LAST year more than 519,000 people all over the UK spotted more than eight million visitors in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, and this year’s event from January 28-30 attracted even more suppotrters.

Each year Haslemere Museum makes sure it helps to count the birds that rely on us and more than 100 eager spotters attended its Big Garden Birdwatch on the Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to counting the birds in the museum gardens, bird-themed activities included arts and crafts and the opportunity to make bird cakes from suet and bird seed to take home.

Visitors also met the owls from the museum’s handling collection as well as admiring the collection of birds in the museum galleries.

Education officer Kay Topping said: “We have a large number of natural history artefacts here at the museum, so it is great to be involved in this national event and encourage children to think about and care for their environment.

“It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying themselves and really getting involved in trying to spot the different species of birds.”