Simon's Blog - Big Garden Birdwatch 2017

Credit: Elliot Carlton

So another year has flown by and the one weekend when we're urged to unleash our inner Chris Packham has once again arrived.

Yes the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch is happening all over again and it's on Saturday or Sunday that we're asked to spend just one hour keeping track of the birds and animals that visit our gardens, window boxes or local parks.

As usual, the results will be out in March and the data will be used to help the RSPB decide which birds they need to focus their conservation work on in the future.

Last year more than 519,000 of us counted an incredible 8,262,662 birds, so if you fancy doing your bit and taking part in the world's largest wildlife survey, click here for more details.

Here are last years Top 5 spottings for England...

1 - House Sparrow

2 - Blue Tit

3 - Starling

4 - Blackbird

5 - Woodpigeon

And to get you in the mood here are some of the photos of birds that have turned up in my meridianweather@itv.com inbox this last week.

Penny Day struck lucky with a visit from the smallest bird in Europe, the Goldcrest.
A very cute Long-tailed tit from Anthony Morris in Farmoor in Oxfordshire.
Harry Harman took this shot of a juvenile Buzzard in Gosport.
And finally a Fieldfare from Nessie Moyes in Herne Bay.

If you do take part and you happen to have a camera handy, don't forget to send a couple of photos to me at meridianweather@itv.com or you can always tweet me @SimonParkinITV if you're on Twitter.