Winterwatch returns to nature reserve

A Dorset nature reserve is once again on primetime TV this week as Winterwatch returns to our screens from Tuesday.

Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams will present the BBC show from RSPB Arne on the shores of Poole Harbour.

Live cameras will be rigged across the site to follow white-tailed sea eagles, foxes, deer, owls and other wildlife.

The show will broadcast across four nights, starting at 20:00 GMT and the live cameras can be viewed 12 hours a day on BBC iPlayer and the Winterwatch website.

Michaela Strachan first joined the team in 2011

Strachan said: "My favourite part of any Watches are the live cameras.

"Every season they bring something to surprise us, something we weren't expecting, something unscripted and I always love that.

"We're hoping to see the resident white-tailed eagles as they hunt for winter food, the resident foxes who will be active at this time of year, and all the birds of prey that call Arne their home."

The show will also feature behind-the-scenes footage and natural history films from across the UK.

The varied habitats of RSPB Arne include heathland, wetlands and woodlands.

"It's got everything," said Packham.

"It's got broadleaf woodland, pine woodland, heathland, and grassland, and then - of course - it's got Poole Harbour with its salt marsh and mud and everything else, Brownsea Island and its lagoon.

"It's an incredibly diverse range of habitats with a great range of species."