Notes about your surroundings

Coastal Bird Tallies--The Sea & Sage chapter of the National Audubon Society has tallied the results of its coastal Christmas Bird Count.

A total of 186 bird species and 66,457 individuals were spotted during the count, conducted Jan. 2.

The following areas were included in the count: West Memorial Park and corner of the Seal Beach Weapons Station; Huntington Central Park, Wintersberg Channel, Carr Park and southern Huntington Beach; Bolsa Chica; Mile Square Regional Park and Santa Ana River channel; Santa Ana River mouth to Ellis Avenue and Huntington Beach Pier.

Other areas were old Santa Ana, parts of Garden Grove and Santa Ana River from 1st Street to Memory Lane; newer Santa Ana and Centennial Regional Park; west side of Newport Back Bay, Costa Mesa, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa High School and TeWinkle Memorial Park; east side of Newport Backbay Drive; UC Irvine and southern Irvine; Irvine foothills and Corona del Mar; Newport Harbor and jetty, and pelagic areas by boat.

More than 1,000 individuals of the following species were spotted during the count: western sandpipers (6,770 spotted); California gulls (3,533); ring-billed gulls (3,344); European starlings (3,305); American coots (3,037); yellow-rumped warblers (2,469); dowitchers (2,322); northern pintails (2,270); house finches (2,173); ruddy ducks (1,770); rock doves (1,691); white-crowned sparrows (1,629); American crows (1,625); western gulls (1,455); bushtits (1,403); American wigeons (1,333); green-winged teals (1,319); mallards (1,280); house sparrows (1,233); Canada geese (1,050); and northern shovelers (1,009). Bay Bird Counts--The Sea & Sage chapter is seeking volunteers to help with monthly bird counts at Upper Newport Bay. The next count will be held Saturday.

The census is taken by six teams at low tide and lasts about two to 2 1/2 hours.

The count will be begin at 1 p.m.

For more information, call the chapter office at (714) 261-7963.