Notes about your surroundings

Volunteers Needed--Audubon House, the Sea & Sage Audubon Society chapter office at the San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh, needs volunteer help to get through the summer months.

Volunteers assist in gathering weather and bird information, greeting visitors, answering phones and organizing projects. Normal volunteer shifts are 8 a.m. to noon, and noon to 4 p.m.

Previous Audubon House volunteers are encouraged to come back and help out. Others who are interested will receive training. For information, call (714) 261-7963.

Sea & Sage is also seeking volunteers to help with its monthly bird census at Upper Newport Bay. The count is held in conjunction with the state Department of Fish and Game, and takes about 2 1/2 hours. The next count is July 11; for information, call the Audubon number above.

Photo Contest--Entries will be accepted all through the month of July for the annual photo contest sponsored by Amigos de Bolsa Chica. Photographs taken within the public portion of the Bolsa Chica wetlands reserve can be either color or black and white, and can focus on people, nature or landscapes. For information, call (714) 897-7003.

Name Changes--What’s in a name? Plenty, for serious bird-watchers. The following bird names have been changed recently by the American Ornithological Union.

The green-backed heron is now the green heron and the black-shouldered kite is now the white-tailed kite. The lesser golden-plover was split into two species: American golden-plover (Pluvialis dominica) and Pacific golden-plover (Pluvialis fulva).

Meanwhile, the rosy finch was split into three species: gray-crown rosy finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis), black rosy finch (Leucosticte atrata) and brown-capped rosy finch (Leucosticte australis).