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31 May – 17 June, on Â鶹Éç Two and Red Button

The Springwatch phenomenon is back! For three weeks, we'll be celebrating the best of the UK's wildlife and wildlife people, bringing our viewers all the news, views and action from across the country – live, and as it happens.

Join our presenter team – Kate Humble, Chris Packham, Simon King, Gordon Buchanan and Martin Hughes-Games – to watch daily animal dramas unfold, and find out how you can get involved with wildlife, wherever you live.

This year, the wider Springwatch Wild season is bigger than ever, with a huge range of Â鶹Éç broadcasts and public events all over the country.

And we are proud to announce the Wild Night In – our grand finale on 20 June, when Springwatch goes global and raises money for the Â鶹Éç Wildlife Fund, supporting conservation projects both in the UK and across the globe as they help the world's threatened wildlife and wild places.

So what's new this spring? This year started in dramatic fashion, with the coldest winter in 30 years. The team sprang into action to make Snow Watch, and in Springwatch, we'll be finding out what effect this has had on our wildlife.

For the first time, Springwatch is being filmed and broadcast in stunning High Definition, to bring our audience the best possible images of all our wildlife favourites.

2010 is also the International Year of Biodiversity – and it's not all about far-flung rainforests. We'll be exploring why it's just as important for our British wildlife, from wilderness areas to our own back gardens.

But as ever, it's the daily live action drama of our animal characters that will have the viewers, presenters and production team alike on the edge of their seats. Anything can happen, and it usually does!

Springwatch Magic – real stories, of real animals, in real time

At the heart of Springwatch are the live action views of our animal characters. We'll be getting privileged insight into the private lives of some of our best loved wild animals, covering the action as it happens – and if previous years are anything to go by, life and death drama, humour, and everything in between is almost guaranteed.

In previous years, we've witnessed remarkable behaviour, from adultery and murder, to bravery and infanticide – who could forget the male flycatcher with two nests on the go, or the swallow who threw a brood of chicks out of a nest?

So what will 2010 have in store? Although we plan months in advance, the beauty of Springwatch is that we never know what's going to happen once the cameras roll and we're live on air!

Our state-of-the-art Springwatch cameras will be ready for anything – and for the first time all the action will be in HD, revealing more glorious detail than ever before.

Our camera teams combine fieldcraft and cutting-edge technology to deploy over 50 secret mini cameras and literally miles of fibre optic cables to reveal live and intimate animal stories – without disturbing the animals themselves. The unique pictures they capture will be revealed on the live show, and streamed live on the web.

Our team will bring our viewers the very latest views and analysis of the action, and everyone can join in the conversation on our message boards and blogs.

Norfolk – home to Springwatch for 2010

For 2010, we are returning for the last time to Pensthorpe nature reserve in North Norfolk. This will be our third year – and there's still so much to explore in this wildlife hotspot.

For three weeks, this will be home base for Chris, Kate and Martin, and is where our network of mini cameras will be deployed, keeping us up to date on a whole range of animal family stories.

We'll be introducing a new cast of characters, welcoming back old friends, and hoping for some surprise visitors!

Who could forget the soap opera at the wader scrape last year? Or the murder mystery of the little ringed plover chick, finally solved when we identified our kestrel as the assassin? If that wasn't enough, another villain was exposed when we caught a male little ringed plover killing off another chick in order to father his own brood. The linnets were obviously taking notes as an infanticidal male followed suit!

Of course it wasn't all bad. There were the great parents, the skylarks, wrens and greenfinches, and the not so tidy ones – remember that filthy chaffinch nest?

This year our camera team have been hard at work to entice even more wildlife on to our screens, and forging into new areas to get us animals we've never had before.

We're hoping that the newly installed woodland nest boxes entice a nuthatch or a tree creeper for a mini cam exclusive, and that the kingfishers and otters move into their purpose-built riverside apartments! And will the woodpeckers and barn owls take to their new, camera-ready nest boxes? Perhaps we'll even get our first ever views of adorable baby harvest mice or water voles inside their nests?

Whatever happens, Chris and Kate will be there to keep an eye on daily developments and bring you the day's news.

Alongside our nest cams this year we'll also be delving into the River Wensum, flowing through the heart of Pensthorpe. Staking out the bankside and filming underwater, we'll be opening up a freshwater world, not fully explored by the Springwatch team before now.

