Be a bird brain!

A LL that's required is one hour of your time. That's all you need to do your bit for Britain's garden birds.

The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch takes place on Saturday, January 30, and Sunday, January 31, and it is down to the likes of you and I to help count our feathered friends as the world's largest wildlife survey takes gets underway.

Now in its 31st year, an incredible 500,000 people participate annually with 8.5 million birds being spotted in nearly 280,000 gardens last year.

And this year, the RSPB want it to be bigger than ever, with as many of us as possible counting the birds in our gardens.

Event co-ordinator, Sarah Kelly, said: "Big Garden Birdwatch provides a fun activity for all the family in the depths of winter. Participation just keeps increasing, I believe in part, because it's so easy to join in.

"By giving up just one hour of your day, you can make a real difference to our knowledge of garden birds. We're able to distinguish the ones that are doing well from those that need our help."

The weekend provides a great opportunity to take some time out in a green space, whether it's your own back garden, a friend or relative's house, or a public park.

You could also make a day of it by creating bird feeders made from recycled household goods, or tasty birdfeed cakes for the winged visitors to your garden.

Alternatively, why not see it as a chance to kick back and take an hour out of your busy schedule to watch the world go by, recording the birds you see along the way?

Sarah added: "Big Garden Birdwatch is a vital way for you to contribute to a significant piece of wildlife research without leaving the comfort of your home. In fact, we'd really rather you stayed indoors so as not to disturb the visitors to your garden.

"You don't need to be an expert but we really couldn't do it without your help!"

Past Big Garden Birdwatch findings have enabled the RSPB to undertake studies to identify the cause of certain species decline, as well as how we can help them recover.

For example, the house sparrow, despite topping the chart, has shown a rapid decrease since 1979, dropping from 10 birds per garden to just 3.6.

All you have to do is spend one hour during the weekend of January 30-31 counting the birds in your garden or local park and recording the highest number of every species seen at any one time.

Counting sheets, as well as more information, are available online at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/ where you can also find images and details about the birds you are likely to see.

Good luck counting! NK