WINGING IN NEW ERA; MANY FOLLOWING GROWING INTEREST IN BIRD-WATCHING.

Byline: Daniel Tenenblatt Special to the Daily News

Ever wondered what those birds up in the tree were chirping about? That is a mystery that has fascinated mankind since the ancient Greeks.

Tom Halpin can't translate, but he can identify their species. Halpin is a member of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society who is teaching an introductory bird-watching class at newly re-opened Corriganville Park in Simi Valley.

The 52-year-old Halpin pays the bills by setting tiles, but bird-watching is his love. This spring he started the first bird-watching class ever offered by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. The class is comprised of two Saturday morning walks at Corriganville, which began operations in May.

Part of the unique attraction of this class is the seasonal migration of birds throughout Southern California and the Pacific Flyway. ``Birders'' here can experience different species all year.

Halpin is like many other bird-watchers in that he did not pick up the hobby until late in life. The theory is that once you start, you're hooked, and Halpin was no exception.

Although he was fascinated by birds all his life, Halpin did not really become a serious birder until six years ago. That was when he took a class through Ventura College Community Services.

``It's something that was always there,'' Halpin said. ``I just needed a spark to get it started. Finding a lot more people out there with the same interest inspired me to keep it up.''

Teaching the class was Elliott McClure, who had been all over the world researching birds since 1933 and is the president of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society.

``Dr. McClure was the inspiration for most of the birders in this area,'' Halpin said.

But the 89-year-old McClure was ``getting a little old,'' as he put it, and looking for someone to continue teaching his class. ``One day we were out on a field trip, and I asked the class if they'd like (Tom) to take over, and they said yes,'' McClure said.

So Halpin, who had only recently begun studying the subject seriously, took over this past spring.

It was about this time that Doug Gale, recreational supervisor of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, noticed Halpin's membership in the Audubon Society. He came to Halpin with the idea of a birding class. The two decided that Corriganville would be the perfect location, as it had just re-opened on an interim basis for the first time in more than 30 years.

The Simi Valley park's rich show-business history provided some added excitement. Corriganville Park was owned by Western actor Ray ``Crash'' Corrigan during the 1930s and '40s and was the site of numerous Western movies and TV shows, including ``The Lone Ranger.''

After spending most of the 1950s as a Western-style amusement park, Corriganville was sold to Bob Hope in 1965 and closed to the public a year later.

But Halpin is really only concerned with the birds. On a recent Saturday, he led the first leg of the summer edition of the class. It began with an introduction to birding and a discussion of the types of field guides and binoculars. Then the class took a walk around what's known as Tarzan Pond, a curious title considering Tarzan movies were never filmed at Corriganville.

The following Saturday, Halpin led the class on a three-hour walk around the park. He answered questions and told stories about everything from why female birds don't usually sing, to why Bob Hope had CalTrans build a tunnel under the 118 freeway. (It was not a wildlife corridor but a road connecting the two sides of Hope's enormous property).

``Most of them had never taken a birding class in their life,'' Halpin said. ``They were saying they had no idea there was all this beauty out there.''

Halpin himself was rather excited to see the red-tailed hawk, the bird that first drew him to the recreation. The screech of the hawk is commonly heard in the background of old Westerns, while the bird itself is known for effortlessly gliding through the air, hardly flapping its wings.

The spring class drew about a dozen students, and the summer edition was equally successful.

Nancy Rapoport, a CPA and participant in the June class, was happy to discover the ``relaxing and slow-paced'' activity.

``I'm just interested in nature in general,'' said Jill Hufford, who was making her first visit to Corriganville. ``I'd like to see them have even more classes like this. It's a lot of fun.''

In addition to the two classes he teaches, Halpin is the conservation chairman of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society. He acts as the chapter's liaison to the National Audubon Society and leads the group in their quest to protect birds and their habitats.

While the National Audubon Society boasts 550,000 members, a recent study showed 54 million Americans active birders as of 1995.

Birding's 155 percent growth in participation over the past decade was significantly higher than any other outdoor activity.

Despite the widespread interest, there is a constant fear among many birders that population growth will eventually lead to land development at the expense of birds and their natural environment. Besides political campaigning and lobbying government officials, the Audubon society leads activities to increase awareness among children at both the local and national levels.

``I can't imagine living in a world where you couldn't see a hawk fly over or an egret in a tree,'' Halpin said. ``I wouldn't want to live in a world like that.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1) HALPIN

(2) Some 30 bird species were spotted recently at Simi Valley's Corriganville Park. The raven led in quantity.

(3) Simi Valley's Darrell and Jill Hufford, from left, take in the sights during a bird-watching class at Corriganville Park.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News