Notes about your surroundings

Avian tour--Guided public tours of the Bolsa Chica wetlands are planned 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, elegant terns, kestrels, and the California brown pelicans. Watch for courtship displays among the shorebirds; hatchlings may be trying out their wings.

Wear sturdy, comfortable shoes and bring drinking water. Birders may want to bring binoculars and a bird identification book.

If you bring a camera, make sure it has a strap, and that extra rolls of film are confined to a camera bag.

Those who would like to take this free tour are asked to meet at the ecological reserve on Pacific Coast Highway about half a mile south of Warner Avenue, across from Bolsa Chica State Beach.

The wetlands also is open daily for self-guided tours. A trail with interpretive signs begins at the parking lot and winds around the estuary.

Bay tours--A guided tour of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve will be offered Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.

The upper bay, a narrow channel between the Newport Mesa and the San Joaquin Hills, originally opened directly to the ocean. In 1825, floodwaters of the Santa Ana River deposited a sand bar extending southeast from the river mouth, thereby creating a wide lagoon below the mouth of the upper bay.

Those who would like to participate are asked to meet at Shellmaker Island off Backbay Drive in Newport Beach. Information: (714) 640-6746.