While many 11-year-old boys enjoy video games, one boy from Radlett has an entirely different hobby – bone collecting.

Unlike many other boys his age, nature lover Sam Misan, of Canons Close, in Radlett, is taking on the world by storm with his love for wildlife.

After setting up a group of like-minded nature lovers, made up predominantly of his friends, Sam and his members started their own YouTube channel and blog with the aim of observing and protecting the environment around them.

Now one year later the group has expanded, creating their own online digital museum Nature Base which showcases the collections of followers across the country, with exhibits across England and Scotland – along with a submission from Israel.

Members of the Nature Base community, who include taxidermists and zoologists, can submit photos of their finds, which can range from bones and skulls to fossils, feathers and drawings.

Sam said: “The idea is we have a map online, and we can pinpoint everywhere in Britain where people have collected things.

“We have lots of different ideas to promote Nature Base, such as our ‘100 twitches’ campaign for bird watchers, but the museum lets people see the things you can find if you really look for it.”

Citing David Attenborough as an inspiration, Sam said he has loved nature from a young age and now has a large collection of skulls.

Now writing a book aimed at five to eight year olds, he said: “I have always loved nature and animals and wildlife, and have read a lot of books on them which has helped me developed the understanding I have now.

“Being around five to eight is when you start looking for things you enjoy and you find out what you’re really interested in. There are lots of books about collecting nature, but none of them are aimed at kids so I want to show them how interesting and fun it can be.”

The book, Nature on Shelves, will be all about collecting skulls, feathers and shells and will teach children how to safely clean and preserve their collections.

Speaking about advice he would give to anyone interested in starting their own collection, and highlighting Aldenham Park as a good place to observe nature and collect items, Sam said: “It is important people make sure when they find something, it is clean and safe, and so you can use certain chemicals to clean it.

“You also have to be respectful of the animal. Its bones are like a humans bones, and you have to respect that.”