''Springwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' until 2022 and ''Winterwatch'', sometimes known collectively as ''The Watches'', are annual

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television series which chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The programmes are broadcast live from locations around the country in a primetime evening slot on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

. They require a crew of 100 and over 50 cameras, making them the BBC's largest British

outside broadcast Outside or Outsides may refer to: * Wilderness Books and magazines * ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras * Outside (magazine), ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine Film, theatre and TV * Outside TV (formerly RSN Television), a televi ...

events. Many of the cameras are hidden and operated remotely to record natural behaviour, for example, of birds in their nests and badgers outside their sett. Each year, the series begins on the late-May Bank Holiday (the last Monday in May) and is broadcast four nights each week for three weeks. After the success of the first ''Springwatch'' in 2005, the BBC commissioned a one-off special, ''Autumnwatch'', which became a full series from 2006 to 2022. ''Winterwatch'' began in 2012, broadcast in January or February. The BBC took the decision to axe ''Autumnwatch'' in 2023, saying that more money could then be put into its twin programmes Springwatch and Winterwatch, which generally received more viewers. Presenter Megan McCubbin expressed sadness that the show had been axed. Following the cancellation of ''Autumnwatch'' as a standalone programme, the format and title were brought back into use in the form of short reports and features on autumnal nature within ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...

'' in October 2023 and again in late October 2024. The ''Springwatch'' brand has expanded to incorporate further TV spin-offs and specials, and also has a strong online presence. The BBC ''Springwatch'' website offers further video content and allows viewers and programme makers to interact through a message board,

Flickr Flickr ( ) is an image hosting service, image and Online video platform, video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was previously a co ...

photography group,

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

s and the @BBCSpringwatch and @BBCAutumnwatch

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

accounts. The executive producer of the three programme strands is Rosemary Edwards (before 2018: Tim Scoones, series launch to 2008 and 2012: Fiona Pitcher) and the score was composed by David Poore. Programmes are made by the BBC Natural History Unit, but were originally commissioned by BBC Learning with the aim of getting viewers to actively participate in wildlife conservation.

Bill Oddie William Edgar Oddie (born 7 July 1941) is an English actor, artist, birder, comedian, conservationist, musician, songwriter, television presenter and writer. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies. A birder since his childhood in Quinton ...

, Kate Humble and Simon King were the presenting team until 2008. Oddie departed as a regular host at the beginning of 2009 (though not by his own choice), to be replaced by Chris Packham. Martin Hughes-Games, formerly a ''Springwatch'' producer, also joined the team in 2009. In September 2010, King left the presenting team to pursue other projects. Michaela Strachan filled in for Humble during ''Autumnwatch 2011'', reuniting her with Packham, her former co-host on '' The Really Wild Show''. When Humble left after ''Springwatch 2012'', Strachan became her permanent replacement. Strachan flies in from Cape Town, South Africa to present the show. Gillian Burke became a regular presenter in 2017, and for ''Winterwatch 2019'' the presenters were joined by Iolo Williams, who had previously been a field reporter. Other regular contributors include cameraman and presenter Gordon Buchanan and sound recordist

Chris Watson John Christian Watson (born Johan Cristian Tanck; 9 April 186718 November 1941) was an Australian politician who served as the third prime minister of Australia from April to August 1904. He held office as the inaugural federal leader of the Au ...

, who has occasionally appeared on-screen to describe his working methods.

Forerunners

Natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

programmes began as live outside broadcasts on BBC television in the early 1950s, when West Region's only television equipment was a mobile camera unit. The origins of ''Springwatch'' can be traced back to the 1970s, when the development of image-intensifying cameras enabled animals to be filmed in the dark. In May 1977, two remote-controlled cameras and a series of

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

lamps were installed outside a

badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...

sett in the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...

. The Natural History Unit broadcast the first live images of wild badgers during a week-long television event called ''Badgerwatch''. Although each programme was only 10 minutes long, it created the template on which ''Springwatch'' and all the intervening series have been based, a format which has developed and expanded as technology has improved. ''Badgerwatch'' was followed by ''Birdwatch'', broadcast annually throughout the 1980s and presented by Tony Soper, initially from locations around Britain including

Slimbridge Slimbridge is a village and civil parish near Dursley in Gloucestershire, England. It is best known as the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Slimbridge Reserve which was started by Sir Peter Scott. Canal and Patch Bridge The Glou ...

, Minsmere, the

River Exe The River Exe ( ) is a river in England that source (river), rises at Exe Head, near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lie ...

, the

Farne Islands The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. The group has between 15 and 20 islands depending on the level of the tide.

and

Martin Mere Martin Mere is a Mere (lake), mere near Burscough, in Lancashire, England, on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around that was, until it was drained, the largest body of fresh water in England. History Martin Mere ...

. Later series were filmed in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, the Netherlands and the

Camargue The Camargue (, also , , ; ) is a coastal region in southern France located south of the city of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône river delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western is the ''P ...

