Team is back to keep a close watch on winter T

HE butt end of January is a miserable time, we’re still cold, broke and the daily grind of getting up and going to work has never felt bleaker.

What do we really need in our lives to inject some much needed magic?

Well, a little of nature’s wonders can certainly help make us feel more in touch with the world around us.

It sems to do the trick for these ever perky presenters, at least.

Chris Packham, Martin Games-Hughes, Michaela Strachan and Gillian Burke (who joined in 2016), pull on their thermals this week for four days of wildlife watching at RSPB Arne in Dorset.

This is where Autumnwatch was based last year, and Martin and co are catching up with the animals they met back then, like the badgers, foxes and Sika deer.

Situated on Poole Harbour, this place is officially more biodiverse – that is, home to more species of animals and plants – than anywhere else in the country.

Dorset gets 364 more hours of sunshine than the UK average apparently – worth remembering if you’re looking to relocate to (slightly) warmer climes, eh?

Tonight Martin finds out why the harbour attracts wader birds, particularly avocets, and has an incredible revelation.

Meanwhile, Gillian examines military pillboxes in Studland to learn about the habits of hibernating butterflies.

Fans of this show will know to expect plenty of hidden camera footage, with the likes of a robotic spoonbill and a decoy duck.

Not to mention outrageous Carry On-style innuendo.