Mount Stewart welcomes BBC Winterwatch to the historic estate
- Published:
- 14 January 2026
Mount Stewart is set to welcome the BBC Winterwatch team for their first ever broadcast from Northern Ireland.
The programme, which is due to air on BBC Two and iPlayer on Tuesday 20 January to Friday 23 January at 7pm, will spotlight the plethora of diverse wildlife found on the historic estate.
Last June, Iolo Williams from the Springwatch team got to know the historic Mount Stewart estate over four rainy days, and this January, the whole team - including hosts Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams, will be broadcasting live for four nature packed episodes.
Mount Stewart is cared for by the National Trust and has over 10,000 recorded species, diverse woodlands, ghost ponds, rough farmland fields, twisting hedgerows, and a tidal lough scattered with green islands. In this month’s episodes, we can look forward to seeing more of the Pine Martens, Red Squirrels, Badgers and birdlife that live there.
Toby Edwards, National Trust Ranger at Mount Stewart said: “Our woodlands include native red squirrels, and one of our rarest mammals, the pine marten. We also have badgers, long-eared owls and even one of Northern Irelands rarest birds, the barn owl, is visible along the edges of rough farmland fields, preying on mice and pygmy shrews. We have these larger mammals, birds, plants and invertebrates recovering at Mount Stewart because of how we care for the land, promoting nature recovery by the working landscape. It’s fantastic to see - and I’m looking forward to telling some of the amazing wildlife stories of recovery and restoration that we’ve been working on over the past 10 years.”
Mount Stewart General Manager Jenny Ferguson added: “We’re looking forward to welcoming the Winterwatch team to Mount Stewart, a place where a wide range of wildlife thrives right within our estate walls. It’s so exciting to have the opportunity to spotlight it and nearby Strangford Lough, where the National Trust cares for some of the most special and nature-rich coastal habitats in Northern Ireland. We hope that everyone watching gets as much pleasure from observing our local wildlife as we do every day – it is fantastic to be able to share it with such a wide audience!”
Tune into BBC Two and iPlayer on Tuesday 20 January to Friday 23 January at 7pm.