INVITING THE WHOLE FLOCK IN FOR A VISIT.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Staff Writer

Springtime is the busiest season for birds, and now's the time to ready your back yard for their arrival.

You've never had a raven - or even a single wren - stop for a visit? Well, put the dog and cat inside and peruse our checklist of ways to attract birds to your yard.

Provide sheltering trees that protect birds from the cold, rain, wind and heat, as well as from predators. Evergreens such as pines, firs, hemlocks and junipers are your best bets, but any shady tree will do. Whatever you plant, don't have it too neatly trimmed, as they prefer a more natural look, says Larry Allen, project coordinator for Los Angeles County Breeding Bird Atlas and member of the L.A. chapter of the Audubon Society.

Plant low shrubs such as rose bushes, holly bushes or privet where low-flying birds can take refuge from predators such as cats or bigger birds.

Attract them with their favorite flowers, says Muriel Kotin, past president of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society. For most of the Valley floor, any flower that produces seeds will do, but the majority of birds prefer sunflowers, cosmos, snap dragons, California poppies, yarrow and bushes with berries, she says.

Hummingbirds, however, are attracted to flowers with trumpets, such as California fuchsias, sages, bottle brush and golden currants.

Feed them. In addition to flowers and plants, most birds are attracted to bird seed, but Allen says not to attach a feeding dish to a wall because squirrels and rats will also show up for dinner. He adds that jays like peanuts and acorns, while hummingbirds are crazy about a sugar-water solution (nine parts water to one part sugar) hung from a tree branch or an overhead beam on your patio. He warns that the sugar solution shouldn't have red food coloring as it can be harmful to the birds, but the bottle should have a red tip or red plastic flowers on it to attract the birds. To discourage ants, which also love sugar, he says to grease the wire or plastic hanger with Crisco or Vaseline.

Offer water. Birds not only like to stop for a drink of fresh water, but will splash around in a birdbath as long as you refill it daily and place it near a bush or small tree so they can dry their feathers in the sun, says Allen.

When filling a bird bath, keep in mind that smaller birds like shallow water, while robins and blue jays prefer deeper water. To entice all sizes, place a few small rocks in the bird bath.

Build a house. Early spring is when birds begin building nests and laying eggs. You can build one, too, though most birds are rather particular about their dwellings. Allen and Kotin say they don't think most decorative bird houses actually attract birds, except maybe house sparrows or blue birds. Birds are more likely to visit less conspicuous houses made of unpainted wood, with an opening at least 1 1/2 inches in diameter, without a perch and placed in a tree. Bird-house keepers should also rub the inside with a bar of soap or Vaseline to keep bees, wasps and ants from moving in.

Don't frighten them away. Making loud or sudden noises or moving too quickly will scare birds, so just sit quietly and wait. If you have food and water and a safe haven, birds will spread the word.

Talk to them. If you've seen birds in the vicinity but think they're shy about stopping by, entice them by making a ``ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch'' sound until they fly in or answer with their own chatter. Then immediately stop - or you'll stress them out, according to tips found in ``Backyard Living: From Gardening & Grilling to Stone Walls & Stargazing'' (TimeLife Books; $24.95).

For more information on birds, call the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society at [phone] or the Los Angeles Audubon Society and Bookstore at [phone] or toll-free at [phone]. Internet users can also contact the Cornell Lab or Ornithology in New York at Cornellbirds(at)cornell.edu, the National Audubon Society at www.Audubon.org and the Backyard Bird Count headquarters at www.BirdSource.org.

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Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Left, two finches - a brown female and a male with red and orange markings on its head - perch in an ornamental feeder in the back yard of Maureen Miller of Woodland Hills. Below, a birdbath complements the tidy garden in front of a home in Ventura.

(3 -- 4) A squirrel, left, commandeers a bird feeder for a morning snack. Above, wild bird seed is measured to fill a feeder.