Chris Skinner is up at the crack of dawn on the 1st of May to capture the sounds of the morning at High Ash Farm. Part of daily duties involve checking in on the swallows.Matthew Gudgin joins later on in the sunshine and the pair begin their journey around the farm by looking at crab apple trees. Chris and Matthew head to a bird hide and Chris explains the unusual behaviour of the male rooks he’s been noticing. They’ve worked out a new way to get essential water to the females rooks in the nest.They both come away with plenty of nettles stings whilst looking at the delicate plants on the woodland floor, but it was worth it!Listener questions cover ladybirds, water levels and honey bees.Click here to download the MP3 file of this episode.At the beginning of this episode we hear from the audio producers who make Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcast. Their non-profit organisation SOUNDYARD has been nominated for a Norfolk Arts Award. It's a public vote and the business appears under the Broadcast & Media Award. Click here to vote and for more details Click here to donate to the podcast. If you have a question that you'd like Chris to answer on the podcast, send an email to: chris@countrysidepodcast.co.ukJoin the official Chris Skinner's Countryside Podcast newsletterChris Skinner's Countryside Podcast is produced by SOUNDYARD - a non-profit company on a mission to turn up the volume on under-heard voices. Join the SOUNDYARD newsletter