大象传媒

Iolo Williams tracks down some of Wales鈥檚 most elusive creatures and sheds light on how some of them remain undetected.

He begins by revealing the array of tiny creatures that take refuge in a log pile in winter: a hibernating butterfly, a centipede on the hunt and a dedicated earwig mother carefully tending to her eggs.

Beneath the waves, marine animals are also hidden from our view, but many also try their best to hide from each other. Sand gobies are well camouflaged against the seafloor but must be vigilant, as an angel shark, a rare creature filmed for the first time in UK waters, buries itself in the sand to ambush its prey from below.

Predatory birds must also be stealthy to catch a meal. With the help of two tame birds - a kestrel called Ashley and a barn owl called Lily - Iolo and Chris Packham investigate how these two species evade detection when hunting. While the kestrel is quick and manoeuvrable, the barn owl flies silently and has super-sensitive hearing to pinpoint prey in complete darkness, giving it the edge at night.

Badgers are notoriously difficult to see - they are skittish, nocturnal and live underground, plus they only emerge sporadically in winter. To make sure he doesn't miss any of the action, Malcolm Ingham rigged his garden with remote cameras, and they reveal the hilarious exploits of the so-called Nutter clan as they bounce around and play with each other. Malcolm also puts out food for the badgers, and they happily snuffle within a few metres of his feet as he sits on his garden bench.

Finally, Iolo fulfils a lifelong dream by spotting another elusive garden visitor. He stakes out a holiday home, waiting patiently for the rare treat of seeing a pine marten. They were only recently reintroduced to Wales, so this encounter is extra special.