(The following is provided with the goal of supporting native populations of bird species while offering a pleasurable bird viewing experience in your own back yard.)

The best way to attract birds to your yard is to offer water, shelter, and food. A constant-drip, fresh water bird bathing and drinking pool is absolutely the best way to encourage birds to visit you in dry southern California (or anywhere else, for that matter) at all times of the year. And it will lure in the insectivores and frugivores that are difficult to attract with seed or nectar feeders.

Planting the correct vegetation helps, too. Native trees, shrubs, annuals, and plants that provide edible seeds, berries, or nectar generally work best for our native birds. Native plants also can attract the native insects that will lure warblers and wrens, among others, into your yard. Any red or yellow tubular flower will attract hummingbirds.  However, the best hummer plant I know of is the purple Mexican Salvia. 

In addition, plants provide cover and good perching sites for birds attracted to your feeders. Be sure, however, that birds can see the stealthy approach of neighborhood cats! The slightest scratch from a cat introduces a toxin into a bird's system that always poisons and eventually kills the bird.  Providing a semi-open brush pile near your feeders will attract some secretive and provide ground-favoring species a place into which to beat a hasty retreat.

Feeders and Deterrents

There are various types of seed feeders, each attracting a different subset of birds. Some gimmicky new feeders attach to the outside of your window, but they can provide a spectacular show. Some are even wired for sound! I love the “upside down” goldfinch feeders, which foil the attempts of ALL other birds by placing the small openings (for Niger seeds) BELOW the perches-only goldfinches can/will feed on seeds in an upside down stance! 

Doves and sparrows like to feed on the ground or on low platform feeders. In the western states, watch your feeders (or below them) for white-crowned sparrows. Like white-throated sparrows, which are seen in other areas, these beautiful wintering natives display distinctive striped heads and a haunting, mournful song. Finches and grosbeaks like black unsalted sunflower seeds in a standard hanging feeder.  Jays like high platforms stocked with black unsalted sunflower seeds, or better yet, use a “peanut cage” to make them work for their very favorite treat! With patience, you can gain the trust of these exceptionally intelligent birds and feed them peanuts by hand.

A mix featuring high millet and low milo is the best of the cheaper all-purpose feeds. Since the eastern (and, unfortunately, egg-stealing) fox squirrels are invading many regions, you may want to try a squirrel-proof feeder. Under no circumstances in California should the non-native, invasive eastern fox squirrels be fed or encouraged! Feeders with weight-sensitive perches really work in deterring squirrels and pigeons. The best deterrent I have found for all garden pest animals (raccoons, cats, opossums, deer, etc., including raptors and larger birds, even) is the new "Scarecrow," available, like nearly everything else mentioned here, at places like WildBirds Unlimited (no, I don’t own stock in that company, but they should give me a percentage, don’t you think??) The Scarecrow is a device that can be set to sense animals according to their size, and it squirts them with a noisy jet of water. It works like a charm, and won't scare off birds, depending on the sensitivity you utilize. Caution! The only problem I have found with this device is actually a problem of my own device; unlike the intelligent raccoon, but like the smaller-brained opossum, I forget my scarecrow is present and “armed” and like the opossum, I get a rather humiliating soaking on occasion!

Another newly-discovered deterrent is designed to keep away house sparrows (also called English sparrows, these invaders are particularly nasty killers of baby nestlings and nest-thieves as well!) This device is/will soon be available, and consists of a metal halo that surrounds hanging seed feeders, and has monofilament line hanging from portions of the ring, weighted with small fishing weights. Amazingly, it works, though I am finding over time that some bold house sparrows learn to overcome their fear of it and enter the “sacred circle” to feed on occasion. The bottom line is that if you are feeding large numbers of harmful invasive species such as starlings or house sparrows, you are probably doing more harm than good for our natives.

Hummingbird feeders will occasionally attract other species such as orioles and warblers. The best "hummer" feeders are the flying-saucer type, easily taken apart and cleaned (something you should do every 3 to 7 days). It is absolutely critical to keep a hummingbird feeder clean and use a four-to-one ratio of sterile water to sugar. Don't use dyes or other additives, they cause excess fungal growth and do not help attract the birds. There are a lot of myths about hummer feeders, but supplemental feeding of hummingbirds doesn’t seem to cause them to miss migration out of cold areas and freeze to death. Many hummingbirds do die, however, from feeding from moldy feeders. It is best to provide the flowers (preferably natives) that hummers use for nectar, as well as a compost pile to host some yummy fruit flies, which hummers need for protein.

Orioles like cut oranges and grape jelly (or so I am told-these haven’t worked well for me yet, but I keep trying!) The orioles that have come to my yard did so mainly in order to teach their youngsters how to pluck insects from tomato plants.

Suet is marginally effective as a bird attractor in warm southern California, but works well to sustain birds through the winter in colder regions.

Final Notes:

All feeders need to be kept clean: house finches in particular, as well as other native species, seem to be contracting diseases.
Safety First! Use tinted windows, blinds, or decals if your windows are situated in such a way that birds fly into them.
And keep in mind that feeding birds requires a bit of knowledge and observation. Their safety and well-being should be considered equally with our pleasure in observing that we have successfully attracted them into our domain!