Fieldfares, redwings, bullfinches and yellowhammers delighted bird lovers last year as the countryside birds raided gardens for food.

Last January’s prolonged cold snap also saw song thrush, mistle thrush and blackbird recorded in much higher numbers in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, as they sought sustenance away from their normal rural haunts.

“Last year the snow caused a lot of oddities turning up in gardens, which really got people excited,” said Rob Farrington, information assistant at the RSPB’s Arne reserve in the Purbecks.

“In this year’s warmer weather we urge people not to overlook the old faithfuls such as house sparrow, starling, song thrush and greenfinch.

“These more common birds may not have the appeal of last year’s rarities but the first three are all on the RSPB’s red list of British breeding birds undergoing astronomical drops in number in the last few years. As for the greenfinch, I haven’t seen one in Dorset for months,” he said.

The world’s biggest wildlife survey takes place over the weekend of January 29 and 30 and the wildlife charity is appealing for Dorset residents to again play their part.

“With the data collected during the big garden birdwatch we can understand more about why these birds are in decline and find out how we can help them,” said Rob.

More than half-a-million people recorded 8.5 million birds across 280,000 UK gardens during a January weekend in 2010.

The house sparrow may top the chart both nationally and locally but it has shown a rapid decline since 1979, dropping from an average of 10 birds per garden to just 3.7, down 62.3 per cent.

Starlings – whose 100,000 strong aerial ballet over Poole has been captured on video by the Daily Echo – have also seen a massive drop, down 79 per cent since 1979.

The winners are the larger birds such as the woodpigeon, up a huge 855 per cent and the collared dove up 375 per cent.

To do your bit for garden birds, spend one hour during the weekend of January 29/30 counting the birds in your garden or local park and record the highest number of every bird species seen at any one time.

Visit the RSPB website rspb.org.uk/birdwatch for a results form available from January 29 to February 18 or call 0300 456 8330.

Or click the link below to download a handy bird identification sheet. And don't forget you can send us your pictures if you get any good sightings!

bird id sheet.pdf

To coincide with the event a Bio-Blitz is being held at Arne on the Saturday from 9.30am to 4pm, where visitors can help record animals and plants seen on the reserve.

Last year's Dorset Top 20

• House Sparrow

• Blackbird

• Blue Tit

• Chaffinch

• Woodpigeon

• Starling

• Robin

• Great Tit

• Goldfinch

• Long tailed tit

• Dunnock

• Greenfinch

• Collared Dove

• Magpie

• Coal Tit

• Jackdaw

• Carrion crow

• Song Thrush

• Feral pigeon

• Wren