Today is the launch of the Big Garden Birdwatch. It's our most important weekend of the year when we ask you to spend just one hour of your time recording what birds you see in your garden or park and sending in the results to us so we can find out which species are doing well and which need our help.

The best time to do the Big Garden Birdwatch is first thing in the morning as this is when the birds are most active, but any time today or tomorrow will bring results.

It's a great way of getting the family insipred by nature, but it can also be a nice way of spending one hour of 'me' time, watching the birds with a nice hot cuppa!

To take part, you first need to register online. You then write down the highest number of each species seen at any one time (so if you see two Blackbirds together then later see four, you record four) over the period of an hour and then submit the results to us online by February 17th.

At RSPB Fairburn Ings we've also got our own event taking place to celebrate the Big Garden Birdwatch.....

From 11am to 3pm today and tomorrow,  our staff will be on hand to talk about garden birds. And there will be a guided Big Garden Birdwatch discovery trail taking place tomorrow.

 Visitors can learn how to make ‘green’ birdfeeders and garden bird masks!

 Entry is free to RSPB members, with a £2.50 car parking charge to non-members.

 We would love to know if you enjoyed taking part and if you saw anything unusual.

Happy bird counting....