Winterwatch is coming to NI location 'teeming with wildlife'

A brown pine martin with a tuft of white fur on its chest looks at the camera as it sits on a log.Getty Images

Pine martens are among the creatures expected to feature on Winterwatch 2026

Louise Cullen
BBC News NI agriculture and environment correspondent

Mount Stewart in County Down will be the venue for Winterwatch 2026, the BBC has announced.

Its woodlands, farmland fields, hedgerows and ponds are home to about 10,000 recorded species, and its location on the shores of Strangford Lough will allow viewers plenty of opportunity to spot winter wildlife.

The National Trust site suffered massive tree loss during Storm Éowyn in January 2025.

The estate team has also made plans to protect its plants and gardens from the predicted effects of climate change.

The Springwatch 2025 team has already spent the past week at Mount Stewart and will return for four nights in early January.

'The perfect location'

Presenters Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams will be finding out about the latest wildlife updates, with red squirrels, pine martens and badgers all expected to put in an appearance.

Songbirds like the linnet, goldfinch and redwing are also frequent visitors to the estate for its berries and seeds.

Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams stand in a row in front of trees and smile at the camera. On the right, Chris Packham, who has short, light coloured hair, is wearing a brown ribbed jumper and a patchwork zip-up jacket. In the middle, Michaela has blonde, medium-length hair with a full fringe and is wearing a blue puffed jacket and a blue and orange patterned scarf. She has her arms crossed across her chest. On the right, Iolo has short grey hair and is wearing a red and black padded zip up raincoat.

Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams will present Winterwatch

Jack Bootle, the BBC's head of specialist factual commissioning, said Mount Stewart was "beautiful and teeming with wildlife", making it the "perfect" location for Winterwatch.

"We're delighted to be working with the National Trust to bring this amazing part of Northern Ireland to audiences across the UK," he said.

Live cameras

Live cameras will be set up across the site and viewers from across the UK will be able to get involved in the programmes.

"We know how much BBC audiences will enjoy getting to see more of Mount Stewart and its wildlife," said BBC Northern Ireland's director Adam Smyth.

"We are delighted to be working with BBC Studios and the Natural History Unit in bringing this large-scale BBC outside broadcast to Northern Ireland," he said.

"It should be a perfect start to the new television year."

A picture of a large lake with lots of tall trees on the banks in the distance. Some of the leaves on the trees are turning orange, and some branches are bare. The water is still. There is a blue sky, with some small white clouds.

Mount Stewart is a popular beauty spot on the Ards Peninsula

The estate's general manager, Jenny Ferguson, said her team was "thrilled" to be welcoming the Winterwatch team back in January.

"We are excited to tell more stories about the wide range of wildlife which makes their home here on the shores of Strangford Lough and across the wider demesne, plus the challenges nature and our teams face in adapting to the changing climate and more regular and extreme weather events," she added.

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