12 episodes · 29th May 2023
Springwatch returns for more live wildlife stories from across the UK.
Springwatch returns from a brand new location with a star-studded wildlife cast. Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan are broadcasting from RSPB Arne in Dorset, where spring is in full swing and the nest cameras are rigged, so they’re ready to capture all the drama of the season. Plus, an exploration, not only RSPB Arne but the wider area of Purbeck, a new and very super NNR. Gillian Burke is embarking on a wildlife exploration of her own as she sets off to explore Snowdonia National Park.
Featuring a smorgasboard of wildlife: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, inverts and a botany bonanza. Michaela Strachan heads out in search of all six of Britain's native reptile species, while Chris Packham gets into the finer detail of some of our nests on site at RSPB Arne. Plus, a meet up with the series's resident botanist as they uncover some rather revealing revelations about British flora, while Gillian Burke goes in search of some of Snowdonia’s brilliant bats.
With Springwatch now in full swing and the Dorset heathland making for a truly tremendous cast of characters, some exciting new nests are launched. Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan unpack the overnight drama from the key characters, while there's a search of some of the heathland’s resplendent inverts. Gillian Burke continues her Snowdonia exploration and is out looking for Britain's only venomous snake, the adder. There's also the 'swift man’, an 81-year-old who has dedicated over a decade to building boxes for swifts. His current total is 64,000, and he shows no signs of stopping!
Week one of Springwatch wraps up with a deluge of drama. The nests are proving as exciting as ever, and Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan provide all the highlights ahead of the weekend. Plus Springwatch sets sail into Poole Harbour, keen to see a white-tailed eagle or an osprey during the programme. Both enigmatic birds are recent additions to this part of the UK, so a sighting would be a memorable moment. Gillian Burke travels further north within Snowdonia to meet a pine marten soon to be released into the wild.
Week two of Springwatch is set to be sensational. With the nests proving dramatic over the weekend, Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan update us on the comings and goings at RSPB Arne in Dorset. Plus, a live broadcast from Corfe Castle, where a pair of peregrines have found the perfect nest site, high in the ruins. And a search of the debris far below the nest to see what it reveals about the nesting pair. Gillian Burke’s road trip continues as she reaches the Menai Straits, exploring what wonderful wildlife thrives here. And we also tackle an often unspoken but all too real subject... raptor persecution.
Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan appreciate spring’s simple wildlife pleasures at RSPB Arne in Dorset and reveal some truly astonishing footage, documenting the life cycle of a jellyfish. Plus. a look at Studland Bay, a rich wildlife habitat that hosts a vast array of characters. The sand dunes hide a myriad of species with some astonishing adaptations, which Springwatch is primed to reveal. Gillian continues her deep dive into the Menai Straits and the wonderful wildlife it attracts.
Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan have their eyes firmly set on the developing nests of our main characters at RSPB Arne in Dorset. Anything could happen. Gillian Burke is moving down to the Llyn Peninsular in north Wales, while the wildlife search among the sand dunes of Studland Bay continues. And a woman who embarked on documenting the insects in her back garden in Bath, only to still be adding to her list nearly three years on.
In a celebration of Britain's seas, Gillian Burke has ventured further down the Llyn Peninsular and explores a seagrass meadow. This threatened habitat holds so much importance for Britain's wildlife, and Gillian meets those trying their best to protect it. Meanwhile, Springwatch is poised on Swanage Pier to showcase an overlooked species that puts on quite the display under the waves in spring. Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan continue to explore the incredible array of wildlife at RSPB Arne in Dorset and provide updates on the live nests.
As week three of Springwatch begins, the excitement from the nests is palpable. With plenty of fledglings, Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan are keeping up with the comings and goings at RSPB Arne in Dorset. Megan McCubbin is revelling in a botany bonanza at Durlston Country Park, a national nature reserve on the Isle of Purbeck, which in the spring is simply buzzing with life. Meanwhile, Gillian Burke heads to Anglesey, where she immerses herself in a woodland where red squirrels roam.
Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan dig a little deeper into the behaviours seen on the live nest cameras at RSPB Arne in Dorset, as well as covering the topical wildlife stories of this season. Megan McCubbin has travelled down to a quarry on the Isle of Purbeck to find out why this location is so important for bats, and Gillian Burke is continuing her exploration of Anglesey, where she’s looking at the spring behaviours of the tern. Plus an 81-year-old man who’s made it his mission to save the swift.
In the penultimate show of the season, there's a seabird spectacle from South Stack on Anglesey. A location famed for its dark skies and cliff nesting birds, Gillian Burke explores why it’s such a hotspot for wildlife. Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan are on fledge watch at RSPB Arne in Dorset, as they are keen to see which of the nests empty before the end of the series, and Megan McCubbin returns to RSPB Arne to explore some of its sensational seasonal characters.
In the final episode of the series, all eyes are on the nests at RSPB Arne in Dorset. Will they fledge before the night is over? Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan look back over the series to see who our main cast of characters have been. Megan McCubbin continues to explore the peripheries of the reserve and looks at some of its more intriguing inhabitants. She also finds out how a dedicated team of researchers are doing some radical work to provide homes for tree-roosting bats. Gillian Burke wraps up the series at South Stack on the far reaches of Anglesey, where it’s a hive of activity with nesting sea birds.
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