The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch – the world’s largest wildlife survey – takes place Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 January 2010 and we really need your help. Now in it’s 31st year, we have half a million people participating annually but we can always do with a couple more!

In fact, a record-breaking 551,881 participants helped celebrate the Big Garden Birdwatch 30th birthday in 2009, spotting over 8.5 million birds across nearly 280,000 gardens.

Sarah Kelly, Big Garden Birdwatch co-ordinator, 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.”

Once an activity for children, Big Garden Birdwatch is now hugely popular with children and adults alike and we’re particularly keen to get more families involved this year. Why not make a day of it by creating bird feeders made from recycled household goods or bird cakes for the birds in your garden? (Instructions for which can be found on this cd.)

Alternatively 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 of course!

Says Sarah Kelly, “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 us to embark upon studies to identify the cause of certain species decline as well as steps we can take to help them recover. Most prominently, the house sparrow which despite topping the chart, has shown a rapid decrease since 1979 dropping from an average of 10 birds per garden to just 3.6.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Results have shown the tit family as having tremendous staying power with blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits all having staked their claim in the Big Garden Birdwatch top 15 with regular appearances, year on year. And in 2009 the long-tailed tit made it into the top 10 for the first time in 30 years!

To do your bit for our garden birds, simply spend one hour over the weekend 30/31 January 2010 counting the birds in your garden or local park and record the highest number of every bird species seen at any one time.

For further information and online resources to help you with your birdwatch, visit the RSPB website, www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch. An online results form will be available from Saturday 30 January until 19 February 2010.

Alternatively call 0300 456 8330 to request a Big Garden Birdwatch form to be sent to you (calls charged at standard rate). The hotline number will be in operation from 16 November 2009 to 29 January 2010.