Bird lovers are being encouraged to flock together for a world record attempt at a park near Newport, south Wales.

The event, which is being organised by RSPB Cymru, aims to build the biggest bird cake ever made.

The record attempt highlights the need to feed our garden birds at this time of year Ruth Billingham, RSPB Cymru

Participants on Saturday and Sunday will join hundreds of individual seed filled cakes together to form the shape of a large bird.

Organisers have also arranged guided walks during the event which aims to encourage people to feed birds in their gardens at this time of year.

Once the cake has been measured, people will then be allowed to break it up and feed it to the birds at their home.

Ruth Billingham, RSPB Cymru said the attempt could open a new record category.

"There is no record set - I have contacted the Guinness Book of Records, and we have registered our attempt," she said.

"Once it is done and we have taken the pictures, we send them off and they will tell us if our bid has been successful," she added.

The cake can help birds through the winter

Ms Billingham said the cakes they were using would help birds survive the winter months.

"The cake is very good for birds, especially during the winter when they need to build up on fat reserves ready for the breeding season.

"The record attempt highlights the need to feed our garden birds at this time of year," she added.

The record attempt is taking place between 1100 and 1500 GMT at Tredegar Park on Saturday and Sunday.

Bird survey

Ms Billingham added that the event coincided with the annual Big Garden Birdwatch around the UK, which is hoping to break a record of its own.

It is aiming to set a new record for the highest participation for any worldwide bird event.

"The birdwatch is the largest and longest running bird survey in the world," she said.

"Last year, more than a quarter of a million people took part watching over 150,000 gardens and counting over four million birds.

"It helps us track the fortunes of our winter birds and identifies the most commonly-seen birds in our parks and gardens," she added.

The watch encourages people to watch the birds in their garden for an hour, and note down what they see.