OXFORDSHIRE'S birds need our help – and if these 12-year-old twitchers can do it, so can you.

Alex White and friends will be among 10,000 people in the county setting up deckchairs and tea tables in their garden this weekend for the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.

Alex and his mum Debbie will spend an hour in their garden in Appleton just counting the robins, doves, sparrows and any other wildlife they spot.

It hardly seems like work, but the data they and 500,000 others collect will tell the RSPB what birds are thriving, and which are facing extinction.

Budding wildlife photographer Alex, who goes to Matthew Arnold School in Cumnor, said: "Personally I find it quite fun.

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"Last year our garden was pretty average – except we saw a heron – but we also saw great tits and blue tits and robins.

"Appleton is extremely good for wildlife, we've seen badgers and foxes here."

He added: "The Big Garden Birdwatch helps the RSPB gather information from around the UK about how many birds there are."

Alex is fast becoming a minor celebrity in the bird world: he already writes a regular blog for the BBC's Wildlife magazine about wildlife in his area, and last year he filmed a documentary about badgers with wildlife presenters Chris Packham, Steve Backshall and Bill Oddie.

But no experience is needed to help out in the Big Garden Birdwatch, the world's largest garden wildlife survey.

Anyone interested in taking part can download an information pack from the RSPB's website with guides to common garden birds.

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And with some British bird species disappearing at a rate of up to 80 per cent in the last 40 years, the charity is crying out for more help.

RSPB conservation scientist Daniel Hayhow said: "The threats to our wildlife means that it’s facing tough times.

"For example it is estimated that we've lost more than half of our hedgehogs in the last 50 years."

In the 37 years it has been running the Big Garden Birdwatch has revealed an 80 per cent drop in numbers of starlings and a 70 per cent decline in song thrushes.

There is slightly better news for the house sparrow, as its long-term decline appears to have continued to slow, and it remains the most commonly spotted bird in British gardens, but even its numbers have dropped by 57 per cent since 1979.

Mr Hayhow added: "As the format of the survey has stayed the same, the scientific data can be compared year-on-year, making your results very valuable.

"With results from so many gardens, we are able to create a snapshot of bird numbers across the UK.

"Once we know which birds are in trouble, together we can ensure that our garden wildlife will be around forever."

Find out more at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch