BIRDERS FLOCK TO VENTURA COUNTY'S WILDER AREAS : REGION POPULAR ROOSTING PLACE FOR MIGRATING AVIANS, WATCHERS.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

An adventure on the Galapagos Islands left Dee Lyon impressed with the nature of birds and began her evolution as a birder.

The Thousand Oaks resident now can note when the house finch population drops, as it did last year following aerial spraying for Mediterranean fruit flies over Camarillo. Lyon noted the return of black skimmers, a large water bird, to Ventura County over the past several years, and, she said, the red-breasted nuthatch, a songbird, is returning in large numbers this year.

``There are 500 species that come through Southern California, so there are plenty to see,'' Lyon said. ``People who are birders, they get obsessive and start making lists. People get crazy.''

Ventura County's open spaces and rural reaches are prime habitat for migrating birds.

Amateur bird-watchers and experienced ornithologists alike can spot and observe one of the greatest avian displays in North America on the county's flyway. Streaming into wetlands, lakes, canyons, valleys and open space parks each winter are dozens of species numbering in the thousands from Canada and the northwest.

On one day during a two-week period from the middle of December to early January, bird-watchers from the county's two National Audubon Society chapters try to identify as many species as possible and tally their populations.

``It's a great hobby. It's always fun to spot rare species and seeing how many can be seen,'' said Art Marshall, president of the Ventura chapter. ``We're hoping for 175 to 180 this year.''

The Conejo Valley and Ventura chapters regularly rank among the top contributors to the Christmas Bird Count the Audubon Society began in 1900 to protest the killing of birds.

The Audubon Society's annual inventory and census has grown from 25 counts to more than 1,650, with an estimated 45,000 birders from Canada, the United States, Central and South America participating, said John Bianchi, spokesman for the Audubon Society, which is based in New York City.

``This gives you a very good count of resident species and migratory species,'' Bianchi explained. ``Our chapter members are really doing good science work.''

A thick volume of data from the annual counts is published each year and is valuable for scientific research and habitat protection efforts.

Last year's Christmas Bird Count also was used to compile the first ``flight-watch list'' of birds whose populations are in decline or who have lost habitat. The list is the work of Partners in Flight, which represents dozens of conservation and science groups and agencies.

Elliot McClure, a retired wildlife biologist organizing the Conejo Valley chapter's count this year, said the annual counts have revealed enough to be concerned.

``Some species are rapidly diminishing and others are holding their own,'' said McClure, who has joined each count the past 23 years.

``Really, the main cause is man destroying the environment,'' he contended. ``You see, you can't crowd wildlife. They can only stand a certain density. There's less habitat and less food.''

McClure, who lives in Camarillo, has been involved in wildlife management and ornithology for more than 50 years. He is saddened that Ventura County increasingly is under the same development pressure that has paved over oak woodlands, drained wetlands, and covered creeks and rivers with concrete across Southern California.

There are 90 species on the first flight-watch list. Published in the Audubon Society's recent edition of field notes, the list includes several species typically found in Southern California. They include the yellow headed blackbird and the American bittern, both found in wetland and riparian areas, and the loggerhead shrike, which is a perching bird found in open fields and grasslands.

Bianchi said the annual count therefore is important. ``It's fun for birders, but this is kind of the fruits of that counting, to show that there is real decline and loss of habitat.''

Despite the sometimes troubling trends noted over the years, McClure retains an optimistic streak heading into each Christmas Bird Count.

``It's a lot of fun. People get together and talk about what you've seen.

``There are 8,500 species in the world and I've seen about 3,000 of them,'' McClure said with a sense of humor rather than pride. ``I haven't quite seen them all.''

The promise of that rare find among so many species a birder is accustomed to spotting near home has kept Marshall of Ventura involved in the annual count for more than a decade.

``Sometimes you have luck finding a stray species that might be wintering here,'' he said. ``One year I remember swans that were blown by winds over from the San Joaquin Valley.''

On this year's count, Marshall said he hopes to spot a Louis woodpecker, which normally does not roost in the county.

Novices might be fortunate to identify more common species, yet valuable experience can be gained working with more knowledgeable birders.

``We do get a few newcomers every year,'' said Lyon of Thousand Oaks. ``It's always fun to have a newcomer amongst the group because they're so enthusiastic.''

Lyon noted that she keeps reading that bird-watching is the largest growing pastime in the United States. Five years after making her first, untrained observations on the archipelago off Ecuador, Lyon believes she knows why.

``It's very easy to get into. All you need is field glasses and a book.''

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