A fondness for birds has seen Greener Leith volunteer Emily Dodd meet the Queen, Simon King and Gannet expert Bryan Nelson.
Emily is encouraging locals to get out into their gardens or parks to help out in the 2011 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend.
Last year's survey revealed small birds suffered during the winter of 2009. Long-tailed tits were down 27% on 2009, coal tits down 20% and goldcrests down 75%.
With Edinburgh having just had its most severe winter since the 1960s, the RSPB wants locals to help paint a picture of how it affected birds.
Not interested in birds? Emily has stacks of reasons she thinks people will enjoy getting involved. In summary, she says they make wonderful music, the very fact that they fly is awesome and they have cute faces.
Read more in her Greener Leith blog posts here and here. She'll be tweeting the birds she sees on Saturday from 2pm on @auntyemily.
I'm sure I can find an hour this weekend, so have agreed to help out. Other local Twitter users who have agreed to get tweeting and twitching include @greenerleith, @WOLCT, @wildedinburgh, @cladygirl4, @12books12months and @craftygreenpoet.
To get involved, all you need to do is record the birds you see in your garden or a park during an hour this Saturday or Sunday.
If you don't know your starling from your sparrow, there is a handy RSPB guide here (PDF).
There is more coverage on the Environment section of the Guardian online.
Are you getting involved in the Big Garden Birdwatch this year? Let us know where you're going for it by commenting below.
