Spending five minutes listening to birdsong may help beat the winter blues, scientists have suggested.

Tuesday marks the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year - and this darkness, combined with the ongoing weather misery has left many people with pre-Christmas gloom.

But the National Trust have compiled recordings of birdsong to remind those fed up with the cold and the dark that spring is just around the corner.

And naturalists believe the birdsong may prove beneficial to our health.

Peter Brash, National Trust ecologist, explained: "Birdsong is one of the most distinctive sounds from the natural world and gives us a warm glow inside when we hear it.

"We're all attuned to the need to eat five fruit and vegetables a day or take a 30-minute walk.

"Taking the timeout to listen to five minutes of birdsong every day could be as beneficial to our well being."

During the bleak mid-winter, birds are more interested finding enough food to stay alive rather than singing.

But some, such as the bad-tempered robin are still belting out songs to keep other birds out of their territory The birdsong and audio birdsong spotter's guide can be heard on the National Trust website.