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If you are still not sure about when digital tv switchover will affect you then keep an eye on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two. If ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two disappears then your transmitter has made the switch and your tv isn't ready. If you don't do anything in a week or so after you lose ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two you'll lose all your tv channels. The engineers do this deliberately as a final warning to people. But according to ´óÏó´«Ã½ colleagues in America they just threw the switch one night and that was that!

In the Midlands the switchover begins on the 6th April but not all our transmitters will switch at this time. Some will go digital later in the year in September including the big mast at Sutton Coldfield. When you switch will depend on which transmitter your ariel is looking at.

There is plenty of help available for people with digital switchover including free equipment, installation and 12 months support for some people. If you qualify you should have already been sent a letter but for further information visit or call free on 0800 40 85 900

Most of us have already made the switch and if you watch TV through a dish or via cable you don't need to do anything. Freeview viewers will need to retune set top boxes, tvs and recorders during the switchover. More information about how to do this and answers to many other questions can be found at or you can call 08456 50 50 50.

At the digital television talk I attended in Doddington Village Hall in Shropshire I was told the most popular question people asked was why we were going digital at all? This final turning off of the analogue system should allow an improvement in the digital terrestrial tv signal we all get. And that will mean better pictures and more channels.

Well that's the theory but let me know if you have any questions.

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Not so long ago we did a Springwatch story about wild parakeets becoming established in the Midlands. Now researchers at the University of Kent want to study parakeet DNA to learn more about what may well be Britain's fastest growing bird population. The researchers have a fascinating website which explains much more about their work.

To analyse the parakeet DNA they need as many wild parakeet feathers as possible. So if you see parakeets in your garden, walking the dog or in the park please keep your eyes peeled for feathers.

Collect any you find and send them to me and I'll pass them onto the researchers. Please include the location the feathers come from and your contact details. My address is;

David Gregory, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Birmingham, B1 1AY

We'll report back in a few months with the results. In the meantime here's our original report to give you some idea of what you should be looking for.

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