NORTH COUNTY -- Dozens of novice and expert birders are planning to fan out across Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista on Saturday morning in a one-day blitz to spot as many birds as possible.

Title: Annual Christmas Bird Count Date: Dec. 20th, 2007 The annual, nationwide Christmas Bird Count is taking place now. PLAY »

It's one of thousands of annual Christmas Bird Counts organized by chapters of the national Audubon Society to track changes in bird populations and migration patterns, count coordinator Terry Hunefeld said.

Escondido conducts its version of the annual bird census next weekend and Rancho Santa Fe on Jan. 5. The city of San Diego's already had its count, and it had its fourth-best year on record -- 213 species of birds were found, organizers report.

Organized in 1900 by conservationists as an alterative to holiday bird-shooting events, there are now more than 2,000 bird counts held across the United States, Latin America and the Pacific Islands during a several-week period around the holidays, the society says. Each count covers a circle of 15 miles in diameter.

For the Oceanside-Vista-Carlsbad count, the center of the circle is Highway 78 and College Boulevard. Its outer northern edge extends into Camp Pendleton and almost to Bonsall, while the southern edge takes in parts of Encinitas.

"We've got the foothills, we've got the lagoons, we've got the estuaries," said Hunefeld, "We have a wealth of habitat that gives us the (bird) diversity."

Last year, the Oceanside-Vista-Carlsbad count shared the 15th spot in the national rankings with Ventura County. Both regions recorded 183 species of birds. Rancho Santa Fe came next with 182 species, while Escondido ranked far lower with 148 species.

Meanwhile, San Diego came in seventh, sharing that spot with Morro Bay. Both areas reported finding 207 species.

The top-placing community in the nation -- Corpus Christi, Texas -- reported 238 species.

Competitiveness varies from region to region. The North County coastal count is low-key -- its emphasis is on encouraging novice bird watchers to participate, organizers said. Typically, the count only lasts a half-day, unlike some coastal areas to north that begin by hunting for owls at midnight and continue until the following night.

The events provide annual snapshot of bird population status, allowing researchers to track rarer birds and migration patterns from year to year, the society reports.

Birds in San Diego that are of particular conservation concern include the California gnatcatcher, the western snowy plover, and the light-footed clapper rail, the society notes.

While the counts are fun, organizers say the data that come out of them can be disheartening.

"It's seldom good news, it's almost always bad news," Hunefeld said as he discussed the changes bird populations over the years.

For example, take the tiny burrowing owls, which live underground, he said.

"Fifty to 60 years ago, burrowing owls would be seen all over the county," Hunefeld said, commenting that breeding pairs typically numbered about 1,000. "Now, there might be 20 to 30 pairs. … They're almost decimated."

One thing count organizers are keenly interested in are species outside their normal range, Hunefeld said. Last year, they discovered a rufous hummingbird in Carlsbad near El Camino Real and Faraday Avenue -- something that's normally found in Mexico at this time of year. This year, they think they may have several in the area, he added.

And, there's also an odd seabird phenomena this year. Dozens of rhinoceros auklets have been spotted off the coast in recent days, winging their way south when they're normally headed north at this time of year, Hunefeld said.

"Nobody can explain it," he said.

The Oceanside-Vista-Carlsbad count has an ocean-based birder to check that out -- Dave Povey, a 60-year-old Dulzura resident has lent his fishing boat for the bird counts for three decades.

Povey leaves the dock at 6:30 a.m. and other than a "quick rest break" at noon, he's on the water until 2 p.m.

"We really get crazy trying to get that last thing -- that last species nobody else has found," Povey said. "It's a little like prospecting (for gold). … Some days it can be so dead you wonder why you're out there and other days miracles happen."

Contact Barbara Henry at (760) 901-4072 or at bhenry@nctimes.com.

California Bird Counts

(species totals from last year's counts)

Arcata -- 174

Coastal Orange County -- 201

Escondido -- 148

Monterey Peninsula -- 196

Morro Bay -- 207

Moss Landing -- 209

Oakland -- 177

Oceanside-Vista-Carlsbad -- 183

Point Reyes -- 196

Rancho Santa Fe -- 182

Salton Sea -- 172

San Diego -- 207

San Francisco -- 171

San Jose -- 172

Santa Barbara -- 224

Santa Cruz County -- 179

Thousand Oaks -- 191

Ventura -- 183