FLIGHT COUNTDOWN VOLUNTEERS COMPLETE ANNUAL BIRD COUNT.

Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer

SANTA ROSA VALLEY - Volunteer birders from the Conejo Valley Chapter of the Audubon Society spotted 173 species - the same number as last year - in their annual Christmas Bird Count this past week.

The chapter, which has members from southeast Ventura County, including Simi Valley and Moorpark, spotted more than 25,000 individual birds in its count, one of 2,000 held in the Western Hemisphere from Dec. 14 through Jan. 5.

``It's great fun,'' said chapter president Carol Langford, who led a group of birders along the Conejo Creek in the Santa Rosa Valley area last weekend.

``You're part of a long-standing tradition, and as citizen scientist, one really makes a contribution. It teaches us locally to appreciate the habitat for our birds and teaches us how our habitat is diminishing.''

Ventura County is one of the top spots in the nation for sheer variety of bird species.

Last year, the Conejo chapter ranked 17th in the nation and Canada for number of species counted - 173. The Ventura Chapter, which covers the west end of the county, had 175 species for 16th place on the list last year.

The Santa Barbara chapter just north of Ventura had 208 species, making it first in California and third in the United States and Canada, behind two Texas chapters that tied with 231.

``The counties that do the best in California tend to be along the ocean, with freshwater marshes and a variety of inland habitat. That gives the greatest variety of birds,'' said Walter Wehtje, who compiles the list of birds spotted each year by the Conejo Valley chapter.

The Christmas Bird Count began over a century ago, on Dec. 25, 1900, when 27 Audubon conservationists in 25 localities staged the event as an alternative to hunting.

This year, more than 55,000 volunteers had been expected to participate, more people in more locations than ever, organizers said.

Each count group completes a census of the birds found during one 24-hour period between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 in a designated circle 15 miles in diameter - about 177 square miles.

For the Conejo chapter, the circle extends from the Santa Rosa Valley to the ocean.

Chrystal Klabunde of Simi Valley, secretary of the Conejo Chapter, went to Lake Sherwood for the Christmas Bird Count.

``A lot of people were down with the flu, so we short-handed. But it went real well. I spotted the only phainopepla in our count. It's black with a crest and black red eyes, about the size of a mockingbird. It was sitting on top of a tree at Lake Sherwood.''

Although Simi Valley wasn't included in the 15-mile circle, it has better than average bird habitat because of the Arroyo Simi and open hills around the community.

``Rancho Simi Community Park and the Arroyo Simi are excellent bird habitats,'' Klabunde said. ``In the winter, we have roosting ferruginous hawks. In Rancho Simi Park, there are always lots of egrets and herons. The arroyo has lots of wintering duck species.''

In October, an Audubon Society report - based in part on the Christmas bird counts - indicated that almost 30 percent of North America's bird species are in ``significant decline.''

But Wehtje said he has seen fairly steady populations in Ventura County areas where open space has been maintained. But development leads to changes in the bird population.

``With development, we have fewer species that depend upon native habitat, and more species associated with development like crows and scrub jays,'' he said.

Still, Dee Lyon of Thousand Oaks said bird watchers from other parts of the nation come to California specifically to add certain species to their personal lists of birds they have spotted.

``You have no idea how fortunate we are. Some places up north, you're lucky if you get 20 different species. Birders from other parts of the country spend a lot of money coming to Ventura County to find birds.''

Count results from 1900 to the present are available through Audubon's Web site www.audubon.org/bird/cbc.

Eric Leach, [phone]

eric.leach(at)dailynews.com