I am just a dude who loves nature ... there's so much on our doorstep

WILDLIFE CAMERAMAN AND FORMER STRICTLY CHAMPION HAMZA YASSIN DISCUSSES HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE WILDLIFE ON OUR SHORES. BY YOLANTHE FAWEHINMI

- 

FOR Hamza Yassin, British wildlife is often overlooked because it’s such a small group of islands compared to the rest of the world.

But the wildlife cameraman and presenter, 35, believes we have it just as good - if not better - in the UK.

It’s something he set out to prove in his new four-part BBC1 documentary series, Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles, where he spent a year travelling the length and breadth of the British Isles to reveal some of the hidden wildlife on our doorstep.

Hamza, who is known for his role as Ranger Hamza on CBeebies and his work on shows such as Countryfile and Animal Park, is also joined by friends and family, technical experts, conservationists and passionate members of the public.

Using the very latest in drone, thermal, infrared, underwater and macro technology, they help Hamza track down and film some of our most iconic and elusive species.

The 20th BBC Strictly Come Dancing winner journeys through the seasons - starting in spring, the busiest time of the year for wildlife - from Suffolk, inner city Cardiff, Scotland and Leeds, to Devon, London, Ireland, Lancashire and Sussex.

Hamza begins at RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk, where he hopes to find the elusive bittern, a bird that is hard to spot but has a song that can be heard over three miles away.

In the bluebell woods of Sussex, he’s joined by his two nieces for an encounter with a clan of wild badgers as they emerge from their sett, while on Dartmoor, wildlife sound recordist Ellie Williams helps him to pinpoint the exact species that make up the dawn chorus.

There's also a trip to the small nature reserve right next to Cardiff's docks to see the courtship display of the great crested grebe.