IT’S just a week until thousands of pairs of eyes will be trained on bird feeders across the country as people take part in one of the biggest mass participation wildlife surveys in the world – the Big Garden Birdwatch.

And here in Northumberland, the RSPB is hoping for an enthusiastic take-up in this, the event’s 38th year, as in 2016 more than 3,000 keen observers in the county took an hour out of their day to record the different kinds of birds in their own backyards.

RSPB spokesman for the North, Chris Collet, said the Big Garden Birdwatch provides the conservation charity with valuable data which helps them build a better picture of how our garden birds are faring.

“Two of the species you might think are abundant are actually in serious decline,” he said. “The house sparrow and starling are actually struggling and have declined massively in the last few decades. The Big Garden Birdwatch is one of the wildlife surveys that has flagged this up as an issue.”

Although the house sparrow is still the most commonly recorded bird in the Big Garden Birdwatch, more than half of our house sparrows and some three-quarters of our starlings have disappeared in the last 35 years. Song thrushes are also in decline.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom. Over the last 35 years, blue tit numbers have risen by 20 per cent and the woodpigeon population has increased by a whopping 800 per cent.

So why should we devote an hour to recording what turns up in our garden or local park each year? Chris says that as well as helping the RSPB, there are notable benefits for us humans too.

“We are a nation of bird lovers,” he said. “You don’t need a big beard and binoculars to be a birdwatcher. It gives a huge amount of people a lot of pleasure. It’s free and it doesn’t take much time.”

Chris, who’s a parent himself with three boys aged six, four and two, does the Birdwatch each year with his little ones. “It’s very much a chance to get involved with nature and to be inspired by and enjoy the wildlife on your doorstep, particularly for families,” he said.

“We know that only one in five children today are connected to nature,” he added. “We commissioned a three-year research project with the University of Essex that showed only 21 per cent of eight to 12-year-olds have a connection to nature that the RSPB considers a realistic and achievable target for all children.

“The fact is that that connection with nature can have huge benefits. Just getting outside in the fresh air, watching nature rather than being cooped up inside can benefit both mental and physical health, and this is a great way to get people engaged with the wildlife on their doorstep.”

Last January saw mild weather boosting sightings of the smaller garden birds in Northumberland. The tiny, long-tailed tit was one species that benefited from the warmer winter temperatures, with recorded appearances in the county increasing by 65 per cent on the previous year.

It flew into the Big Garden Birdwatch national top 10 after the average number seen visiting gardens across the UK increased by 44 per cent. And in Northumberland, they were up 65 per cent, moving from 17th place in 2015 to become the 13th most commonly seen bird in the county.

RSPB experts linked the increase of long-tailed tits, as well as other smaller gardens birds such as coal tits, to the mild weather in the months leading up to the 2016 Birdwatch. Small, insect-eating birds like long- tailed tits are particularly susceptible to the cold as the food they rely on is hard to come by in frosts and snow, so milder conditions were likely to have contributed to a higher survival rate.

Dr Daniel Hayhow, an RSPB conservation scientist, explained: “The weather can have varied effects on different groups of birds in terms of behaviour and habitats used. The increase in long-tailed tit sightings, along with other smaller garden birds, just goes to show that, in the absence of very cold weather, these species can survive the winter months in much greater numbers. The warmer temperatures have made it easier to find food, like insects, which in previous colder winters would have been harder to come by because of frosts and snow.”

During periods of colder temperatures, birds struggle to find food in the wider countryside so become more reliant on garden feeders. Long-tailed tits, and other smaller birds, have adapted to feeding on seeds and peanuts at bird tables or from hanging feeders. Since 2006, the average number of long-tailed tits seen in UK gardens has increased by 52 per cent, whilst great tits numbers have gone up by 13 per cent and coal tits by nine per cent.

Dr Hayhow said the increase in sightings of these smaller garden birds highlighted the importance of a well-stocked bird feeder.

“Long-tailed tits only started using garden feeders in recent years, and now more people are spotting them in their gardens as this behaviour develops,” he said.

And RSPB wildlife advisor Ben Andrew added: “A lot of our favourite garden birds are struggling and are in desperate need of our help. Gardens or outdoor spaces are an invaluable resource for many species – they can provide a safe habitat and enough food and water to survive – which are likely to have a significant effect on their populations.”