BIRD watchers everywhere are being urged by the RSPB to enter this year's Bird Race in a bid to help reedbeds and their threatened wildlife.

Celebrity watcher Bill Oddie is calling on fellow watchers to take part in the event on May 18.

The Bird Race is open to teams of four watchers who must identify by sight or sound as many different bird species as possible.

They must do it within the boundaries of a single county in the 24-hour period from midnight to midnight.

The object is to raise funds for conservation through sponsorship of participating teams.

And cash raised this year will go towards the protection of Europe's reedbeds.

Reedbed birds like bitterns and bearded tits have been disappearing in the U.K. while more exotic species like Dalmation pelicans and pygmy cormorants have declined elsewhere in Europe.

The closing date for entry is April 30. Entry forms and full details are available from Birdwatch, 310 Bow House, 153-159 Bow Road, London E3 2SE.

Or telephone 0181 983 1855.

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