The BBC Nature UK website and blog will cover all the usual Springwatch and Autumnwatch stuff - news about the series and about our many conservation organisation colleagues, your opinion on controversial subjects, a bit of fun with Martin and the Unpsrung team, deeper information on subjects covered in the shows - and loads more too.

There are some things that we won't be changing - the Springwatch and Autumnwatch TV shows themselves, our Flickr groups (here and here), the webcams, the messageboards... and most of all our commitment to reflecting what you've got to say and what you want to contribute.

We'll let you know when the new blog is live - and where to go - right here. We'll keep the comments open on the Springwatch blog for a while yet as there's so much great stuff coming in all the time. Eventually, though, we'll close them and migrate across to Nature UK but we'll give you plenty of notice.

It's still early days and we're hoping that Nature UK will be as good as, (and indeed better than!) our trusty Springwatch and Autumnwatch websites, but as ever we'd love to hear what you think. What would you like to see more of? Less of? Please let us know... and remember it doesn't have to be just about spring or autumn any more!

Update 17th May
A quick response to the comments below. We're in no way trying to compete with the Nature UK forum, quite the reverse - the more people who get involved with nature in the UK the better.

We've gone with this name as it follows the BBC's URL structure. We set up bbc.co.uk/nature about six months ago, which acts as a home for all BBC natural history so bbc.co.uk/nature/uk sits below this as our UK nature home. (And we've also used this name in the past.)

Hope that makes sense.

Our Unsprung team adored this Canada gosling image which they thought captured a moment. They loved the energy in this gosling's expression.

Producer Hannah chose this crisp capture of a house sparrow. She's been out filming them recently and thinks so few people realise that they are in decline.

Our management menagerie were impressed by this macro shot of a bee. They thought it was a nice sign of spring.

Simon's squad were pleasantly surprised by this beautiful bearded tit. It's uncommon to see them like this as they're usually clinging to reeds. They loved the reflection.

The Webbies thought the grace in this image contrasted the common perception of gulls by the sea and they really appreciated how the photographer caught the light through the feathers.

This spectacular action shot really wowed me. It perfectly caught the moment and showcases the beauty of the pheasant's feathers so well.

Researchers Ruth and Lucy chose this colourful damselfly. In their own words "We're all about the invertebrates this spring!"

As always we'd love to know how spring is unfolding where you are, so add your spring pictures to the Springwatch Flickr group and tell us what's going on in your neck of the woods.

Do you have any favourites?

You can see our Flickr favourites from late April here.

Now with its own slot on BBC2, for half an hour every Friday night during Springwatch, Martin will host the weekly edition of our audience-led show. He'll be discussing the week's biggest events and talking points, tackling your questions, following your debates, and of course, keeping us on our toes with special guests and mystery items.

As ever we're relying on you to be our eyes and ears where the cameras can't reach: across your cities, towns and villages, and in your parks, gardens and local nature reserves. So ask us about your wildlife mysteries by commenting below, add your photos to the Springwatch Flickr group, upload your movies and keep us up-to-date with spring around the country by following us and tweeting @bbc_springwatch on Twitter.

Springwatch arrives 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 on Tuesday nights for the "Springwatch Pub Quiz" and Wednesday nights for the "Springwatch Photo Club".
And don't worry if you miss it, we'll be posting it here on the Springwatch website for you to catch up!

Find out what else the team are up to: Springwatch 2010 starts here...

Update 31 May 2010:
The first two Unsprungs have now moved to Thursdays 9pm on BBC2, right after the main show.

Bats, flies and sparrowhawks all get the Packham treatment and Springwatch Geek Awards are presented! Stay tuned here on the blogs for more information and web exclusives...

See Autumnwatch 2009's Science with Chris clips here.

Find out what else the team are up to: Springwatch 2010 starts here...

Gordon's 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.

Down in the reed beds in Somerset, Gordon was looking at how our freshwater birds have coped with this winter's big freeze, and what have been the consequences of having so much vital fresh water iced up for so long. On the way, he has an encounter with an enigmatic bird with a fabulous voice.