And this year, for the first time Chris and Kate are venturing further afield, beyond Pensthorpe, to explore the wilds of Norfolk. From the iconic Broads to the stunning coastline, Norfolk is home to a unique variety of habitats.

Chris and Kate are hoping for some close encounters with the local wildlife, from seals and terns to swallowtail butterflies and glow worms.

Simon King heads to Dorset

In the past few years on Springwatch, we've seen Simon King battling gale force winds, enduring torrential downpours and being plagued by hordes of hungry midges.

This year, he's heading to Britain's secret and sunny wilderness; Dorset. But this location is no soft option. With his fieldcraft skills and hi-tech equipment, Simon will be exploring Dorset's wild side and sharing the treasures that Britain's most diverse county has to offer.

Over three weeks, Simon journeys from spectacular chalk downland, through gin-clear streams to the dramatic Jurassic coast – where he's planning to dive beneath the waves to show us the marine life. On the way he will encounter bizarre-looking birds who feed like sharks, beautiful butterflies with not-so-beautiful friends, and cold-blooded creatures who reign supreme in Britain's own desert.

In previous years, we've followed urban foxes, but now, Simon is hoping to bring us an insight into the lives of their far more elusive country cousins.

He'll also be on hand to join in the conversation with Chris and Kate on all the action at Pensthorpe.

News, views, and thought-provoking films

Springwatch will keep everyone up to date on UK wildlife news and issues in a three-week-long conversation with our viewers. As well as answering questions, and revealing how we can all help our wildlife, Springwatch 2010 will feature a rich mix of content for both television and the web – to stimulate conversation, debate, and encourage everyone to join in.

News from the wild – As we saw on Snow Watch, the coldest winter in 30 years had a real effect on our wildlife, in terms of behaviour, migration and even survival. We'll be getting updates from around the country about how our best loved creatures have fared.

Spring started late this year compared to the last few we've covered on Springwatch – what impact has this had? We'll also be looking at current wildlife issues, from the reintroduction of bustards to escaped exotics – we've even found wallabies living on the Isle of Man!

Martin Hughes-Games is getting stuck in, lending a hand on some great days out volunteering to help wildlife. Join him on a riverbank in Surrey building an artificial otter holt, releasing water voles into the wild in Cumbria and learning how to become a bird ringer in Sussex, all critically important conservation schemes which anyone can get involved in, for free, and make a real difference!

Our website will provide information on how and where you can volunteer to help the wildlife in your area.

With so many great anecdotes and stories coming into the Springwatch office direct from our viewers, this year Martin will be following up on some of these leads and travelling around the country to meet the audience and share your wildlife experiences first hand.

Gordon Buchanan's Missions – after his amazing success finding and filming killer whales, intrepid wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan is on the road again for Springwatch 2010. His new missions take him in search of some truly weird and wonderful creatures – he'll only be able to film them by using local knowledge, field craft and sheer determination.

Celebrating the Geek! Self-confessed geek Chris Packham will be celebrating all things geeky on Springwatch this year. He's been out and about meeting pioneering scientists and member of the public who have discovered amazing revelations about animals from bats to dragonflies through their persistence, determination and downright obsession.

He'll also be making sense of the natural world in his now infamous science pieces.

Animal Features – Springwatch looks at the fate of some of our most iconic and most loved animals. As well as celebrating these species – like the nightingale and the house sparrow – we'll be investigating why they're in trouble, and seeing how we can help.

The Urban Bird Race – this year, Springwatch have been invited to take part in The Oystercatcher Bird Race – a one day competition to see as many birds as possible in our capital city, using only public transport. This is a great way to showcase our urban wildlife, so how could we refuse?

Gardens – as ever, Springwatch will bring our viewers the definitive guide to how we can look after the wildlife in our own back gardens, both in the shows and on the web.

Viewer's Videos – over the years, our viewers have sent us amazing wildlife footage that they've shot themselves, capturing remarkable behaviour and some of the funniest wildlife moments on TV. We'll be showcasing this on our programmes, and on the website.

A wider family of Springwatch broadcasts, webcasts and public events

Although the heart of Springwatch lies in the live shows on Â鶹Éç Two, over the years, it's grown into so much more. One of the Â鶹Éç's best examples of multi-platform broadcasting, Springwatch is now a truly nationwide event reaching audiences across the UK through TV, web, red button, radio and campaigns.

