BIRDING FOR BEGINNERS ROOKIE WATCHERS WING IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VALLEY.

Byline: BILL BECHER

You hear them before you see them.

The chatter of birds at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve delights visitors who come for a bit of peace (but not quiet) in the middle of the San Fernando Valley.

The reserve is ``a very well-kept secret, which is not intentional,'' said Muriel Kotin, a member of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society. The society is trying to let others in on the secret by hosting beginner bird walks on the second Saturday of the month from October through March.

On a recent crisp winter Saturday, I joined a cross-section of beginning birders (another name for bird watchers - more about that later).

We met at the amphitheater at Sepulveda Basin, where the members offered loaner binoculars and supplied a short history of the wildlife area.

The 225-acre reserve between the 101 and 405 freeways is part of an Army Corps of Engineers flood-control program and is leased by the City of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation.

Our group included two retired sisters, a biology teacher and her 10- year-old son and friend and several families with small children. We set out along Upper Haskell Creek - a restored riparian area - where we saw our first birds: American goldfinches.

Willows, cottonwoods and sycamores provide shelter to resident and migratory birds here. More than 200 species of birds spend all or part of the year at the reserve. Winter is a good time for newbie bird watchers in Southern California because larger, easier-to-see, migratory birds are in residence.

The trees provided resting spots for sharp-shinned hawks and turkey vultures and a red-tailed hawk floated overhead.

A tiny Allen's hummingbird sat on a branch. We learned hummingbirds occasionally eat insects in addition to flower nectar. ``You can't live on Kool-Aid alone,'' Kotin said.

A large pond held American white pelicans, Canada geese, herons, egrets, cormorants, grebes, ibis and a variety of ducks.

The white pelicans skimmed across the water then crash landed in unison, ignored by the ducks that quietly paddled by. The pond water is reclaimed wastewater from the Tillman Water Reclamation plant.

We stopped at a series of viewing areas by the pond. The club members set up spotting scopes to give us a better look at the birds.

Rosemary Williams, a bird watcher from Scotland, was visiting her sister who lives in North Hollywood.

``You have more glamorous birds,'' Williams said. ``We don't have hummingbirds in Scotland.''

Bird watching has a sedate reputation, but Audubon Society member Kotin insists there is such a thing as ``extreme birding.''

``Bird watching is a continuum,'' Kotin said. It might start with people just watching birds at backyard feeders. More serious bird watchers go on walks to view and identify local birds. Hard-core competitive ``birders'' might visit exotic South American hot spots just to expand their ``life list'' of birds seen and identified.

This is an outdoor activity with few physical demands; the beginner walk is about a mile and mostly flat.

``You just need to be able to walk and see,'' Kotin said.

On the way back to the parking lot we saw a great egret, the symbol of the National Audubon Society. The great egret was one of the birds that were being hunted to extinction to decorate hats before the society was formed in 1905 to protect egrets and other birds.

Audubon Society member Linda Jones explained her reasons for helping out with beginner bird walks.

``Anyone who becomes involved with birds will become more environmentally aware and help protect the habitat,'' she said.

We stopped to check off the birds we had seen on the bird list that the Audubon Society has compiled for the reserve. We had seen 27 species.

Not bad for beginners.

BIRDING ETIQUETTE

--Stay behind the walk leader

--Keep kids under control

--Keep your voice down and ears open

--Don't walk in front of someone looking through binoculars

--Try not to disturb the wildlife

IF YOU GO

San Fernando Valley Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walks at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve are on the second Saturday of the month October through March. Beginning adults and families with school-age children are welcome. The walks are free.

Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the amphitheater in the southeast part of Woodley Park. Regular bird walks are on the first Saturday of each month.

Information: Muriel Kotin at [phone] or Linda Jones [phone]. Wear sturdy shoes, layered clothing and a brimmed hat.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 2 boxes, map

Photo:

(1) An American white pelican looks for a meal as it flies low over a pond at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve.

(2) Matthew DuPree, 10, of Los Angeles sketches a bird he saw during his beginning bird-watching venture at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve.

(3) Robin Berry, right, a teacher at Vintage Magnet School in North Hills, peers through a spotting scope on her first birding walk. Looking on are Pat Jacobs, left, and Linda Jones of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society.

Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News

Box:

(1) BIRDING ETIQUETTE (see text)

(2) IF YOU GO (see text)

Map:

Wildlife Reserve