. In 1988 came ''Reefwatch'', the first ever live underwater broadcast shown on British and American television. It was anchored by Soper, with divers Martha Holmes and Mike deGruy presenting during the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

dive using bubble helmets (another TV first). The BBC broadcast further live series from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

with ''Africawatch'' (1989) and ''Flamingowatch'' (1995). Bill Oddie and Simon King joined forces for the first time to present ''A Bird in the Nest'' in 1994, featuring 5 live instalments from nestbox cameras. King also co-presented ''Beachwatch'', a day of live broadcasts from a stretch of

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

coastline, which aimed to show how wildlife responded to the changing tide. The live format was rested until 2003, when it was resurrected with Oddie, King and Kate Humble for '' Wild In Your Garden''. The following year, the show evolved into '' Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie'', and was identical to the later ''Springwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch'' series in all but name.

Surveys and campaigns

From 2005 until 2007, the BBC ran a ''Springwatch'' survey in conjunction with the Woodland Trust. Viewers were encouraged to record key events indicating the passage of spring, including the first sign of frogspawn, blossom on hawthorn trees and the arrival of

swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIF ...

s. By comparing the results with previous years, the surveys established that spring was arriving sooner than average. The BBC are no longer involved in the annual survey (now called Nature's Calendar) but the results are still reported on the programme. It remains the largest survey of

phenology Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors (such as elevation). Examples include the date of emergence of leav ...

in the world. A similar survey existed for ''Autumnwatch'', with the timing of the first

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

leaf tint, the ripening of

blackberries BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...

and the dropping of

conkers Conkers is a List of traditional children's games, traditional children's game in Great Britain and Ireland played using the seeds of Aesculus hippocastanum, horse chestnut trees—the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and to the tree i ...

all being recorded. The BBC-led ''Breathing Places'' campaign was launched during ''Springwatch'' 2006. Awards are made to small projects across the country which aim to create small areas of wildlife-friendly habitat, particularly in cities. In the first three phases of the campaign, over £8.5 million of National Lottery funding has been awarded. Local councils and Wildlife Trusts are also involved in the partnership. ''Breathing Places'' evolved from an earlier BBC campaign called ''Make Space for Nature'', launched in 2004 to coincide with ''Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie''.

Series overview

''Springwatch''

Series 1 (2005)

The first series of ''Springwatch'' debuted on BBC Two on 30 May 2005, and finished on 16 June.

and Kate Humble were based at Fishleigh Estate, an organic farm in north-west

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

(the same location had been used for the previous year's ''Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie''). Animals filmed included

swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

s nesting in the barn,

blue tit The Eurasian blue tit (''Cyanistes caeruleus'') is a small passerine bird in the tit (bird), tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognizable by its blue and yellow plumage and small size. Eurasian blue tits, usually resident bird, resident a ...

families in nestboxes and great spotted woodpeckers visiting bird feeders. Simon King visited three locations across the country; firstly, the

Isle of Mull The Isle of Mull or simply Mull ( ) is the second-largest island of the Inner Hebrides (after Skye) and lies off the west coast of Scotland in the Council areas of Scotland, council area of Argyll and Bute. Covering , Mull is the fourth-lar ...

to watch

white-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), sometimes known as the 'sea eagle', is a large bird of prey, widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which also ...

s on a nest; secondly, the London Wetland Centre to observe

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

s and

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

es; and finally, the

Farne Islands The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. The group has between 15 and 20 islands depending on the level of the tide.

to view the seabird colonies and

grey seal The grey seal (''Halichoerus grypus'') is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or "earless seals". The only species classified in the genus ''Halichoerus'', it is found on both shores of the Nort ...

s. Over 150,000 sightings were reported in the ''Springwatch'' survey.

Series 2 (2006)

The second series of ''Springwatch'' was broadcast from 29 May to 15 June 2006.

and Kate Humble again presented from the Fishleigh Estate farm, where more than 50 secret cameras were rigged up to film the day-to-day dramas of nesting birds including pied flycatchers,

barn owl The barn owls, owls in the genus '' Tyto'', are the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The ter ...

s and dabchicks. The badgers only made a single live appearance in the whole three weeks. Pre-recorded films featured moles,

capercaillie ''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Feathers from the bird were used to create the characteristic hat of the bersaglieri, an Italian ace infantry formation. ...

s and

earwig Earwigs make up the insect order (biology), order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cercus, cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincer (biology), pincers on ...

s. In the

Shetland Islands Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the Uni ...

, Simon King followed a family of

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

s and a host of birds:

puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

s, great skuas,

oystercatcher The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family (biology), family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, ''Haematopus''. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and Sout ...

merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

s and red-throated divers. ''Springwatch'' also tracked brent geese on their spring migration from

Strangford Lough Strangford Lough () is a large sea lough or inlet in County Down, in the east of Northern Ireland. It is the largest inlet in Ireland and the wider British Isles, covering . The lough is almost fully enclosed by the Ards Peninsula and is linke ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

to their breeding grounds in Canada's

Queen Elizabeth Islands The Queen Elizabeth Islands () are the northernmost cluster of islands in Canada's Arctic Archipelago, split between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in Northern Canada. The Queen Elizabeth Islands contain approximately 14% of the global gl ...

