As the UK braces for the return of BBC’s Winterwatch, the historic estate of Mount Stewart on the Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland will take centre stage. This marks the first time the popular nature programme has been broadcast from the region, offering viewers a glimpse into how the estate’s wildlife is thriving, despite the devastation wrought by last year’s Storm Éowyn.
Presenters Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams will not only showcase the wonders of winter wildlife found at Mount Stewart, but will also bring stories from across the UK. While the storm cleanup took most of 2025, the National Trust’s area ranger, Toby Edwards, has observed a silver lining in the aftermath.
“Trees don’t live forever,” Edwards acknowledged, “but there are positives that have come from the storm-related destruction and subsequent repair.” He explained that a diverse woodland, with a range of age structures, light levels and habitats, can provide for a thriving natural ecosystem. The exposed root plates of fallen trees have become “teeming” with life, serving as a “natural treasure trove” for larvae, beetles and flies, which in turn feed the estate’s amphibians, birds and small mammals.
With climate change increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events, the National Trust is taking a proactive approach at Mount Stewart. The team is working to relocate the estate’s “significant” plant collection from the front, where it faces Strangford Lough, to the more sheltered centre. This is in response to rising sea levels and the potential for more saline conditions in the lower formal gardens.
“We’re looking to move the whole collection steadily inland into the centre of the estate, that always would have had some formality to it from a horticultural point of view,” Edwards said. “But now we’ve got all that potential to do new things with new understandings as well on old technology.”
The National Trust’s efforts to unlock the estate’s nature recovery potential have already paid dividends, with the discovery of several species not recorded in Northern Ireland for decades. These include the “screech beetle,” which Edwards describes as his personal favourite, as well as the increasingly common great spotted woodpecker and little egret.
As the weather patterns and average temperatures continue to change, some species are expanding their ranges, while others are in decline. “We’re going to get more and more of these extreme weather events from one day to the next, be it wind, rain, heat, and so on,” Edwards acknowledged. “But if we can do what we can to help these species and habitats be as resilient as possible to these changing climates, then hopefully we’ll get out the other side of it.”
Viewers across the UK will have the opportunity to witness this resilient response to nature’s wrath when Winterwatch 2026 airs on BBC Two, beginning on Tuesday at 7 pm GMT.
