FOR THE KIDS STECKEL PARK AVIARY : Flocking Together : Linda Burnam takes care of 90 birds, from the ordinary to the exotic, near Santa Paula.

When Linda Burnam feeds the birds at the Steckel Park aviary near Santa Paula, her pal Louie waddles along behind.

For a turkey, he’s remarkably civilized. He puts up with hugs and kisses from Burnam’s 3-year-old daughter, Kelly, who giggles and pets him like a puppy.

Louie is no Thanksgiving bird. He’s a 4-month-old Dutch Holland turkey, an exotic breed with snowy white feathers and a cap of powder blue on his head.

He’s one of 90 birds--some exotic, some not--under Burnam’s care at the aviary. The number of birds was depleted last spring when the previous caretaker left, taking with her many birds that belonged to her.

Burnam, who took over in June, is slowly adding to the bird collection that at one time numbered about 150. In the last three months she has added 17 birds, and once again the aviary is bustling.

Visitors will find peacocks, chickens--some exotic like the three fluffy white Japanese silky chickens--golden pheasant from China, guinea fowl, cockatiels, lovebirds, exotic varieties of pigeons, parrots, ducks and geese.

They all have personalities, according to Burnam, who works part time at the Humane Society of Ventura County in Ojai. One of her favorites is Wilby, a friendly goose she acquired through the society.

“Someone rescued him from a bad situation,” she said. At first his legs were wobbly and he had little strength. Now he’s king of the little pond in the aviary that is home to a handful of ducks and geese. He eats out of her hand.

Then there’s Mork. The Nanday conure is a startling sight. He has plucked all the feathers from his body, leaving a bit of green around his head. So many visitors alerted Burnam to Mork’s condition that she posted a sign on his cage.

He has a nervous disorder, possibly from the loss of his mate several months ago, Burnam said. Or, perhaps, from a scare he received when a squirrel burrowed into the cage and sent him scurrying.

“It’s not like he’s dying of anything,” she said. “He’s really happy and sassy.” Mork can be a ham. He imitates the voices of children and women when they laugh.

Some of the birds are skittish around Burnam. Not the lovebirds that land on her arms when she comes into their cage. But she enters the cage of an aggressive rooster armed with a broom in case he attacks her.

Sometimes on the weekend the aviary is visited by as many as 200 people, according to Andrew Oshita, Ventura County parks manager. He said the 142-acre Steckel Park is named for M. L. Steckel, former mayor of Santa Paul whose family donated the land to the county parks system in the 1930s.

In the 1950s the caretaker of the park had some chickens caged on the property, and occasionally people would ask him to take on a bird or two. Gradually the bird population grew.

County maintenance workers expanded the 47-cage aviary in 1963. Then the aviary underwent a $25,000 renovation in 1988.

“It was really run-down,” Oshita said. “It was patched and shoddy. It was not what you would consider a professional zoo.”

At one point during the 1980s Oshita and other county officials considered shutting down the aviary as a cost-cutting measure.

“Word got around,” he said. “Five to 10 people called in and said, ‘I bring my grandchildren there.’ We listened to them.” The aviary was spared but it is no longer maintained by county workers. It is now leased to a caretaker who lives in the 1930s vintage house in the park.

Burnam wasn’t a bird expert when she moved in, but she said she is learning fast from books she’s acquired and from visitors.

“These are my animals,” she said, surveying the bird collection. “My mother took in ducks and kittens. I don’t think I’ve ever lived anywhere without pets.”

* WHERE AND WHEN

The Steckel Park aviary is located on Highway 150 about two miles outside Santa Paula. The park, which features picnicking, a horseshoe pit, softball park, playground and overnight camping, is open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free on weekdays, and $1 per vehicle on weekends. For information, call 654-3951. To donate an exotic bird, call 659-3945.