Focus will be on Goldeneye in Cairngorms in new BBC Winterwatch series
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Although this year's Winterwatch will be based nearly as far away from the strath as possible, the area has not been forgotten about.
The popular series returns to BBC Two from next Tuesday (January 16) at 8pm for four nights, with nature notes from a raft of the BBC Natural History Unit’s finest wildlife presenters based across the country.
With an overarching theme of Resilience and Renewal, Winterwatch will be shining a light on the wildlife and people who battle through this inhospitable season and come out the other side.
The latest series will be coming live from the heart of the UK’s first Super National Nature Reserve – RSPB Arne in Dorset which is part of the Purbeck Heaths Super NNR.
The stories of this winter will be revealed by presenters Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams live from the venue's first Winterwatch since 2017 whilst Gillian Burke has been at the other end of the UK, the Orkney Isles, to witness the fascinating wildlife that calls the islands home.
The series will also feature wildlife stories that showcase the diversity of our UK habitats and species, stories from passionate people who care for our wildlife and mindfulness moments filmed by the country’s top wildlife camera operators.
As part of this there will be a pre-filmed feature on Goldeneye in the Cairngorms.
The show states in its pre-series publicity: "Winter is in full swing and everything is covered in a thick blanket of snow. Apart from the lochs. They are alive with a kaleidoscope of wildfowl, dressed in their finest plumage.
"Mallards and Shoveler scour the surface for food – vegetation and invertebrates. Wigeon graze weed. But one especially dashing duck stands out from the crowd.
"The Goldeneye. With its black and white plumage and striking amber eye, it also has a different way of feeding.
"Diving down to the bottom of the loch to find molluscs and small fish. But food isn’t the only thing on this male’s mind. With nesting season just around the corner, he out to attract a female.
"So he presents his very best moves – in a courtship display that resembles a series of dance moves. If he can impress her enough, he’ll have a partner secured for the whole of the springtime ahead.
"All in the shake of a tailfeather!"
Badenoch and Strathspey – and the RSPB's Abernethy Reserve in particular – has been a regular base for the BBC show in its various guises throughout the year.