, via stopovers in

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

and

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. Live

webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in Videotelephony, video telephony, live streaming and social media, and Closed-circuit television, security. Webcams can b ...

s around the country enabled viewers to follow animal stories on the ''Springwatch'' website. These included

osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...

s at Loch Garten in Scotland,

red kite The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other Diurnality, diurnal Bird of prey, raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harrier (bird), harriers. The species currently breeds only i ...

s at Rockingham Forest in the

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...

and

pipistrelle bat ''Pipistrellus'' is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae and subfamily Vespertilioninae. The name of the genus is derived from the Italian language, Italian word , meaning "bat" (from Latin "bird of evening, bat"). The size of the ge ...

s in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. A spin-off programme titled ''CBeebies Springwatch'' aired on the

CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content targeted for children aged six year ...

channel and ''Springwatch'' editions of '' The Really Wild Show'' aired on the

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

channel. The presenters were Justin Fletcher, Nick Baker and Michaela Strachan.

Series 3 (2007)

For the third series of ''Springwatch'', broadcast from 28 May to 14 June 2007 on

and Kate Humble were again based at the Devon farm. Birds filmed live on their nests included swallows, buzzards, jays, barn owls and

jackdaw Jackdaws are two species of bird in the genus ''Coloeus'' closely related to, but generally smaller than, crows and ravens ('' Corvus''). They have a blackish crown, wings, and tail, with the rest of their plumage paler.Madge & Burn (1994) 136� ...

s. Oddie had close encounters with an otter and a

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

on the

River Torridge The River Torridge is a river in Devon in England; it rises near Meddon. The river describes a long loop through Devon farming country where its tributaries the Lew and Okement join before meeting the Taw at Appledore and flowing into the Bristol ...

, which runs through the farm. Simon King travelled to the Hebridean island of

Islay Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...

, where he filmed local specialities such as

red-billed chough The red-billed chough, Cornish chough or simply chough ( ; ''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus ''Pyrrhocorax''. Its eight subspecies breed on mountains and coastal cliffs from the we ...

corncrake The corn crake, corncrake or landrail (''Crex crex'') is a bird in the Rallidae, rail family. It breeds in Europe and Asia as far east as western China, and bird migration, migrates to Africa for the Northern Hemisphere's winter. It is a medium ...

hen harrier The hen harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is a bird of prey. It breeds in Palearctic, Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It bird migration, migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

s and

common shelduck The common shelduck (''Tadorna tadorna'') is a waterfowl species of the shelduck genus, ''shelduck, Tadorna''. It is widespread and common in the Euro-Siberian region of the Palearctic realm, Palearctic, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering ...

s. The series also featured barn owl chicks at Cornwall's Lost Gardens of Heligan, and cameras captured the moment when one chick killed and ate its younger sibling. Gordon Buchanan filmed urban red foxes in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

for a pre-recorded nightly diary segment. The 2007 series spawned more spin-offs on other BBC television channels, radio stations and the internet. ''Springwatch Nightshift'' broadcast two hours of live footage of badgers, owls and bats on BBC Two each night, and a half-hour weekly review programme aired on Friday evenings on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

. ''CBeebies Springwatch'' returned to CBeebies for 2007 alongside ''Springwatch Trackers'', which aired on CBBC, presented live from the farm each morning by

Steve Backshall Stephen James Backshall (born 21 April 1973) is a British naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer, best known for BBC Television, BBC TV's ''Deadly (franchise), Deadly...'' franchise. His other BBC work includes being part of the expedition ...

and Kirsten O'Brien. A live outside broadcast from the ''Springwatch'' farm featured on

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in Britain for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekday brea ...

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

breakfast show on 13 June, and on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, a special edition of ''

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'' on 11 June answered listeners' questions about spring.

Series 4 (2008)

For the fourth series of ''Springwatch'', the production team moved to a new location at the Pensthorpe Natural Park in

due to a change of ownership at the Fishleigh Estate farm. It was broadcast on BBC Two from 26 May to 12 June.

and Kate Humble watched local birds on the nest, including

little ringed plover The little ringed plover (''Charadrius dubius'') is a small plover. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek ''kharadrios'' a bird found in river ...

goldcrest The goldcrest (''Regulus regulus'') is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden Crest (feathers), crest feathers, as well as being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore, gives rise to its Englis ...

s and reed buntings, all new species for ''Springwatch''. Swallows, blue tits,

great tit The great tit (''Parus major'') is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and east across the Palearctic to the Amur River, south to parts of No ...

greenfinch The greenfinches are small passerine birds in the genus ''Chloris'' in the subfamily Carduelinae within the Fringillidae. The species have a Eurasian distribution except for the European greenfinch, which also occurs in North Africa. These fin ...

es, pied wagtails and robins were amongst the returning species. Simon King was based in the Cairngorm National Park, where he brought viewers footage of ospreys with chicks,

pine marten The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red Lis ...

Scottish wildcat The Scottish wildcat is a European wildcat (''Felis silvestris silvestris'') population in Scotland. It was once widely distributed across Great Britain, but the population has declined drastically since the turn of the 20th century due to habi ...

ptarmigan ''Lagopus'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains four living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas. Taxonomy and etymology The genus ''L ...

and crested tits. The 2007 edition of ''CBeebies Springwatch'' was repeated that year and would be the final year the series would air, being scrapped in favour of '' Green Balloon Club''. The week after the main series ended, four ''Springwatch Specials'' were screened. Humble presented a programme on

marine life Marine life, sea life or ocean life is the collective ecological communities that encompass all aquatic animals, aquatic plant, plants, algae, marine fungi, fungi, marine protists, protists, single-celled marine microorganisms, microorganisms ...

