Springwatch 2014: Minsmere – Image Credit: BBC/Mike Page
Following an extremely wet and windy winter, and with the weather now finally warming up, it’s almost time for the live annual BBC wildlife festival that is Springwatch.
When does Springwatch 2014 start?
Viewers are in for a treat this year, with the nature series running for nearly three weeks. BBC Two have now officially set the programmes start date for Monday, 26 May, 2014, broadcasting through to Thursday, 12 June.
The exact air times have been scheduled for 8:00pm to 9:00pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and 8:00pm to 9:10pm on Wednesdays.
Nature lovers should also keep a look out on the BBC Red Button service for extensive additional footage from the Springwatch Extra Live Cams.
Where is Springwatch 2014 being filmed?
This latest series is being filmed in the brand-new location of the RSPB Minsmere nature reserve, situated on the picturesque Suffolk coast. Partly due to its wide range of habitats which include woodland, sand dunes, grassland, saline lagoons, shingle beaches and reedbed heathland, Minsmere is home to one of the richest arrays of wildlife in the country, offering viewers a diverse collection of both exotic and more familiar species. Keep a look out for the usual red deer and badgers, but also various rare species of birds, including avocets, marsh harriers and bitterns.
With over 5,600 plants and animals species recorded, including over 1,000 species of moth and butterfly, 37 species of mammals and 336 kinds of birds, this massive East Anglian coastal reserve boasts the most wildlife-rich location in the history of Springwatch.
Away from Minsmere, the team will also be bringing us news reports on wildlife from around the UK, including cuckoos over from Africa, the beavers, pine martens and white-tailed eagles of Scotland’s west coast, and a young Brighton based urban fox family.
Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games – Image Credit: BBC/Jo Charlesworth
Who are the Springwatch presenters?
As has been the case in recent years, the show will be hosted by the regular BBC wildlife lineup of Michaela Strachan, Chris Packham and Martin Hughes-Games. Though none of this current trio have been with the show since its beginning, 2014 actually marks Springwatch’s 10th birthday, which stands testament to the series’ lasting popularity.
Iolo Williams will also be reporting regularly from Scotland and original host Bill Oddie returns to take a look back at the last 10 years, and to ponder what the future holds for Britain’s wildlife.
Springwatch Unsprung 2014
Presented by Nick Baker, sister show Springwatch Unsprung is scheduled to air right after the main BBC Two programme, live on the Red Button and on the Springwatch web site at 9:00pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Thursdays however, the show will be broadcast on BBC Two, also at 9:00pm.
