THE unspoilt beauty of Northern Ireland is on full display this week as Winterwatch returns for 2026.
Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams are back on our screens in the BBC’s popular seasonal show which began airing on January 20.
For the first time the action is being broadcast live from Northern Ireland, where the main filming location is Mount Stewart in Co. Down.
“I’ve been visiting Northern Ireland since the early 1990s and I always saw it as a very unspoilt part of the UK, it’s magnificent in terms of its natural resources and it has some exceptional species,” Packham said as the new series launched this week.
“Obviously since that time, some things have got worse, but some have got better and so we’re going to celebrate those things that have improved,” he added.
“It’s got incredible coastal regions and loughs and a wonderful range of species, some of which we don’t see frequently across the UK so very excited to be there.”
Strachan said viewers can expect “a winter celebration of the natural world, a variety of wonderful wildlife and woolly hats”.
She added: “Expect to be inspired and entertained, expect science, storytelling and humour.
“That’s of course what you would expect from any Winterwatch, but having Northern Ireland as our base camp, is a first, and a new location is always exciting.”
She explained: “Red squirrels will no doubt be part of our Winterwatch starring cast, along with pine martens, as both are doing well around the National Trust’s Mount Stewart Estate where we will be based.
“We’ll be right next to Strangford Lough, so plenty of opportunity to film wintering birds who arrive in their 1000s, Brent geese, pintails, wigeon, teal, Slavonian grebes and whooper swans.
“Hopefully otters will make their entrance too.
“As well as badgers, Irish hares, long eared owls, buzzards, red kites, sparrowhawks to name just a few.”
Across the series, the three presenters will guide the audience through the topical wild stories shaping the UK winter, from climate-driven changes in migration, to the challenges local species face in a warming world.
Winterwatch airs on BBC Two & iPlayer at 7pm each evening until Friday, January 23.
See More: Co Down, Mount Stewart, Northern Ireland, Winterwatch
