Notes about your surroundings

Wetlands Wandering--Guided public tours of the Bolsa Chica wetlands will be offered Saturday morning. The tours, sponsored by Amigos de Bolsa Chica, will depart from the wetlands’ ecological reserve every 20 minutes beginning at 9 a.m. The last tour will depart at 10:30 a.m.

Tours are led by docents familiar with the wetlands’ flora and wildlife. Birds spotted at the wetlands include great blue herons, whimbrels, red-breasted mergansers and red-tailed hawks.

Spring is an excellent time to visit the wetlands. Rains helped produce a harvest of wildflowers that splash color among green reeds and cattails. Additionally, mating season is underway. Watch for birds performing mating dances, building nests and courting.

Those with avian affinities should also bring binoculars and a bird identification book.

To take this free tour, meet at the ecological reserve on Pacific Coast Highway about half a mile south of Warner Avenue, across from Bolsa Chica State Beach.

*

Spotters Needed--Amateur and professional birders alike are asked to record information regarding purple martin nest locations.

The birds are usually found in areas with dead trees, along ridges or near large bodies of water. Much of the purple martin’s natural habitat was destroyed in the fires of 1993.

Purple martins have swift-like bodies and a dark, shiny coloring. They are often seen swooping across parkways and open fields while feeding on gnats and mosquitoes.

Information: Brian Williams, P.O. Box 605, Loomis, CA 95650.