, Oddie looked at garden wildlife, King focussed on spectacular British wildlife events and Gordon Buchanan met people who have interesting relationships with wildlife.

Series 5 (2009)

''Springwatch'' returned for its fifth series, broadcast from 25 May to 11 June 2009.

, who had left the programme for personal health reasons, was replaced as the series' co-anchor by Chris Packham. He joined Kate Humble for the show's second year based at Pensthorpe. Simon King toured locations across north and mid-Wales, viewing

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

's seabird colonies, goshawks and

s. His main challenge was to find and film a wild polecat. Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan was based at a badger sett in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. Former producer Martin Hughes-Games also joined the team to present a regular feature on conservation holidays, as well as co-hosting the spin-off ''Springwatch Unsprung'' programmes. The ''Springwatch'' website continued to host regularly updated blogs, message boards and webcams, as well as wildlife information. Over the course of the series, Packham privately set himself the challenge of inserting the titles of songs by

The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

into the script for each episode. Three new ''Springwatch Specials'' aired after the main series had finished; King revealed some of the "tricks of the trade" of a wildlife cameraman in "Close Encounters"; Hughes-Games revealed Britain's best wildlife locations in "Holidays"; and Buchanan presented a compilation of viewers' videos in "Home Movies".

Series 6 (2010)

The BBC commissioned a special ''Snow Watch'' programme to show how wildlife was affected by the coldest winter weather for 35 years. The programme was created in just five days, and was broadcast on 13 January 2010 in place of a scheduled edition of '' Natural World''. The '' Points West'' studio was used for the indoor portion of the show and the normal theme music was replaced for the end credits with the song "Walk Out to Winter" by

Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter and only consistent member. Established in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: '' High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Kn ...

. The sixth, three-week, 2010 edition of ''Springwatch'' began airing on BBC Two beginning on 31 May. It was preceded by three special editions, the first of which, Chris Packham's ''Signs of Change'', about

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

, aired on 17 May. Others were shown on 19 and 20 May. The BBC supported the series with a Twitter account, @bbc_springwatch, using the

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...

#springwatch. Packham used a reference to

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

in each episode. Brett Westwood was among the participants in the series' bird race, and Bill Oddie made a guest appearance in the penultimate episode of the series. The series was followed on 20 June by a two-hour, live charity appeal tie-in, ''Wild Night In''. Broadcast from

London Zoo London Zoo, previously known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens and sometimes called Regent's Park Zoo, is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828 and was originally intended to be used as a colle ...

, it was fronted by Humble, Packham and Hughes-Games, with pre-recorded segments, some featuring

David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and writer. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the nine nature d ...

. A 90-minute "Springwatch Christmas Special" was broadcast on 29 December. Based at Chris Packham's house in the New Forest, the show included highlights from the 2010 series and specials, plus a number of new reports on topics that had hit the headlines during the year.

Series 7 (2011)

A ''Springwatch Easter Special'' was aired on 25 April 2011 and featured the return of Bill Oddie as a guest presenter. The full series, presented by Kate Humble, Chris Packham and Martin Hughes-Games, started on Monday 30 May 2011 at 8pm on BBC 2 from a new venue, RSPB Ynys-hir in mid-Wales. During the first week Charlie Hamilton James presented daily updates on the reintroduction of beavers to the United Kingdom. At the end of week one Charlie was set the task of filming beavers live; he succeeded. During week two, Iolo Williams broadcast from Skomer Island. He was filming puffins and during the week introduced a new webcam. The presenter for week three was Liz Bonnin, at Pitsea Landfill site, filming foxes. She was set the task of filming live foxes, and succeeded. The series closed with a montage of clips of the cast "singing" the Tom Jones song

It's Not Unusual "It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after it had first been offered to Sandie Shaw. He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with ...

, whose lyrics had been surreptitiously inserted into the script over the three-week run. A Christmas Special was broadcast on

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

, 26 December, recorded at Ynys-Hir and presented by Strachan, Packham, Hughes-Games and Humble, and featuring guest appearances by Chris Watson and others as well as a newly filmed sequence from

Series 8 (2012)

Springwatch returned to

and

BBC HD BBC HD was a high-definition television channel owned by the BBC. The channel was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007 before its discontinuation on 25 March 2013. It broadcast only during ...

on 28 May 2012, live and direct from Ynys-hir RSPB reserve in Wales for three weeks, Monday to Thursday. Chris Packham and Martin Hughes-Games will present the show, with Kate Humble being replaced by Autumnwatch Live presenter Michaela Strachan. A summer special was announced on the final episode of Springwatch 2012, and ''Springwatch Guide to Sea Birds'' was broadcast on 23 August 2012. Chris Packham secretly introduced the titles of 49 songs and albums by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

into his presentations.

Series 9 (2013)

The 2013 series of ''Springwatch'' returned on 27 May, and once again was broadcast live for three weeks from RSPB Ynys-Hir. Chris Packham, Martin Hughes-Games and Michaela Strachan, returned to present, with Iolo Williams as a roving reporter. A new show called ''Springwatch in the Afternoon'' was broadcast across the first two weeks, hosted by Nick Baker, which was broadcast live on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Chris Packham sneaked in references to song titles by

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

in his presentations.

