Eyes fixed on birds and boats

A pair of binoculars and sturdy shoes are all you need to join thousands of birders who participate in the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count. Last year, volunteers tallied 70 million birds in the U.S., Canada, parts of Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies and Pacific Islands. The 106th annual event in Southern California takes place in Lancaster (Dec. 17), Malibu (Dec. 18), L.A. (Jan. 2) and other regional locations. Also on Dec. 17, Audubon’s South Coast chapter leads a bird count at Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy in Orange County to find more than 80 different species of birds that live in or migrate to the coastal foothills on Rancho Mission Viejo. The counting begins at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Reservations are required; call (949) 489-9778. For other Christmas count events, go to www.audubon.orgor www.laaudubon.org. For those who prefer viewing things that float, decked-out boats will be on parade in Marina del Rey on Friday and Saturday at Burton Chace Park (www.mdrboatparade.org; in San Diego on Sunday and Dec. 18 from 5:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. (www.sdparadeoflights.org); at Channel Islands Harbor on Saturday at 7 p.m. (www.channelislandsharbor.org/events.cfm).

-- Laurie K. Schenden and Mary Forgione