Stories filmed across the UK
Published: January 14, 2025 — As usual, Winterwatch has produced a series of pre-recorded films covering the length and breadth of the country and reflecting the great diversity of wildlife on offer across a multitude of different habitats. There are also some stunning, seasonal stories shared by nature lovers and wildlife experts across the country.
These films will include:
Buff-tail bumble bees
Mahonia lines the streets of our towns and car parks. A prickly, unloved non-native shrub, which thrives in cold temperatures. Now, as UK winter temperatures warm and insects awakening earlier, this much maligned plant is providing our invertebrates with a lifeline.
A buff-tailed bumblebee queen is awake and needs to collect nectar to build her colony. And with winter flowers few and far between, it is the Mahonia that proves a magnet for her. But this plant has a clever strategy to ensure it doesn’t lose all its nectar in one visit.
Winter invaders
It’s mid-winter at a wildlife friendly farm, where nature is flourishing amongst the grasses and hedgerows, providing food for many different species. The bountiful food supplies are attracting fierce competition.
Three resident kestrels normally dominate the skies, hovering and diving on unsuspecting voles. However, the arrival of the colder weather brings an influx of European visitors, keen for a share of the spoils: short eared owls. It’s resident verses the invader, and the battle commences.
The Lone kayaker
Rupert Kirkwood has clocked up over 32,000 miles in his kayak over the past 20 years. Nicknamed “The Lone Kayaker,” he spends most of his days on the water.
In that time, he has met humpback and minke whales, leatherback turtles, basking sharks and many other incredible marine species.
Recently, one unexpected visitor has turned up alongside his kayak, a huge fish breaking from the waves off the shores of Devon: blue fin tuna.
For Rupert this is a new kayaking thrill as the species disappeared from our shores completely during the 1960’s but now they are back and that is something to celebrate.
Rock & Roll birder
Matt Spracklen has two major passions since he was young – music and birding.
Now known as the “Rock ‘n Roll birder”, he’s combining his two loves in a bid to encourage everyone to appreciate the natural world.
As the Big Garden Bird Watch approaches, Matt invites viewers into his garden to show how absorbing bird watching can be and how our local avian visitors can be as diverse as the music we listen to.
Otter man
Former Newcastle doctor Christopher Wren has always loved nature and, since his retirement 12 years ago, his local nature reserve has become his home from home.
Frequent trips to Gosforth Nature Reserve with his trail camera resulted in a magical moment when Christopher saw his first image of an otter on the riverbank.
Five cameras later and Christopher has captured some magical moments of the resident group of otters because, as he says, they rarely disappoint.
Bittern Hunt
Winterwatch birding expert Jack Baddams has studied, filmed and officially ringed thousands of birds in his time. He joined his first local bird group at ten and was a licenced bird ringer by the age of 16.
But one elusive bird has always evaded him. Jack has never seen a bittern. Can he change all that this winter? The Winterwatch cameras join Jack as he goes in search of this secretive member of the heron family.
Walthamstow Winter Wonderland
Walthamstow wetlands ranger Lira Valencia is passionate about the wildlife that can be found in urban areas across the UK. Winter is her favourite season with the influx of avian migrants. She takes us on a tour of the reserve sharing her love, and knowledge, of waterfowl.
Lira believes that ducks are often overlooked which is something she wants to change. With behind-the-scenes access to areas closed off to the public, she shares her insight into their behaviour and gives us the tips to distinguish the divers from the dabblers in this diverse family.
Marvellous Moths
Butterfly Conservation youth panel member Leanna Rohini Fernandez is on a mission to find some seasonal specialists that, not only survive but, thrive throughout winter: moths.
Leanna explores Kenfig National Nature reserve in South Wales looking for the aptly named December moth, a species that she is yet to see for herself. She also hopes to witness the breeding behaviours of another, the winter moth. We join her on this journey and learn the different strategies and adaptations that these inventive invertebrates use to endure the colder temperatures and harsher conditions that winter brings.
About
Winterwatch returns to BBC Two & iPlayer with Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams bringing viewers the latest news and wonder of winter wildlife, from Tuesday 21 January 2025 at 8pm across four nights.
Live from the heart of RSPB Arne in Dorset, part of the UK’s first Super National Nature Reserve – the Purbeck Heaths Super NNR, the presenters will reveal the stories of this season and viewers will be able to immerse themselves in the beauty and drama of the winter natural world.
With live broadcasts, behind-the-scenes features and beautiful natural history films, the show promises a mix of heartwarming, awe-inspiring, and entertaining, educational content.
Set against the backdrop of Dorset’s stunning heathland, wetlands, and woodlands, Winterwatch will showcase the dramatic challenges and fascinating behaviours of our UK wildlife as they navigate the winter season. Viewers can expect thrilling stories of resilient creatures, from elusive birds of prey to the mysterious, nocturnal movements of deer and foxes.
Adding to the bounty of stories from RSPB Arne, the series will bring pre-filmed, seasonal stories from across the UK with plenty of opportunities for viewers to interact, get involved, and share their own winter wildlife encounters.
As ever, live cameras will be rigged across the site to capture all the drama of the season. Long lens cameras will be poised to capture footage of the local white-tailed sea eagles who patrol the skies over Arne and have been known to head to its shores in winter in search of food.
The programme will catch up with the resident foxes and explore their winter behaviours – and not forgetting our smaller avian characters, our cameras will be set to capture the comings and goings at our bird feeders as we witness which species are taking advantage of the food on offer.
With the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch just days away, we’ll be giving our audience tips on how to get involved themselves and record the species that they see in their own gardens.
Our macro studio will be back so we can shine a spotlight on the miniature marvels that call Arne home and see what amazing adaptations they have evolved to cope with the challenges of the season.
Source
BBC iPlayer
