BBC Countryfile presenter Hamza Yassin was stunned by footage in the Scottish Highlands.

Countryfile host Hamza Yassin demonstrated a careful and considerate attitude towards local fauna in the most recent instalment of the BBC’s beloved nature show.

During this week’s episode, the presenter ventured through the stunning landscapes of Loch Affric in the Scottish Highlands, uncovering the crucial contributions nature makes to the ecosystem.

In his quest to film migrating osprey, Hamza acknowledged the need for extreme caution.

Establishing his position several hundred metres from their nesting site, he explained to audiences: “While much of the wildlife in Glen Affric is accessible to visitors, we must keep a safe and discreet distance from the osprey nests for their protection.”

Following the setup of his equipment, he disclosed: “We’re well over a kilometre away, so we’re not disturbing them”, reports the Mirror.

Hamza Yassin

Countryfile’s Hamza left in awe after saying ‘it’s the last thing I want to do’ (Image: BBC)

“It’s really important for people to realise that, to be able to film these birds, you need to a) have a special licence, but also respect the birds themselves.

“You have to read the bird and see if the bird’s comfortable with you being in its territory.”

Observing that the female was summoning her mate without displaying signs of distress, Hamza arranged his camera to capture the moment.

Osprey

Countryfile was spotting ospreys in the Scottish Highlands (Image: BBC)

Despite employing a substantial telephoto lens, he conceded that photographing these birds with the same sharpness as other animals featured in the programme would prove challenging.

“Bear in mind this is well over a kilometre away. It’s difficult to be able to get really pristine images because there’s heat haze along the way,” he clarified. “Ideally I’d want to be a lot closer, but if I’m a lot closer I’m going to be disturbing these birds and that’s the last thing I want to be doing.”

Whilst Hamza requires a powerful zoom lens to photograph the birds, he noted that the osprey’s vision is exceptional, enabling them to detect fish in the loch from heights of up to 40 metres.

 

Hamza Yassin

Hamza made an incredible find over a kilometre away from the nest (Image: BBC)

After successfully filming some spectacular footage of the birds in flight, Hamza was amazed when he made a remarkable discovery regarding their nest.

“Hang on a minute!” he exclaimed. “Hang on a minute. I can officially say that this pair of ospreys have got a very young chick. So young that you can’t even see the chick poking its head up.

“But if you have a look at the moment, she’s picking a little bit of food out of the fish and she’s feeding it to something. That is awesome.”

Countryfile airs Sundays at 6pm on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.