Series 10 (2014)

In 2014 ''Springwatch'' celebrated its tenth anniversary by moving to a new base at RSPB Minsmere in North Suffolk. The series was broadcast on

, online and the Red Button for three weeks from 26 May to 12 June 2014. ''Springwatch Unsprung'', hosted by Baker, was shown after the main programme, online and on the BBC Red Button from Mondays to Wednesdays and on BBC Two on Thursdays. Iolo Williams returned as the regular roving reporter, broadcasting live from the west coast of Scotland. Special features included cameraman Doug Allan's underwater footage of grey seals on Lundy, a report on how the wildlife of the Somerset Levels was affected by the winter floods and updates on the latest research into urban foxes and cuckoo migration.

Series 11 (2015)

A special one-off ''Springwatch at Easter'' aired on 3 April 2015. The series returned to RSPB Minsmere on 25 May 2015, with 12 episodes over the next three weeks.

Series 12 (2016)

''Springwatch'' aired in 2016 between 30 May and 16 June live from RSPB Minsmere.

Series 13 (2017)

A special one-off ''Springwatch in Japan: Cherry Blossom Time'' aired on 21 April 2017 and was presented by regular hosts Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan and guest presenter James Wong. The farmland of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire became the new host site for the main ''Springwatch'' series. The programme gained a new host, Gillian Burke.

Series 14 (2018)

''Springwatch'', again from Sherborne Park, ran for three weeks, starting on Monday 28 May with a 90-minute extended edition. Martin Hughes-Games was not involved, being replaced by a number of guest presenters, the first of whom was

. Iolo Williams appeared in week two, with Lucy Cooke and Patrick Aryee scheduled for the final week.

Series 15 (2019)

''Springwatch'' was broadcast from a new site near

Nethy Bridge Nethy Bridge ( or ') is a small village in Strathspey in the Highland council area of Scotland. The village lies south of Grantown-on-Spey within the historical parish of Abernethy and Kincardine, and the Cairngorms National Park. History O ...

on the edge of the

Abernethy Forest Abernethy Forest is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest in Strathspey, Scotland, Strathspey, in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It lies within the Cairngorms National Park, close to the villages of Nethy Bridge, Bo ...

in the

Cairngorms National Park Cairngorms National Park () is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of National parks of Scotland, two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National ...

. Packham, Strachan and Burke continued as presenters and were joined by Iolo Williams.

Series 16 (2020)

Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the 2020 series, starting on 25 May, did not come from a central base. Instead each presenter appeared from a location near their home, respecting government guidelines on

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dise ...

. Packham – joined occasionally by his step-daughter Megan McCubbin, a zoologist – was in the

New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...

, Williams in

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

, and Burke in

. Although she sent a video message from her home in South Africa, Strachan was unable to return to the UK to participate.

was guest presenter during the first week, from his home on the Thames, with Gordon Buchanan, presenting from Loch Lomond National Park in week two, and Ellie Harrison in the Golden Valley, near

Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Sited below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the ...

, in week three. Some films from previous years were re-screened. Additional material was made available on the BBC's

iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...

service. The first Thursday episode started – at 8pm – with the presenters joining the national " Clap for Our Carers", except for Burke, due to her proximity to wild

beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

s. This Series won the British Academy Television Award for Best Live Event in 2021.

Series 17 (2021)

Packham and Strachan broadcast from the Wild Ken Hill

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is agriculture, farming in sustainability, sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an ...

in Norfolk, while Iolo Williams was based at Alladale Wilderness Reserve, Scotland. Gillian Burke was at WWT Castle Espie, Northern Ireland.

Series 18 (2022)

Packham and Strachan again broadcast from Wild Ken Hill sustainable agriculture in Norfolk; McCubbin did a roadtrip through northern England, visiting

Kielder Forest Kielder Forest is a large forestry plantation in Northumberland, England, surrounding Kielder village and the Kielder Water reservoir. It is the largest man-made woodland in England with three-quarters of its covered by forest. The majority o ...

, Hauxley Nature Reserve and

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

; Williams was again on the

; Gillian Burke did not appear, having also missed ''Winterwatch'' 2022.

Series 19 (2023)

In Series 19, Packham and Strachan presented from RSPB Arne in Dorset, Gillian Burke from

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

and Megan McCubbin from

and Arne; McCubbin was originally not scheduled to appear as a host but replaced Iolo Williams, who missed the series due to ill health. The show received complaints after airing a scene showing a gamekeeper beating a buzzard to death with a stick.

Series 20 (2024)

Packham, Strachan and Williams returned for a three-week series, again filming at RSPB Arne in Dorset, with Megan McCubbin filming on the Isle of Bute on the west coast of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Series 21 (2025)

''Autumnwatch''

Special (2005)

The success of the first series of ''Springwatch'' led to the BBC and the Woodland Trust collaborating once again to launch an appeal for sightings of the approach of autumn. The results of the first ''Autumnwatch'' survey were presented by Bill Oddie in a one-off programme in November 2005 entitled ''Wild Autumn with Bill Oddie''.

Series 1 (2006)

For 2006, ''Autumnwatch'' was extended to a two-week series, broadcast from 2–12 October. Oddie and Kate Humble were based at

wetland reserve in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, where they awaited the arrival of local wild

swan Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...

s and the return of the brent geese to Northern Island. King watched the

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

rut on the island of

Rùm Rùm (), a Scottish Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic name often Anglicisation, anglicised to Rum ( ), is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland, in the district of Lochaber. For much of the 20th century the ...

