Join the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend

Spring is in the air. I felt it at the weekend as I stood at the kitchen sink watching a blue tit check out the bird house that every year, fingers crossed, is where a pair choose to raise their family.

We're also avidly awaiting the nest building antics of a pair of pigeons, the same ones we reckon, who raise two sets of squabs in a large bush by the back door.

But I don't think we're any great shakes at attracting birds to our garden, after all I'm still waiting to entice just one goldfinch, let alone a charm.

We really ought to try harder, as watching them is fascinating. Then there's the benefit of attracting them to the garden if you grow veg but, most importantly, feeding birds is vital to their survival particularly during harsh winters.

Even if you don't make a point of putting out food, chances are you have more feathered visitors than you realise. And this weekend the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds needs your help for just an hour.

It's asking everyone to stay indoors and watch the birds in their garden on Saturday or Sunday (it's best if you do it from the comfort of your home as going outside tends to disturb any visitors). If you don't have a garden, why not settle down on a park bench quitely to note which birds you see?

By recording the number of each species of bird, the RSPB will be able to tell which ones are thriving and which need some extra help. Thanks to harsh weather last year, birds like the song thrush or fieldfares, typically seen in the countryside, were spotted in gardens so you never know what you might see.

In 2010 more than half a million people recorded 8.5million birds in 280,000 gardens but this year the RSPB wants to beat that. The more people that take part, the better the understanding it has about which species are in trouble.

You can do the count any time during the day and regardless of the weather. Even if you don't see a bird, the RSPB still want to hear from you - it's important they know where the birds aren't .

Results can be downloaded online from Saturday until February 18 at  www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch.

If you fancy enticing some birds before you do your count why not try one of these ideas to feed the birds or make this bird feeder from a recycled juice carton,