The popular wildlife programme is back for another series
BBC Winterwatch viewers had one word so say about an ‘unbelievable’ encounter with a rare species of wildlife. The popular BBC show is back for another series exploring the wondrous world of wildlife during the winter.
The first episode of series thirteen was shown on Tuesday January 21 on BBC Two. Host Chris Packham showed viewers a mind-blowing segment with Rupert Kirkwood, who refers to himself as the “lone kayaker.”
The 64-year old spends his time experiencing the mystery and unpredictability of marine wildlife. What makes Rupert’s hobby so special is that he documents his “exceptional wildlife experiences” on camera.
Talking about his kayaking hobby, Rupert said: “It’s all a bit chaotic but very enjoyable.” He recalls one particularly memorable day: “Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, on a cold crisp sunny morning I had an encounter that I never even dared to dream about.”
While he was kayaking at sea, he “was surrounded by Atlantic bluefin tuna, hunting all around my kayak chasing their prey close into the shore.” He added: “unbelievable doesn’t really describe it properly, it’s too weak a word.”
Rupert said: “As far as I was concerned it was dreamland.” He had witnessed the largest tuna species in the world, which had actually disappeared in the 1960s.
He said: “I thought they would never return but here they were right next to me. It’s not just the best wildlife spectacle in the UK, it’s got to be one of the best wildlife spectacles in the world.”
Viewers immediately took to social media, responding with “wow”, having witnessed this unbelieve footage taken by Rupert on his kayak. They said: “Wow those bluefin tuna were amazing”, “Wow, fabulous filming of the blue fins feeding”, “Wow those Tuna pictures on #Winterwatch are fantastic.”
More users added to the comments: “Winterwatch is soothing my soul with this footage of blue fin tuna.” Fans of the show were particularly impressed by Rupert: “Amazing footage, the tuna, the kayak guy”, “Rupert’s film is amazing. We need to see more from this guy.”