I tried the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch and was amazed at the variety I saw

The UK's largest nature conservation charity, the RSPB, is encouraging people to take part in its annual Big Garden Birdwatch, where people monitor how many birds they see in their garden or local park.

Running from Friday to Sunday, all you need to do is spend an hour in your garden or local park, count how many of each species of bird lands on your patch, and go online to tell the RSPB what you saw.

Last year, nearly 700,000 people looked out for birds, making Birdwatch the largest citizen science wildlife survey in the UK.

The charity said: "By taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch you, and hundreds of thousands of other like-minded nature lovers, will be taking action to protect our birds for generations to come."

As a lover of birds and all animals, I wanted to explore the Black Country and see how many different birds I could spot. Here is what I found:

RSPB Sandwell Valley, West Bromwich

I started out at my local nature reserve: the RSPB Sandwell Valley, which is situated near Forge Mill Farm in the Sandwell Valley Country Park.

It's a birdwatcher's heaven here, with plenty of feeders outside the visitors' centre attracting all kinds of bird, as well as a hide looking out onto the lake.

I was thrilled to spot my all-time favourite birds: long-tailed tits, who look absolutely adorable with their fluffy chests and pink feathers.

They're also David Attenborough's favourite bird, which is a quality seal of approval.

Long-tailed tits travel in flocks, moving from tree to tree, so I spotted a group of at least thirteen who descended on the RSPB's fat ball feeder. It led to this beautiful, if slightly intimidating photo.

On a nearby tree, I also spotted a male chaffinch, distinguishable from its female counterpart by its smart blue-grey hood and orange-pink face and chest.

At one of the centre's feeders, I also caught a picture of this stunning great spotted woodpecker, which has pied black and white plumage and a red patch on its lower belly.

Finally, a blue tit and a goldfinch came together in this picture, creating a vibrant contrast of primary colours.

Goldfinches have thrived in the UK, with their population increasing by 50 per cent over the last decade.

If you want to attract these birds to your garden, they love sunflower hearts and nyjer seeds, and will flock to feeders which provide these seeds.

Needless to say, I was thrilled with the birds I spotted here at the RSPB and highly recommend a visit.

Dartmouth Park, West Bromwich

Around a mile away from the RSPB is Dartmouth Park, which is within the Sandwell Valley Country Park and has its own bird feeders buried in the foliage.

I was over the moon to spot this nuthatch, ironically pecking away at some nuts.

These beauties love mature woods and established parkland, and can often be found on the sides of tree trunks and underside of branches.

Then I spotted a coal tit in the trees, with its distinctive grey back, black cap, and white patch at the back of its neck.

Coal tits are remarkably similar to willow tits and marsh tits, so you may need to do some Googling if you spot a bird of this description.

Warley Woods, Bearwood

The publicly-owned Warley Woods boasts 100 acres of grade two listed historic green space, so I knew this would be the perfect place to go for some birdwatching.

Although they are the most colourful members of the crow family, jays are actually quite difficult to see. They are shy woodland birds, rarely moving far from cover.

So I was delighted to spot this beauty, with its distinguished flash of white and blue feathers. If you hear a screaming call while a large brown bird is moving from tree to tree, it's likely to be a jay.

Jays are famous for their acorn feeding habits and in the autumn you may see them burying acorns for retrieving later in the winter.

Next up was this stunning male bullfinch, which has a bright pink chest and cheeks, making the males incredibly photogenic.

Bullfinches love to feed on the buds of various trees in spring.

Not far away was this redwing, which is most commonly encountered as a winter bird and is the UK's smallest true thrush.

Its creamy strip above the eye and orange-red flank patches make it distinctive.

They roam across the UK's countryside, feeding in fields and hedgerows, rarely visiting gardens, except in the coldest weather when snow covers the fields.

Only a few pairs nest in the UK, and the redwing is listed as a Schedule 1 species of The Wildlife and Countryside Act. I was especially pleased to take a picture of this beautiful bird.

