Scott Arboretum gardeners Sheila Magee and Nicole Lewis will present a workshop on "The Bird-Lover's Garden" from 10 a.m. to noon May 3; members $15, nonmembers $25. Registration is required; call 610-328-8025. The next day, May 4, from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., Magee and Lewis will host a bird walk at the arboretum.

Ruth Pfeffer also is doing bird walks this spring. All are 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and cost $15. To register, call 215-659-3526 or e-mail ruthpfeffer@verizon.net: April 28 and May 16, Forbidden Drive in the Wissahickon; May 6, Militia Hill in Fort Washington; May 12 and May 24, Pennypack Ecological Trust, Huntingdon Valley; and May 20 and June 3, Peace Valley Nature Center, Doylestown.

Pfeffer will lead a Morris Arboretum birding trip to the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, Audubon, Montgomery County, on May 13, 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 215-247-5777 to register; members $45, nonmembers $50.

Tyler Arboretum offers spring bird walks with Tom Reeves and Bruce Wyman every Wednesday from 8:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

For all walks, remember to dress for the weather, wear sunscreen, and bring water, binoculars, a guide book, and a snack or lunch.

For information on creating a bird habitat with native plants in your Philadelphia area garden, call the Audubon center at 610-666-5593 or go to http://www.audubon.org/. Click on "Audubon at Home," then search for "Plants for Birds and Wildlife."

In South Jersey, call the Cape May Bird Observatory at 609-861-0700 or go to www.njaudubon.org and click on "The World of Backyard Habitats."

For native-plant listings, go to the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society at www.pawildflower.org/ or the Native Plant Society of New Jersey at http://www.npsnj.org/.

As for bird books, Pfeffer likes All the Birds of North America: American Bird Conservancy's Field Guide by Jack L. Griggs, The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Allen Sibley, and the Roger Tory Peterson field guides.

- Virginia A. Smith