In a swamp on the Isle of Man, Gordon comes across one of our most charming and seemingly unlikely new residents - it's cute, its furry and it should really live far, far away.

And Gordon has a hilarious encounter on Salisbury Plain with one of our most magnificent birds, full of the joys of spring (and dying to mate!) - a bird that used to be here, went extinct in the UK and is now making a welcome comeback.

Have you worked out what Gordon has been after ? Tune in and find out ..... each story has a lovely surprise in it.

Find out what else the team are up to: Springwatch 2010 starts here...

Martin also stays across all the buzz on the blogs and on the message board, finding out what you are talking about, noticing, debating and asking as this year's Springwatch season progresses. Martin brings all of this together on the TV show that's made by you and for you - Springwatch Unsprung (joined this year by two extra shows on Red Button). So please keep sending in your questions, sightings, photographs and home movies so we can showcase the best on the telly and share and discuss even more here on the Springwatch website.

To stay up-to-date with all the action follow us on Twitter and keep reading our regular blogs. Share your photos with other Springwatchers in the BBC Springwatch Flickr pool and upload your wildlife home movies direct to the Springwatch web site.

In the past few years on Springwatch, we've seen Simon battling gale force winds, enduring torrential downpours and being plagued by hordes of hungry midges. This new location is no soft option and is set to deliver its fair share of wildlife surprises. Simon 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.

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

We're hoping that our newly installed woodland nest boxes might entice a nuthatch or a tree creeper for a mini cam exclusive. Or that just maybe the kingfishers and otters will move into their purpose-built riverside apartments! 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, which flows through the heart of Pensthorpe. Staking out the bank side and filming underwater, we'll be opening up a freshwater world, not fully explored by the Springwatch team until now.

And this year for the first time, Chris and Kate are venturing further afield to explore the wilds of Norfolk beyond Pensthorpe. Chris and Kate are hoping for some close encounters with the local wildlife, from seals and sparrowhawks, to swallowtails and glow worms.

The season begins with three themed one-hour Springwatch Specials on BBC TWO, from 8-9pm on 17, 19 and 20 May - three real TV treats to get you in the mood.
Springwatch Signs of Change - 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 field craft 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.

On the weekends of the three weeks of Springwatch (particularly 5/6 June) look out for our "Springwatch Wild Days Out" - Family fun days full of natural delights happening somewhere near you. Visit the event finder to put in your postcode and find out what will be going on near you.

And, new for 2010, we are proud to announce the Wild Night In on BBC TWO on
20 June - a big and exciting new idea, and the grand finale of the Springwatch Wild Season 2010. Springwatch will be raising money for the BBC Wildlife Fund, supporting conservation projects both in the UK and across the globe as they help the world's threatened wildlife and wild places. We're asking everyone to get involved and help us to raise as much money as possible. Why not get going right now, and get your family, friends, and neighbours to join you? The world's wildlife desperately needs your help.

SPRINGWATCH - LIVE ON BBC TWO AND ON RED BUTTON

Chris and Kate in the wilds of Norfolk
It's our third year in Norfolk and there's still so much to discover in this wildlife hotspot. Besides delving into the consequences of this year's extraordinary winter, and keeping you up to date with a range of animal family stories on our webcams, Chris and Kate will be out exploring the Norfolk beyond Pensthorpe from the iconic Broads to the stunning coastline. Here they'll unearth the local wildlife and introduce you to exciting new animal characters.

Simon King heads to Dorset on an exploration of Britain's diverse habitats
Simon will be based in this beautiful county, known to have amongst the most diverse range of wildlife and wild places. He'll be using his incredible field craft skills and hi-tech equipment to share the treasures of this amazingly wildlife-rich region. Simon will take us on a journey from spectacular chalk downland through gin-clear streams, via our rare and fascinating lowland heathlands, to the dramatic Jurassic coast and finally beneath the waves to meet some mysterious marine creatures.

Martin is on the road again taking Springwatch out to meet you
Travelling around the country Martin will be meeting some of you, our viewers, to hear your stories and find out how you can get involved in your own local areas. He'll be answering your nature questions and solving some of your wildlife mysteries.