Finally at Warley Woods was this striking starling. Starlings look black at a distance but when seen closer up their feathers are very glossy with a sheen of purples and greens.

Their flight is fast and direct and they walk and run confidently on the ground. Noisy and gregarious, starlings spend a lot of the year in flocks.

Still one of the commonest of garden birds, its decline elsewhere makes it a Red List species.

Cotwall End Nature Reserve, Dudley

Nestled behind Brockswood Animal Centre is the Cotwall End Nature Reserve, where I was greeted by a song thrush.

The song thrush is a familiar and popular garden songbird whose numbers have declined markedly on farmland and in towns and cities. Its habit of repeating song phrases distinguish it from singing blackbirds.

They like to eat snails which it breaks into by smashing them against a stone with a flick of the head.

I also spotted a goldfinch, another of my favourites, and a reed bunting.

Reed buntings are sparrow-sized but are slim and have a long, deeply notched tail. The male has a black head, white collar and a drooping moustache, while females and winter males have a streaked head.

In flight the tail looks black with broad, white edges.

Bumble Hole Nature Reserve, Dudley

At Bumble Hole, I found a female chaffinch, which is less colourful than its male counterpart but is just as beautiful.

The chaffinch is one of the most widespread and abundant bird in Britain and Ireland. Its patterned plumage helps it to blend in when feeding on the ground and it becomes most obvious when it flies, revealing a flash of white on the wings and white outer tail feathers.

It does not feed openly on bird feeders - it prefers to hop about under the bird table or under the hedge. You'll usually hear chaffinches before you see them, with their loud song and varied calls.

I also spotted a vibrant blue tit. A colourful mix of blue, yellow, white and green makes the blue tit one of our most attractive and most recognisable garden visitors.

In winter, family flocks join up with other tits as they search for food. A garden with four or five blue tits at a feeder at any one time may be feeding 20 or more.

Moorcroft Wood, Wednesbury

While walking through this Wednesbury wood, I spotted a great tit. This is the largest tit in the UK, and is green and yellow with a striking glossy black head and white cheeks.

Great tits have a distinctive two-syllable song and can be quite aggressive on birdtables, fighting off smaller tits.

It is a woodland bird which has readily adapted to man-made habitats to become a familiar garden visitor. In winter it joins with blue tits and others to form roaming flocks which scour gardens and countryside for food.

Tame Valley Canal, West Bromwich

Alongside the canal on the stretch from West Bromwich to Hamstead, I saw this grey wagtail. There are three types of wagtail: grey, pied, and yellow.

The grey wagtail is more colourful than its name suggests with slate grey upper parts and distinctive lemon yellow under-tail. Its tail is noticeably longer than those of pied and yellow wagtails.

They have gradually increased their range in the past 150 years and in the UK have expanded into the English lowlands from the northern and western uplands.

Wagtails have adapted brilliantly to urban environments, and I often see pied wagtails hopping along outside the Express & Star offices in Wolverhampton and in West Bromwich town centre.

Sheepwash Nature Reserve, Tipton

Over in Tipton, I spied a dunnock sitting on a tree branch. Dunnocks are small birds, with brown and grey feathers.

Quiet and unobtrusive, it is often seen on its own, creeping along the edge of a flower bed or near to a bush, moving with a rather nervous, shuffling gait, often flicking its wings as it goes.

When two rival males come together they become animated with lots of wing-flicking and loud calling.

And finally, of course, what else could it be but a robin? Robins are the UK's favourite bird - with its bright red breast it is familiar throughout the year and especially at Christmas.

Males and females look identical, and young birds have no red breast and are spotted with golden brown. Robins sing nearly all year round and despite their cute appearance, they are aggressively territorial and are quick to drive away intruders. They will sing at night next to street lights.

What could represent this birdwatch better than the country's favourite bird, singing away to its heart's content?