FANS of our feathered friends are being asked to keep an eye out in their gardens as part of the world's biggest bird survey.

The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch will be taking place at the end of January and householders from across the country are being asked to contribute.

More than half a million people are being encouraged to spend an hour spying on their bird neighbours to help make the 2007 survey another record-breaker.

In 2006, more than 470,000 people spotted 8.1 million birds across 270,000 gardens, helping reveal the winners and losers in the garden bird world.

The Big Garden Birdwatch, which is now in its 28th year, is aimed at finding out which birds are the most common visitors to UK gardens in winter.

To take part, all people have to do is spend one hour over the weekend of January 27 and 28, counting the birds in their garden or local park, and recording the highest number of each bird species seen at any one time.

The records provide the RSPB with a vital snapshot of the UK's birds each winter at a time when populations are under threat from global warming and other changes to their environment.

For further information, visit the RSPB website at www.rspb.

org.uk/birdwatch or phone 08706 007108.

An online survey form will be available from the weekend of Big Garden Birdwatch until 19 February 2007.