ALL eyes will be on the skies later this month as the biggest garden birdwatching event in the world takes place across the country.

The RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch, now in its 33rd year, takes place on Saturday and Sunday, January 28 and 29.

Last year more than 600,000 people took part in the event, with 7,761 Worcestershire residents pitching in with their own bird statistics.

The event often provides the charity with their first indicator of how well UK birds have fared during the previous breeding system and over winter.

Recent harsh winters have seen some garden bird populations drop, only to make a comeback after a good breeding season the following year.

In 2010 and 2011 some of the UK’s smallest garden birds bounced back, and the wildlife charity wants to know whether they have managed to maintain their numbers.

Sarah Houghton, RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch project manager, said: “Taking part in Big Garden Birdwatch not only helps us track the ups and down of garden birds, but it gives participants the perfect excuse to sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy the wildlife that they share their outside space with.”

During last year’s event more than 10 million birds were spotted.

Creeping up in the rankings is the colourful goldfinch which in recent years have been a familiar sight in the top 15 species of birds recorded per garden across the UK.

But despite battling with each other to be top of the Big Garden Birdwatch table for the past 30 years, there are fewer house sparrows and starlings in our gardens.

Ms Houghton added: “It’s important we keep a close eye on how our birds are faring, like the house sparrow for example. With so many people stepping up and taking part, if a pattern emerges, we take it seriously. Half a million people can’t be wrong.”

Visit trspb.org.uk/birdwatch for more information. To request a pack over the phone, call 0300 4568330.

TOP 10 BIRDS IN WORCESTERSHIRE 2011
Figures show average number of birds seen per hour
House sparrow 3.8
Blue tit 3.7
Blackbird 3.6
Starling 2.3
Woodpigeon 2.1
Chaffinch 1.9
Great tit 1.9
Long-tailed tit 1.8
Robin 1.6
Goldfinch 1.5