PEOPLE in Darlington are being asked to take part in a bird-watching survey.

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch takes place this weekend and residents are encouraged to help provide an up-to-date overview of the kinds of birds in the borough.

People are invited to spend an hour bird-watching in their garden or local park tomorrow and Sunday, and feed the results back to the RSPB.

The surveys have been taking place since 1979, giving an annual picture of bird numbers and in which regions different species are seen.

The top species recorded for the County Durham area last year were house sparrow, starling, blue tit, blackbird, and chaffinch.

The borough council's countryside team is particularly interested in hearing of any song thrush sightings.

Anyone wanting to take part in the survey can visit the RSPB website and download a counting sheet, which includes pictures of the most common birds seen in gardens.

Results can then be fed back via the RSPB website, www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/takepart/index.asp

For more information, contact the RSPB on 0870 122 2793.