Beyond the binoculars

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW—Frank DeMartino, president of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society, scans the treetops for birds during an outing at Valle Lindo Park in Camarillo. SCOTT STEEPLETON/Acorn Newspapers Frank DeMartino is trying to have a conversation. Birds keep getting in the way. Strolling through Valle Lindo Park in Camarillo, the 46-year-old keeps eyes trained on the trees and an ear tuned to the chirps and calls coming from their branches. Yellow-rumped warblers, bluebirds and dark-eyed juncos are moving through the park. Somewhere in the distance, a persistent peep catches his attention. That’s a red-breasted nuthatch, he explains. For DeMartino, president of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society and compiler of the Ventura Christmas Bird Count, identifying birds is almost involuntary. “Once you get into this and do it enough, you can’t stop it, really. You can’t turn it off,” he said. That can make conversations outdoors a bit challenging.

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