Gordon's mission: to discover truly weird and wonderful creatures
Gordon is back from his high seas adventures and on another mission for Springwatch to find weird and wonderful creatures around the country. He's discovered the rare, the strange and the downright hilarious.

Our resident geek Chris celebrates all things geeky
Chris is out and about meeting pioneering scientists and members of the public who have had amazing revelations about animals, all thanks to their passion for the natural world. Bringing UK wildlife science to you through clear and simple geek speak.

And then there's you - our Springwatchers!
We're relying on you to be our eyes and ears where the cameras can't reach: across our cities, towns and villages, and in our parks, gardens and local nature reserves. We'll be looking at your photos, answering your questions, asking your opinions on hot wildlife topics, surveying what you've seen in your local patch and encouraging everyone to get involved.

Every year you are so active and send in such wonderful stuff, so we've created three (yes three!) TV/red button shows just for you. Springwatch Unsprung is back, with its own slot on BBC TWO and we're proud to announce two new shows on Red Button, straight after the main show - every Tuesday night will be Springwatch Pub Quiz night (you can play along at home with your remote control) and every Wednesday we'll be getting together with our Springwatch Photo Club to celebrate all our amazing photographers in the Springwatch Flickr group.

Springwatch starts here. We can't wait to get going and we hope you'll be joining us.

So why does it happen? If you're a male bird with a great bit of territory you want to keep rivals away and let the ladies know you're there. Nature's solution is for the boys to express themselves through song whilst the light levels are still too low to go foraging and the predators aren't out. Hence the dawn chorus.

It's an early start so to inspire you to set your alarm, here's why the Springwatch team love the dawn chorus.

Martin Hughes-Games has been listening out this very morning: "It's 5.20am and I've just come in from a heavenly half hour standing in the churchyard soaking up an epic dawn chorus. What a beautiful, uplifting, and calming experience. Perfect. The world seems a much better place now. Think I'll make another cup of tea and go back out for a second dose."

Researcher Ruth stays close to home: "My absolute favourite place to hear the dawn chorus is my parents' garden in Portishead," she says. "It reminds me of when I was little and used to get up super early! It's not a big garden but you can literally hear all the local birds waking up and it feels like the place is coming to life."

She also enjoys going to the Wildfowl and Wetland Trusts' wetland centres when they open them up early for dawn chorus walks and wandering through any of her local woods in Somerset: "I always get a buzz of excitement when I hear a dawn chorus. I think it's something everyone should do at least once!"

BBC Natural History Unit producer and lifelong birder and naturalist Stephen Moss usually only hears the dawn chorus from the warmth and comfort of his bed: "But a few years ago, on a morning in May, my colleague Chris Watson visited my home in rural Somerset to record the birds. We were out by 4.30am, and the chorus began soon afterwards, with the blackbird kicking off as usual.

"At one point Chris let me listen through his headphones, and I was amazed to hear how truly complex the blackbird's song was. Instead of me just hearing the deep, fluty tones, I could also hear all sorts of soft, higher-pitched notes picked up by his microphone. A truly amazing experience which gave me a new insight into the complexity of bird song."

If their stories aren't enough to get you setting your alarm alarmingly early then have a look at these photos of dawn chorus star performers from the Springwatch Flickr group.

One of the first birds to get vocal during the dawn chorus, the robin is well adapted to life in poor light.

Chris Packham reveals that his favourite garden songster is the song thrush in an interview with BBC Breathing Places

The Springwatch team are out filming nightingales at the moment. If you're in the South East now's the perfect time to listen out for them. Best of all, you don't need to get up early to hear them: they sing all night long.

If you want to know what you're listening out for, get started with Radio 4's bird song guide or download Chris's audio guide to the Dawn Chorus.

And if that's not enough, this week's episode of Radio 4's Saving Species also features a dawn chorus recording. Listen again to the whole show or just the birdsong on its own.

Where's your favourite place to listen to the dawn chorus? Do you have any favourite memories or stories of dawn bird song? We'd love to hear, so please post a comment below.