. In addition, cameraman Gordon Buchanan filmed a nightly grey seal diary from the Monarch Islands. British viewers could submit their sightings of natural autumn events on the ''Autumnwatch'' website, and the findings were developed into an online map showing the progression of autumn events across the country. This showed a correlation with temperature. Much like with ''Springwatch'', a spin-off show for

aired, titled ''CBeebies Autumnwatch''.

Series 2 (2007)

''Autumnwatch'' was broadcast later in the year than the previous series, from 5 to 14 November. Oddie and Humble were based at Martin Mere as for the previous year, but this time King toured some of Britain's best places for viewing wildlife. There were daily pre-recorded sequences from the deer rut in

which had taken place earlier in the season. Instead of airing a new series, the 2006 ''CBeebies Autumnwatch'' season was repeated, which caused some parents to complain to the BBC.

Series 3 (2008)

For ''Autumnwatch'' 2008, broadcast from 27 October – 6 November, Oddie and Humble were based at

Brownsea Island Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust with the northern half managed by the Do ...

, one of the few places in southern England where

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been ...

s can still be seen. King visited a variety of locations around the country, beginning with three days watching

fallow deer Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...

at Petworth Park and

muntjac Muntjacs ( ), also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, (URL is Google Books) are small deer of the genus ''Muntiacus'' native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Muntjacs are thought to have begun appearing 15–35 million years ago, ...

Birmingham Airport Birmingham Airport , formerly ''Birmingham International Airport'', is an international airport located east-southeast of Birmingham city centre, west-northwest of Coventry slightly north of Bickenhill village, in the Metropolitan Bor ...

. He then followed up sightings of otters in a

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

canal, but although his team found traces of the animals, they didn't manage to film them. During the second week he watched

raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

s on

and made two live dives off the south coast of England, managing to find and film a

conger eel ''Conger'' ( ) is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to or more in length, in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during the day in parts of ...

. Gordon Buchanan travelled to the Farne Islands to film the grey seal colony during the pupping season. Attempts to communicate with Oddie and Humble via a live satellite link, were thwarted on several occasions by bad weather conditions. Additional content was made available on the ''Autumnwatch'' website, including live webcams, extra videos and a blog.

Series 4 (2009)

In a change from the usual format, the 2009 series of ''Autumnwatch'' was broadcast once a week every Friday for eight weeks. Executive producer Tim Scoones attributed the change to the popularity of the series' multiplatform formats, such as its

group. The series ran from 2 October to 20 November 2009. Packham and Humble were based at the BBC Natural History Unit headquarters in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, but owing to the late hour of broadcast, all wildlife footage was prerecorded.

Series 5 (2010)

The 2010 ''Autumnwatch'' series was broadcast every Thursday from 7 October for 8 weeks. It was once again based at from the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol. Simon King did not participate, and was replaced by a variety of reporters who took his slot each week.

Series 6 (2011)

Autumnwatch returned with a new name, ''Autumnwatch Live'' on 7 October 2011. For the first four weeks it was presented from the National Arboretum at Westonbirt, and for the final four weeks, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Slimbridge reserve, by Michaela Strachan, Chris Packham and Martin Hughes-Games. Each week there was a guest presenter who focused on one particular aspect of the British countryside. These included Bill Oddie. Kate Humble did not participate due to other projects.

Series 7 (2012)

The 2012 series of ''Autumnwatch'' started on 30 October 2012 and ran for 4 consecutive days. It was being broadcast live from the Aigas Field Centre in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

. Iolo Williams reported on golden eagles from the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...

. John Lister-Kaye, owner of the field centre, also appeared. The final episode was followed by a half-hour ''Unsprung'' programme.

Series 8 (2013)

''Autumnwatch'' returned on 29 October for four nights from a new location at RSPB Leighton Moss in

, with Unsprung following the final episode. A new live show ''Autumnwatch Extra'' aired on the red button and online each day.

Series 9 (2014)

''Autumnwatch'' 2014 returned to Leighton Moss, Lancashire, with companion ''Extra'' and ''Unsprung'' strands and webcams.

Series 10 (2015)

''Autumnwatch'' aired between 2 and 5 November 2015.

Series 11 (2016)

''Autumnwatch'' moved to RSPB Arne in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

Series 12 (2017)

The farmland of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire became the host site for ''Autumnwatch''. The programme gained a new field reporter, Gillian Burke.

Series 13 (2018)

''Autumnwatch'' moved outside the UK for the first time, being broadcast from a site on the shores of

Squam Lake Squam Lake is a lake located in the Lakes Region (New Hampshire), Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, south of the White Mountains (New Hampshire), White Mountains, straddling the borders of Grafton County, New Hampshire, Grafton ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, United States, on four consecutive evenings from Monday 15 October. Packham and Strachan were joined by Gillian Burke.

Series 14 (2019)

''Autumnwatch'' was broadcast from a new site near

on the edge of the

in the

. Packham, Strachan and Burke continued as presenters and were joined by Iolo Williams.

Series 15 (2020)

''Autumnwatch'' was broadcast from four locations: Iolo Williams at the

Centre for Alternative Technology The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) () is an ecology, eco-centre in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development. CAT, despite its name, no longer concentrates its efforts exclusively on al ...

near

Machynlleth Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a po ...

