HAMPSHIRE residents are being urged to take part in the biggest garden wildlife survey in the world.

Leading developer David Wilson Homes is encouraging Hampshire residents to join in with the Big Garden Birdwatch.

The Birdwatch, run by the RSPB since 1979, invites people across the UK to spend an hour counting the birds they see in their garden or from their balcony and report their sightings back to the RSPB.

The event is an activity that the whole family can take part in and, with over 40 years of data, helps the RSPB to keep track of how well our beloved garden birds are doing year-on-year across the UK.

Signing up is free and includes a guide to help count and identify the birds, a RSPB shop voucher, and advice on how to attract wildlife to your garden.

Barratt Developments has been working in partnership with the RSPB since 2014 to show how new homes and communities can help support wildlife, for instance by creating wildlife-friendly show gardens at many sites.

The RSPB is encouraging people to welcome birds into their garden by feeding birds with suet cake, setting up an apple feeder, and even sprinkling out your leftovers.

You can also set up a drinks station with a bird bath, or a dish, filled with water, and setting up nest boxes around the garden.

Rob Allen, Sales Director at David Wilson Homes Southern said: “Birds are fascinating creatures, and by making our space as nature-friendly as possible we get to appreciate their mesmerising behaviours up close."