BBC – Winterwatch in Wales (2025)
English | Documentary | Size: 3.35 GB
Iolo Williams explores how animals seek refuge in winter by looking back at stories from Winterwatch and Autumnwatch.
Chapter 1: Taking Refuge
He begins in an old mine near Machynlleth, where he discovers insects sheltering from the weather. However, there is danger lurking in the shadows in the form of cave spiders, which will feast on small creatures that venture too close.
Meanwhile, Welsh cities are becoming a vital refuge for urban hedgehogs, and house mice take up residence in our homes, often finding enough warmth and food in our attics to breed all year round.
In winter, hermit crabs are also looking to move home. Unlike other crabs, hermit crabs don’t grow their own shell and instead occupy an old whelk or periwinkle shell, testing out different dwellings until they find one that fits perfectly.
Finally, Iolo witnesses the mesmerising winter spectacle of a starling murmuration at Newport Wetlands, where thousands of birds swirl in the sky before settling to roost for the night in the reed beds.
Chapter 2: Adaptation
Iolo Williams explores the various strategies that animals use to survive harsh winters, including the incredible adaptations that mean ducks’ feet don’t freeze and pond creatures can survive under ice. Iolo also visits a greater horseshoe bat roost before they move on to hibernate and searches for the caterpillars of marsh fritillary butterflies that overwinter in special frost-resistant webs.
Chapter 3: Intelligence
He begins on Anglesey, where he joins raven expert
Nigel Brown to investigate these highly intelligent birds, using thermal imagery to uncover the secrets of their night-time activities. Ravens are highly social and raucous as they gather to roost and share information about where food can be found – vital when resources are scarce.
While ravens are masterminds of the air, beneath the waves, a curled octopus is on the hunt – but will this cunning creature be outwitted by a crafty cuttlefish?
In our rivers, some kingfishers have learnt to get a meal by following otters, diving to catch any small fish that are disturbed as an otter swim by. Although watching wildlife may not make us any cleverer, it can certainly lift our spirits, especially at this potentially gloomy time of year. Author and artist Emma Mitchell shares five tips to get the most out of a mood-boosting winter walk, and Iolo introduces a soothing mindfulness moment with the sights and sounds of a Welsh river.
Chapter 4: Finding Food
In winter, finding a meal can be a life-threatening challenge for many creatures. Iolo Williams investigates how wildlife avoids starvation when
sustenance is scarce by looking back at some of the best seasonal stories from Autumnwatch and Winterwatch.
In North Wales, many wading birds are drawn to the abundance of food on the shorelines of the Menai Straits. Among them, the aptly named turnstone finds food that others can’t reach by lifting heavy rocks with its strong neck and beak, rummaging through the pebbles in search of tasty invertebrates.
Many of us put out food for wildlife in our gardens, but photographer Richard Bowler managed to attract a real rarity – a highly elusive polecat. Using cameras that trigger automatically, and some irresistible snacks, he has captured some amazing images of one individual that is a real character.
Iolo also celebrates the often-overlooked earthworm that feasts on fallen leaves at this time of year, creating nutrient-rich soil vital for a healthy ecosystem.
Hedgerows are renowned for producing a bounty of fruit, including sloes, blackberries and haws, but ivy is another unsung hero. Ivy flowers and berries provide food for many insects and birds – but this evergreen is also home to a perfectly camouflaged spider lying in wait to catch a meal of its own.
Chapter 5: Next Generation
While many species are simply trying to stay alive at this challenging time of year, others are focusing on the next generation. Iolo Williams looks back at some of the best seasonal stories of reproduction featured on the watches over the years.
He begins with an autumn visit to Skomer Island, where a globally important colony of Manx shearwaters breed in burrows underground. The parent birds have already left on their mammoth migration to South America, but their chicks are left to fend for themselves until they are ready to fledge. Under the cover of darkness, dozens of chicks clamber up Iolo and scientist Tim Guilford to gain as much height as possible for their maiden flight. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Iolo as chicks launch themselves from his head before setting off on a daunting journey to cross the Atlantic. With no parents to guide them, these remarkable birds rely on instinct to navigate thousands of miles across the ocean.
It’s not only animals that reproduce at this time of year. Oaks are laden with acorns, each with the potential to grow into a mighty tree – but only if they avoid being eaten and can find a good spot to take root. Fortunately, the oak’s forest friends, squirrels and jays, unwittingly give a helping hand. Both animals bury acorns, caching them to eat at a later date – but many are forgotten. Jays are particularly helpful, as they bury acorns at the perfect depth for germination and often carry them far away from the parent tree to open areas with less competition for young oak saplings.
In Teifi Marshes, rutting red deer compete for the right to mate – roaring usually establishes a hierarchy, but sometimes a young contender challenges the dominant stag to a fight. Ultimately, it’s the females that decide when theyare ready to mate and, in the meantime, the stag tries to keep them rounded up and fend off intruding males.
As winter subsides, ponds across the country become a hotbed of action as toads jostle for a partner. First they must travel from wherever they hibernate to their breeding grounds, and it can be a treacherous journey crossing busy roads and man-made obstacles. To ensure they grab a mate, males will often jump on a female’s back before she has even reached the water – an extra burden for her to carry. Males wrestle for a chance to mate, with the ultimate prize of fathering the next generation.
Other creatures have more elaborate courtship rituals. In the centre of Cardiff, photographer Andy Rouse films pairs of great crested grebes as the mating season begins. On urban ponds and lakes in the centre of the city, these elegant birds grab some pondweed in their beaks before rising up and performing an exquisite dance that strengthens their partnership. A few weeks later, the result is clear as tiny black and white chicks ride around on their parents’ backs.
Chapter 6: Hidden Treasures
Iolo Williams tracks down some of Wales’s most elusive creatures and sheds light on how some of them remain undetected.
He begins by revealing the array of tiny creatures that take refuge in a log pile in winter: a hibernating butterfly, a centipede on the hunt and a dedicated earwig mother carefully tending to her eggs.
Beneath the waves, marine animals are also hidden from our view, but many also try their best to hide from each other. Sand gobies are well camouflaged against the seafloor but must be vigilant, as an angel shark, a rare creature filmed for the first time in UK waters, buries itself in the sand to ambush its prey from below.
Predatory birds must also be stealthy to catch a meal. With the help of two tame birds – a kestrel called Ashley and a barn owl called Lily – Iolo and Chris Packham investigate how these two species evade detection when hunting. While the kestrel is quick and manoeuvrable, the barn owl flies silently and has super-sensitive hearing to pinpoint prey in complete darkness, giving it the edge at night.
Badgers are notoriously difficult to see – they are skittish, nocturnal and live underground, plus they only emerge sporadically in winter. To make sure he doesn’t miss any of the action, Malcolm Ingham rigged his garden with remote cameras, and they reveal the hilarious exploits of the so-called Nutter clan as they bounce around and play with each other. Malcolm also puts out food for the badgers, and they happily snuffle within a few metres of his feet as he sits on his garden bench.
Finally, Iolo fulfils a lifelong dream by spotting another elusive garden visitor. He stakes out a holiday home, waiting patiently for the rare treat of seeing a pine marten. They were only recently reintroduced to Wales, so this encounter is extra special.
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