; Michaela Strachan at Tenstmuir,

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

; Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin in the

; and Gillian Burke at RSPB Dearne Valley Old Moor,

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

Series 16 (2021)

Packham and Strachan broadcast from the Wild Ken Hill

in Norfolk, Megan McCubbin was on the

, while Gillian Burke was at WWT Castle Espie, Northern Ireland. The series was four episodes, and Iolo Williams did not appear; the programme was moved to accommodate

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

broadcasts, and Williams was scheduled to lead walks of the Isle of Mull on the days it was broadcasting; he appeared in one prerecorded segment.

Series 17 (2022)

Packham and Strachan broadcast from the Wild Ken Hill in Norfolk, while Iolo Williams and Gillian Burke were at the Teifi Marshes and

Cardigan Bay Cardigan Bay () is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales. Geography Cardigan Bay ha ...

. Featured creatures included '' Nigma walckenaeri'',

edible dormouse ''Glis'' is a genus of rodent that contains two extant species, both known as edible dormice or fat dormice: the European edible dormouse ''(Glis glis'') and the Iranian edible dormouse (''Glis persicus''). It also contains a number of fossil spe ...

and

orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

. This was the last ever series of Autumnwatch, before being axed.

''Winterwatch''

Special (2012)

A one-off, hour-long ''Winterwatch'' was broadcast by the BBC on 22 February 2012, presented from the

Brecon Beacons The Brecon Beacons (; ) are a mountain range in Wales. The range includes South Wales's highest mountain, Pen y Fan (), its twin summit Corn Du (), and Craig Gwaun Taf (), which are the three highest peaks in the range. The Brecon Beacons ha ...

by Kate Humble, Chris Packham, and Martin Hughes-Games, with filmed segments by Charlie Hamilton James, Maya Plass, Gordon Buchanan, Michaela Strachan and

Series 1 (2013)

A four-day ''Winterwatch'' aired between 14 and 17 January 2013, again from Aigas, with an ''Unsprung'' programme following the final episode. Following that, there was a Winterwatch special, ''Winterwatch 1963 – The Big Freeze'', that was broadcast on 19 January.

Series 2 (2014)

''Winterwatch'' returned to

between 20 and 23 January 2014, broadcast live from the

Mar Lodge Estate Mar Lodge Estate is a highland estate in western Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which has been owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) since 1995. Its principal building, Mar Lodge, is about west of the village of Braemar. The esta ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, with Unsprung following the final episode hosted by Nick Baker. There was a special ''Winterwatch Extra: Garden Birds Special'' on the

BBC Red Button BBC Red Button is a brand used for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service. BBC Red Button's text services were due to cl ...

and online from 24 to 26 January 2014 hosted by Euan McIlwraith and Richard Taylor-Jones, from various locations around

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

Series 3 (2015)

''Winterwatch'' returned to

between 19 and 22 January 2015, again broadcast live from the

Series 4 (2016)

The programme was broadcast live from the Mar Lodge Estate between 26 and 29 January 2016.

Series 5 (2017)

''Winterwatch'' moved to RSPB Arne in

and was broadcast for four evenings from 23 January.

Series 6 (2018)

''Winterwatch'' was broadcast from Sherborne Park, over four evenings, starting on Monday 29 January, with contributions from Gillian Burke on the island of

in the Inner Hebrides.

Series 7 (2019)

''Winterwatch'' was broadcast over four evenings, starting on 29 January, from a new site near

on the edge of the

in the

. Packham, Strachan and Burke continued as presenters and were joined by Iolo Williams.

Series 8 (2020)

''Winterwatch'' was broadcast over four evenings, starting on Tuesday 28 January, from the same site as the previous series.

Series 9 (2021)

''Winterwatch'' began again on 19 January and was broadcast from the presenters' home areas: Iolo Williams at the

; Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin in the

; and Gillian Burke at the Cornish beaver reintroduction project. It was shown Tuesday to Friday for two weeks. Michaela Strachan was still in lockdown in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and was not presenting, but made a guest appearance on a pre-recorded video chat with Chris Packham. Sea swimmer Katie Maggs also appeared.

Series 10 (2022)

The same three locations were used as in ''Autumnwatch'' 2021: Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan at Wild Ken Hill; Megan McCubbin at WWT Castle Espie, County Down; and Iolo Williams on the

. Gillian Burke does not appear live due to personal commitments, but supplies some material recorded in the

and

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England con ...

. The poet Robert Macfarlane also features.

Series 11 (2023)

Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan were at Wild Ken Hill; Iolo Williams and Gillian Burke at various sites in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Series 12 (2024)

For 2024, ''Winterwatch'' was reduced to a single week. It was filmed at RSPB Arne in Dorset, with Gillian Burke being based in

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

Series 13 (2025)

Winterwatch 2025 will consist of four episodes starting on 21 January 2025 broadcast live from RSPB Arne.

''Springwatch in Wales''

In 2024, a new 30 minute spinoff show was announced, comprising old segments from the main show. It followed presenter Iolo Williams who took a look at the natural beauty of

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The show was not live and aired six episodes on consecutive Sundays at around 16:30, exclusively on BBC One Wales and the whole series was released on

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...

upon the airing of the first episode.

