I’m so pleased that, at last, we can tell you all that this year’s BBC 2 Springwatch programme will be based at our wonderful RSPB Ynys-hir nature reserve in Wales.
At which point I have two guilty secrets to confess – first it is over 30 years since I visited Ynys-hir and secondly that following a very convivial evening in a pub I was, well, tired and emotional resulting in the need for a short sleep in one of the hides. I was on my own when I dozed off but when I eventually woke up it was with some surprise as the hide was now full and everyone was looking at me.
At least it felt like that, actually what I had failed to notice was that a redstart was busily feeding young in a nest just a few feet from the hide and the rest of them were having to watch whilst peering round my slumbering form.
However, I did recover and greatly enjoyed the visit. We saw only the second ever marsh harrier recorded at Ynys-hir (but this was back in June 1981) on a weekend away with the RSPB Leeds Local group.
The decedents of those redstarts will no doubt make an appearance on Springwatch – along with so much else. Ynys-hir translates as ‘long island’ in English. The reserve is one of those magical places where woodlands meet wetlands and the sea meets the land; the mix yields an abundance of nature.
Ynys-hir - the woodland and wetland
There’s little doubt that Ynys-hir comes from the top draw of special places – and you can watch a taster of the place on the home page of this website (but you can do that later).
There will be more than 50 cameras hidden around the reserve, all feeding into the programme. Birds, of course, will feature but as part of a wider cast of wildlife.
We’re celebrating the centenary of the RSPB in Wales this year, we started by protecting roseate terns on Lyanddwyn Island, Anglesey and seabirds on the Pembrokeshire islands.
Ynys-hir is a vital part of our story in Wales, in 1969 the naturalist and writer, William Condry, tipped us off that there was a piece of land for sale at Ynys-hir. We bought it and William became the reserve’s first warden.
So let’s fast forward to the spring of 2011, there has been a huge amount of work going into getting ready for Springwatch – and I’m sure you will all fall in love with the place (if you haven’t already). We’ll be celebrating this marriage of the BBC’s Springwatch programme and our reserve as the spring unfolds – the place to keep up to date with the inside story from the reserve is here on the Ynys-hir blog (though no doubt I’ll keep you loyal Saving Special Places blog readers up to date).
We’ll be joining with Springwatch’s online activities and coming up with ideas of how you can make the most of spring.
Behind the wildlife dramas that make Springwatch such compelling viewing are many stories of conservation success and the challenges ahead and we’ll highlight opportunities where you can help by stepping up for nature.
Springwatch returns to our screens on Monday 30 May BBC 2 at 8 o’clock.
Follow me on twitter.