Armed with binoculars and spotting scopes, birdwatchers scoured Camarillo Regional Park Saturday looking and listening for both elusive and common birds as part of the 108th annual Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count.

Don Klabunde estimated the birders from the Conejo Valley Audubon Society would count at least 200 species before the day was out, and with any luck they might add a new species of bird to the list this year.

The bird count is a scene carried out in numerous communities, drawing some 50,000 birders across the Americas during this time of year.

The Audubon Society compiles all the local counts, and the resulting census can highlight environmental threats to bird populations or show how global climate changes affect bird numbers.

The Christmas Bird Count dates back more than a century, when the holiday tradition included a hunt to see who could shoot the most birds. According to the National Audubon Society Web site, conservation was then in its infancy and scientists were concerned about declining bird populations.

Beginning on Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed a new holiday tradition where birds were counted rather than hunted.

That first count drew 27 birdwatchers in 25 locations who counted a total of 90 species of birds.

Today's birders come with skills beyond just good eyesight.

With binoculars in hand, birder Bob Poehls said he can easily identify a bird by the sound it makes and its behavior.

"Sometimes, you just know," he said.

But not all of the birdwatchers are necessarily experienced, said Chrystal Klabunde, Conejo Valley Audubon Society program chair.

Barry Goldberg, one of the birders at Camarillo Regional Park, said that he's been a member of the Audubon Society for only a year.

"That makes me a beginner," he said. "But I'm very interested in it."

Goldberg said he likes to be a part of the count because it's considered to be a scientific study.

"That makes it more, you know, fun," he said. "It's kind of like on (television) programs about archeological digs and ordinary people who aren't scientific at all are contributing to something."

Patricia Turner has been a serious birdwatcher for four years but said she grew up with a birder father in England.

"He used to participate in the Christmas bird count in England 30 years ago," she said.

Turner brought her 29-year-old daughter, Natalie, with her to Saturday's bird count.

Natalie Turner came to visit her parents from Montgomery, Ala., where she's stationed in the Air Force.

"It's my first time bird watching. I'm used to seeing cardinals in Alabama," she said. "My mom used to go bird watching in England with her dad, and here I am with my mom."

Natalie Turner said she likes that bird watching has been passed down in her family.

"My parents got me a birdwatching set last year," she said. "I live by a mountain and I get to see lots of birds."