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Wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin spends the winter travelling across the UK to track down and film some of the most hidden wildlife spectacles the British Isles have to offer. His journey takes him from the frozen Highlands of Scotland down to the quiet suburbs of Sussex and many places in between.

Hamza begins his quest on the icy plateaus of the vast, ancient Cairngorm mountains in Scotland. Conditions are as close to the Arctic as you can find in the Britain, and the wildlife that lives here needs to be as hard as the hills themselves. He’s after a bird that turns pure white in winter to blend in with the snowy peaks around it: the ptarmigan, a small, pigeon-sized grouse that is going to take all his skill to find.

The Cairngorms are also home to the UK’s only true native species of the rabbit family: the mountain hare. Also turning white, Hamza has quite the challenge to find and film these incredibly well-hidden mountaineers.

The Scottish Highlands were once covered by the huge Caledonian forest, but all that remains now are small fragments scattered here and there throughout the landscape. On the western edge of its once-great frontier lies Loch Arkaig, one of the few vestiges of the Scottish rainforest. In these trees, there is an animal that has been absent from our lands for almost 700 years – wild boar. They are roaming the woods once again, and it might be Hamza’s most difficult challenge yet. If he is to get even a glimpse of them, he’s going to need help. It’s time to call in aerial support!

Back in the Cairngorms, Hamza meets up with his best friend and fellow naturalist James Shooter. Hamza and James met at university and have been birdwatching together for over 15 years. But there is one bird Hamza has never seen. Just 1,500 pairs of crested tits live in the UK, and all of them are confined to the old pine woods in the Highlands. Relying on James’s local knowledge, they set off together to try to get a world first for Hamza’s bird list.

Winter in the Highlands can create drastic and dynamic weather conditions, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Braemar, the coldest place in the whole of the UK. Hamza makes the most of the snow and heads off with expert conservation officer Shaila Rao in search of one of Britain’s best-loved – but most threatened species – the red squirrel.

The short days of winter can make filming wildlife in daylight a difficult prospect. But by filming at night, Hamza can reveal a whole different world happening out of sight. In the Vale of York, he’s searching for a strange woodland wading bird called a woodcock. Ordinarily, these birds are all but impossible to see in the day as they are experts at staying camouflaged and hidden. But at night, they come alive, and with the help of one of the most advanced thermal-imaging cameras in the world, Hamza can enter their domain and catch a glimpse of these incredible animals. But that’s not all… just filming them isn’t enough. It’s time for Hamza to get up close and personal with this strange bird, all in the name of science. Joining expert conservationists, he heads out into the fields to catch a woodcock and put an identifying ring on its leg, giving us a close-up look at this rarely seen, beautiful bird.

Back in the Caledonian forest, Hamza is on a mission to find one of the rarest, most elusive animals in the whole of the UK – a cat-sized member of the weasel family called a pine marten. Ordinarily, their home is in the heart of the forest, hidden away amongst the trees. But Hamza visits Gill Williams, whose garden in the forest is the playground for a whole host of pine martens, which gives him the opportunity to film them like never before. Armed with remote infrared cameras to provide an early warning to get ready with his normal kit, Hamza and Gill camp out in the living room and wait for their arrival. As wildlife hides go, a comfortable sofa in a warm lounge is pretty comfortable!

To end his winter wildlife journey, Hamza visits his old friend and wildlife photographer David Plummer. A couple of years ago, when filming his last programme, Hamza: Strictly Birds of Prey, Hamza came here to get an unbelievably close experience with a wild tawny owl. This time, he’s back to go one better and film these birds in their world, on their level and in total darkness. Once again, bringing his advanced thermal-imaging camera, Hamza and David work to get set up in anticipation of the owl’s arrival... up a three-metre-tall scaffold tower! Once in position, all Hamza can do is wait and hope that David’s years of experience with these secretive birds will pay off and get Hamza the shot he’s after. Before long, Hamza has the perfect end to his journey of hidden British wildlife – a wild tawny owl on a branch less than three metres from his camera. And he simply can’t wait to show David the footage!

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