Our website – this year's Springwatch web site (relaunching on 17 May) is bigger and better than ever. On our famous live streaming webcams, you'll be able to watch our daily animal dramas unfold, virtually round the clock, with up-to-the minute analysis from the Springwatch team following the action on the ground.

The ever-popular blog will give you insight to the goings on behind the scenes as the three week live event unfolds, as well as giving you a place to participate in debates and discussions.

Following the incredible audience response to our painted lady and cuckoo surveys last year, this year's website will give you even more opportunity to take part in a whole range of surveys and help contribute to real discoveries in conservation science.

Our message boards will once again give you plenty of opportunity to join in and have your say and the Springwatch Flickr group for sharing photos is already a huge success, with amazing pictures of spring flooding in already. You can upload your own wildlife home movies and we'll showcase the best on the web site and on the TV show.

As ever, we want to hear your questions, and of course there will be lots of information and useful links on our animal characters, our main themes and our talking points for this year, as well as trusted links to the best UK wildlife websites on the internet.

New to Springwatch this year, you'll also have the opportunity to follow the team and our presenters on Twitter.

Springwatch Unsprung is back! Its uniquely informative and irreverent attitude proved to be a huge hit on its debut last year. Now with its own slot on Â鶹Éç Two, for half an hour every Friday night during Springwatch, Martin Hughes-Games will host the weekly edition of our audience-led show.

He'll be discussing the week's biggest events and talking points, tackling audience-focused questions and areas of debate generated by the dedicated blog and, of course, keeping us on our toes with the odd special guest and mystery item. Unsprung will continue to provide a fresh, spontaneous addition to the week's main Springwatch shows.

Springwatch on Red Button – this year we'll be bringing you a brand new Springwatch experience on red button. Get ready at 9pm to press that button for the Tuesday night Springwatch Pub Quiz and Wednesday night's Springwatch Photo Club where we showcase the very best images from our audience in our hugely popular Flickr group.

Springwatch Wild Days Out – you can also take part in exciting activities at hundreds of Springwatch Wild Days Out – public events, large and small, taking place across the UK as part of the Â鶹Éç's popular Breathing Places campaign.

Families will be able to take part in a variety of wild activities, inspiring them to support nature in their local area, from building a bat box, to hunting for creepy crawlies – and from worm-charming to local tree trail walks. Go to bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces for a full list of events happening during the weekends of the Springwatch Wild season 2010.

Where you live – Â鶹Éç Local. Across the country, Â鶹Éç regional TV and local radio stations will be broadcasting their own blend of Springwatch Local news, features and conversation, specifically relevant to audiences where they live.

This year, local teams are joining with the National Trust in the Bee Part Of It campaign to highlight the importance – and plight – of our wonderful British bees.

Springwatch Specials – this year, three one-hour themed Springwatch Specials will extend the Springwatch Season. These will be transmitted in the run up to the Live series, between 17 and 19 May, at 8pm on Â鶹Éç Two: Springwatch Signs of Change with Chris Packham – Chris investigates one of the biggest issues of the day – how is climate change affecting the UK's wildlife?; Springwatch City Living with Simon King – Simon uses his fieldcraft skills in our cities, to explore the wildlife in the urban jungle; Springwatch High Seas with Gordon Buchanan – Gordon discovers the marine riches of our seas, including his dramatic encounters with killer whales in UK waters.

Our grand finale – the Wild Night In – as Springwatch goes global and raises cash for conservation

After the Springwatch live shows go off air, there's another treat in store as the Springwatch Wild season 2010 reaches a new and spectacular climax.

Viewers are urged to join Chris, Kate and Martin for a Wild Night In. From 8pm to 10pm on Sunday 20 June, the Â鶹Éç Wildlife Fund will be hosting a two-hour Sunday night fundraising extravaganza on Â鶹Éç Two.

Chris, Kate, Martin and friends range from local to global, looking at inspiring conservation projects both in the UK and across the world, whilst encouraging viewers to help raise money to support threatened wildlife and wild places around the globe through the work of the Â鶹Éç Wildlife Fund.

The Wild Night In is an inspiring and thought-provoking celebration of our world's wildlife, with guests including David Attenborough, Graham Norton, Edith Bowman and other celebrities, as well as inspirational conservationists from the front line.

Get involved now and make a difference for hard-working conservation projects both in the UK and around the world. Donate now, get a fund-raising pack or find out more at one of the Springwatch Wild Days Out in June. More details at bbc.co.uk/wild.