APPARENTLY it’s cool to be a birdwatcher these days. Even actress Cameron Diaz and comedian Vic Reeves are self-confessed birdwatchers!

The RSPB recently did a survey, which showed that more than six million Britons regularly watch the birds. This is up from three million back in 2004.

Whether you’re watching garden birds coming to your birdtable, or big birds of prey soaring hundreds of feet above your head, birds are everywhere – they are inherently interesting to watch and they give a lot of pleasure for lots of different people.

The thing that makes birdwatching so popular is that you don’t need to know anything about birds to enjoy watching them – and it doesn’t have to cost you a penny, all you really need is your ears and eyes.

“Look out of the window. See a bird. Feel a moment’s pleasure in the sight: feel your heart take wing with the bird: and you are a birdwatcher. Fully qualified, the rest is only a matter of degree.”

(Simon Barnes, How to be a bad birdwatcher).

It’s that simple.

Simon Barnes is a sportswriter and an enthusiastic wildlife devotee, and I absolutely loved reading his book ‘How to be a bad birdwatcher’.

A friend gave me a used copy of the book a couple of years ago and it has changed the way I look at birds, and I would even go so far as to say that it has changed my life for the better.

Having birds in your life, and being aware of them as you go about living your every day life, is powerful stuff.

Your local library is likely to have a copy of the book so maybe give it a go to see if it will transform you into a bad birdwatcher in the same way that it did to me.

So, if you decide to start paying attention to the birds around and perhaps get a little better at telling a blackbird from a starling, and a willow warbler from a chiffchaff, what’s the secret then?

Like with any other activity, the more you do it the better you get.

There’s no need to make life difficult for yourself – visit somewhere where you can see birds easily such as a local park or a nature reserve.

Putting up a seed feeder in your garden or outside your office window is also a great way to learn more about the common birds and their fascinating antics.

Our website has a new online bird identifier at rspb.org.uk/wildlife which can help you, or if you join us on 01216166857, we’ll send you a free bird ID handbook.

● Sharon Boardman is people engagement officer for the RSPB.