Firstly, birds will be attracted by the geographic location of your garden.
To find out which birds are at the moment in the geographic area, you will have to consult the specialty magazines and documentations. Maybe even the whether guy can provide some information regarding this aspect although this is not always true. Libraries and book stores have books based on migration, on the roads that some bird species take to get to their summer or winter residence. Also, taking pictures of bird you see around you and confronting them with informative materials that you already have or searching for information related to them can be an option to find out if these bird are going to make a stop in the area you live in.
Birds need water. This is highly important. A bath or a pool, no matter the size or the material, would instantly attract many bird families, even wild ducks and gooses.
If you could also arrange a place where they could find some food, bird seeds, bread or anything else they might like, that would increase the chances they made an escapade in your garden. You can try, for instance with corn. Seeds of any type also hold an answer to the question related to attracting birds towards your garden. The seeds that almost all birds prefer are sun-flower seeds, extremely easy to find, and cheep also. Anyway, before buying the seeds, you should make a list with all the birds that are in the area and with every bird's food preferences to assure you can provide food for many types of birds present.
These are the first steps that you have to make to attract birds in your garden. The second step is keeping away from the garden all the things that might scare or disturb birds. Animals from the next garden, neighbor's dogs can scare the birds. Try and ask the neighbors to keep the dogs chained or in the house, because they are mostly scared by dogs.
Also, you must know that some birds do not agree with each other, so that a certain species might avoid your garden because there is another species in it. Some can also stay away because of the fact you have children and the noise is too loud, and others can stay away because the place doesn't look natural enough. So, knowing their nature and customs can be a decisive factor in bringing them in our backyard.