The Winterwatch gang was back at RSPB Arne, bringing you wonderful wintery shots of wildlife straight to your living room. Here are some of our best bits.
Winterwatch came, saw and conquered hearts everywhere with its fantastic shots of the UK’s winter wildlife last week. This included epic scenes from RSPB Arne nature reserve in Dorset. We take a look back at the series, including our favourite bits.
Winterwatch was live on BBC2 from Tuesday 16 January 2024.
Through the power of BBC iPlayer, you can catch all of the Winterwatch episodes and the lunch time Watch Out! series and see if you agree with our favourite Winterwatch moments.
It’s been a few years since Winterwatch was last at RSPB Arne, but boy did they make up for it. Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams went live on BBC2 for four nights, capturing some pretty special moments as well as highlighting some of the best of UK winter wildlife.
There were many. Prawn-eating Kingfishers anyone? Punk rocker Waxwings? Or how about a close encounter with Orca? We were amazed by the Great Crested Newts which were memorably described as being the “size of a sausage” as well as Lucy Lapwing’s compelling case for Millipedes being cuter than Otters.
We know we’re biased, but for us, it was Arne’s wildlife which truly shone in the winter sunshine. Here are our top five Arne moments.
We couldn’t pick just one highlight from our birds of prey. The Hen Harriers were amazing but it was great to see so many other species, including the White-tailed Eagle that flew over the BBC's production village. It goes to show how rich Arne is in wildlife considering that top predators such as the eagles are thriving. They really are a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
At this time of year, large flocks of these birds come to Arne to feed and roost. The headliners are the likes of the Spoonbills and Avocet, all looking splendid for their close ups. But Winterwatch also showed some brilliant shots of hundreds of Dunlin filling the sky. And let’s not forget the impressive Shelducks starting to show their moves as they gear up for the courtship season.
They may be small, but Winterwatch got some grand shots of Goldcrests as they acrobatically manoeuvred around the evergreens looking for spiders and other invertebrates to eat. But what was really amazing was seeing the tracking data which showed one migrant bird had made the 199 mile journey across the North Sea in eight hours – not bad for a bird that weighs the same as a 20 pence piece.
The Carrion Cam got some great shots of many species, including Foxes coming in for a free feed. But the Fox crunching apples was our favourite Fox shot. How do they like them apples? A great deal so it seems.
With Waxwings descending in numbers into the UK this winter, the Winterwatch team put some apples on a tree to try and tempt them in front of the cameras. It failed, but we loved seeing the Grey Squirrel getting in on the action, as well as the Blue Tits. But it was a Fieldfare who stole the show, and all the apples. It got so protective over the first tree, the crew then had to set up a second. Only for said Fieldfare to then claim that tree as well.
We asked some of the staff and volunteers at Arne for their top Winterwatch moments – including some which happened behind the scenes…
Dan Harris, food and beverage manager, said Iolo’s sweet tooth made him a hit in the café. “All of our café customers loved seeing Iolo here. He especially enjoyed our home-made flap jacks, so we were really delighted to see that! It was also nice for our busy café team to get to meet the presenters and feel a part of the whole thing.”
For volunteer Denise Exon, it was a chance to meet one of her heroes.
I was out volunteering on one of the reserve trails when I bumped into Chris Packham and had an impromptu chat about wildlife. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Pam Bowyer-Davis, another volunteer, said a community event the night before the live shows started gave local residents a chance to meet the presenters and find out more about how the show works.
It was lovely to hear from the whole BBC team, including the people behind the scenes who make it happen. I also enjoyed getting selfies with all the presenters though, I have to admit!
As well as working hard behind the scenes, the Arne team played their part in what happened in front of the cameras too.
After fruitless attempts to attract Waxwings to a fake apple tree on the reserve, Arne’s retail manager Sarah-Jane Buckle helped get some amazing footage of the species when she spotted some on her doorstep, just a few miles away from the reserve.
“I was on a day off and just out walking when I spotted them in a tree on a residential road. I didn’t have my binoculars so I wasn’t totally convinced but then I heard them and knew they were Waxwing! I quickly phoned the office at Arne and within minutes, one of our volunteers arrived with a camera and the footage was on the programme just a few hours later!”
For visitor operations manager Lesley Gorman, the White-tailed Eagles provided a special memory. “A particular highlight for me was arriving at the BBC’s temporary production village for a meeting, just as I heard a call on my radio to say that a White-tailed Eagle had been spotted. I looked up and there it was, slowly circling above our heads. The whole BBC team ran out of their marquees and trailers to see this incredible sight and were rewarded with some fantastic views, even with just the naked eye.”
Located on the banks of Poole Harbour, Arne is a spectacular place to visit at any time of year. Its habitats of heathland, woodland, wetlands and mudflats are home to a huge amount of wildlife, including all six of the UK’s native reptiles.
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