Presenters

''Springwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch''

Following Simon King's departure in 2010, the role of field reporter was filled by various guest presenters; notably Gordon Buchanan, Charlie Hamilton James, Iolo Williams, Liz Bonnin and Michaela Strachan. He was eventually replaced by Gillian Burke seven years later. Megan McCubbin has become a regular presenter on the programmes, after co-presenting alongside her stepfather in 2020. She has since covered for Gillian Burke, who could not appear in Springwatch or Winterwatch 2022 due to timing constraints. She also covered for Iolo Williams in Springwatch 2023, as he could not present due to health issues.

''Winterwatch'' and other editions

Other presenters involved in the programmes include Roy Dennis, Johnny Kingdom, Leah Gooding, Richard Taylor-Jones, Chris Watson, Doug Allan, Andrew Agnew/PC Plum, Sidney Sloane, Nick Baker (presenter of ''Springwatch in the Afternoon'' in 2013 and ''Springwatch Unsprung'' in 2014), Euan McIlwraith and Brett Westwood (co-presenters of ''Springwatch Extra'' in 2014). In the 2018 edition of Springwatch, several guest presenters rotated the role alongside Packham and Strachan, including Steve Backshall, Iolo Williams, Lucy Cooke and Patrick Aryee. For ''Winterwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch 2019'' all four presenters were in the same location, with no field reporter. For ''Springwatch 2019'' Gillian Burke was a field reporter for episodes 1 to 11, returning to the main studio for the last show (episode 12).

Locations

''Unsprung''

Beginning with the fifth series of ''Springwatch'' in 2009, the ''Springwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch'' series have been accompanied by a live ''Unsprung'' programme, a half-hour show that airs once a week and answers viewers' wildlife questions, along with audience surveys and "

pub quiz A pub quiz is a quiz held in a pub or Bar (drinking establishment), bar. These events are also called quiz nights, trivia nights, or bar trivia and may be held in other settings. The pub quiz is a modern example of a pub game, and often attempts ...

zes" filmed in the main studio.

Book

''Springwatch and Autumnwatch'' was published by Collins in April 2007, and features content from all the regular presenters to that date.

Music

The theme music was commissioned by the BBC from independent composer David Poore, and was nominated for a

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

award in 2007.

Environment

In January 2021, Winterwatch began using

hydrogen fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...

technology to power their outside broadcast truck instead of diesel. They also incorporated batteries into the power supply for their three live presenter locations to reduce their fuel consumption.

Awards and nominations

* "Best Pre-school Live Action Series" awarded to ''CBeebies Springwatch'' at the 2006 BAFTA Children's Awards. (Producers: Clare Bradley & Tony Reed; Director: Aliex Yuill) * ''Springwatch'' nominated for Best Title Theme at the

Awards in 2007 (Composer: David Poore) * ''Cbeebies Autumn Watch'' nominated for ''Best Children's Live-Action Series'' at the 2007 BAFTA Children's Awards. (Producers: Clare Bradley & Helen Darrington; Directors: Lotte Elwell & Susannah Udall) *

2021 British Academy Television Awards The 2021 British Academy Television Awards were held on 6 June 2021, to recognise the excellence in British television of 2020. The nominees were announced along with the nominees for the 2021 British Academy Television Craft Awards on 28 April 20 ...

(television BAFTAs): British Academy Television Award for Best Live Event, awarded to ''Springwatch 2020'' (BBC Studios Natural History Unit and

The Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

)

References

External links

*
Autumnwatch website

Winterwatch website

Feature article
in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', June 2005 * * * * * * {{BBC Natural History Unit 2005 British television series debuts 2000s British documentary television series 2010s British documentary television series 2020s British documentary television series Television series about animals BBC television documentaries about science British English-language television shows Television series by BBC Studios

Forerunners

Surveys and campaigns

Series overview

''Springwatch''

Series 1 (2005)

Series 2 (2006)

Series 3 (2007)

Series 4 (2008)

Series 5 (2009)

Series 6 (2010)

Series 7 (2011)

Series 8 (2012)

Series 9 (2013)

Series 10 (2014)

Series 11 (2015)

Series 12 (2016)

Series 13 (2017)

Series 14 (2018)

Series 15 (2019)

Series 16 (2020)

Series 17 (2021)

Series 18 (2022)

Series 19 (2023)

Series 20 (2024)

Series 21 (2025)

''Autumnwatch''

Special (2005)

Series 1 (2006)

Series 2 (2007)

Series 3 (2008)

Series 4 (2009)

Series 5 (2010)

Series 6 (2011)

Series 7 (2012)

Series 8 (2013)

Series 9 (2014)

Series 10 (2015)

Series 11 (2016)

Series 12 (2017)

Series 13 (2018)

Series 14 (2019)

Series 15 (2020)

Series 16 (2021)

Series 17 (2022)

''Winterwatch''

Special (2012)

Series 1 (2013)

Series 2 (2014)

Series 3 (2015)

Series 4 (2016)

Series 5 (2017)

Series 6 (2018)

Series 7 (2019)

Series 8 (2020)

Series 9 (2021)

Series 10 (2022)

Series 11 (2023)

Series 12 (2024)

Series 13 (2025)

''Springwatch in Wales''

Presenters

''Springwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch''

''Winterwatch'' and other editions

Locations

''Unsprung''

Book

Music

Environment

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links