There actually isn't a great deal about Hamza's personal story here and I was familiar with most of it through magazine articles and the details shared on 'Strictly'. But it was still fascinating to learn about his upbringing and his love of Scotland, and the opportunities that came his way for fulfilling his ambition of working in nature programmes on television.

His voice and his childlike wonder and passion for the natural world all come through very clearly in the introduction and then he urges us to share in his enthusiasm for birdwatching.

There is a chapter of practical advice on how to go about spotting birds and what binoculars to choose, for example. But then the book begins in earnest.

Different types of birds are introduced one by one with an illustration and descriptions of their habitat and behaviours. There are wonderful details included with each mention. 

There are 50 of Hamza's favourite birds included here, with garden birds, woodland and river birds all featured. 

It's a beautiful book and very accessible and engaging. It's something for a novice birder to work through to build up their knowledge and experience, but it's also a book to enjoy dipping into and learning an astonishing fact with which to regale friends and family.

For example - we all know what a blackbird looks like, don't we? But do you think that you are seeing the same blackbird in your garden every day? Well, you're probably wrong. An ornithologist recorded 74 different blackbirds visiting his garden during the breeding season in just one day!