Anthony, also known as ATM, has created murals across the country highlighting endangered bird species and the threat of extinction. When Rachel met him in London’s Regent’s Park, he told her about combining art with conservation, and whether he considers himself a birder.
Parakeets are usually an exceptionally rare sight in the Highlands, so when reports emerged of one causing absolute chaos in the Lochardil neighbourhood of Inverness, producer Phil Sime and colleague Morven Livingstone set out to track down the feathered troublemaker.
Mark joins Grant Stott for a walk along Edinburgh’s Hermitage Trail, where Grant reflects on his love for the area and shares his excitement about starting his new afternoon show on BBC Radio Scotland next week.
John Hearns got in touch after we mentioned that last week’s programme was coming from London. He invited Rachel to join him and David Judson for a rendition of the Mingulay Sea Shanty with the London Sea Shanty Collective.
Operating mainly from Glasgow, the Waverley now sails around the UK. Mark Stephen joined her first outing of the season alongside general manager Paul Semple and some crafty passengers.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. [upbeat music] Out on the road, it's nice to have a partner who can help you make the most of your journey. A partner like the Love's Rewards app. With Love's Rewards along for the ride, you save 10 cents on every gallon of gas every time you fill up at Love's, and up to 25 cents on every gallon of auto diesel. That's why it's the best fuel discount program on the road. Download the app today, then watch those savings add up mile after mile. Love's Rewards, save and earn at every turn. Terms apply. Not available in all states.
Speaker 10:35
[upbeat music] This Scotland Outdoors Podcast from BBC Radio Scotland.
Mark Stephen· Host0:43
[birds chirping] Hello, and thanks very much for choosing to listen to this. Um, every week we do a couple of Scotland Outdoors podcasts, one of which is lovingly handcrafted from the live program we do for BBC Radio Scotland, which is called Out of Doors.
Rachel Stewart· Host1:00
And this week, a full-blown investigation into the rogue parakeet causing all sorts of mischief in Inverness.
Mark Stephen· Host1:07
[upbeat music] It's an absolutely glorious morning here in Aberdeen. And on the way in this morning, I was on Auchmill Road, saw blue flashing lights, two police cars. You know, Auchmill Road's quite a busy road if you don't know Aberdeen. It's one of the sort of major arterial routes into Aberdeen. And, um, there were four policemen, and they had two ponies trapped in