Environment : Notes about your surroundings.

ON THE MOVE: The California gray whales are making their way south once again on the first leg of their annual 12,000-mile round trip from the Bering Sea to the warm waters off Baja California. The first of the estimated 18,000 whales that make the trek will be passing along the Orange County coast in the coming weeks.

That means the popular whale-watching tours will soon begin tracking the huge marine mammals, some as early as next week. While at least half of the whales stay 30 to 50 miles offshore, many stay close enough to land to be spotted easily from the whale-watch boats.

The whales can reach 45 feet in length and 45 to 50 tons in weight. They leave their feeding grounds in the Bering Sea between Alaska and the Soviet Union in late summer, and the first ones--usually pregnant females--begin showing up in Orange County waters in December.

During January and February, the whales head for the warm lagoons along the Baja California coast, where the females have their calves and the whales breed and rest for the return trip north, which usually starts in March and continues through early May. They can also be spotted off the county coast during the return trek. Each whale takes about 10 hours to pass along the approximately 40-mile Orange County coast.

A number of companies offer whale-watch tours, including Dana Wharf Sportfishing in Dana Point (see Datebook, this page, for details). Other companies offer boats that leave from Newport Beach: Davey’s Locker, (714) 673-1434; Catalina Holiday, (714) 675-9881; Newport Landing Sportfishing, (714) 675-0550.

Every Saturday through mid-March, the Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point offers a combined lecture/tour in conjunction with Dana Wharf Sportfishing. Group packages are offered daily except Sunday. For information, call (714) 496-2274.

Also, the Orange County chapter of the American Cetacean Society has monthly meetings that feature talks by experts on whales and other cetaceans. For information, call 675-9881.

BIRD COUNT: Local birders got a little soggy Sunday as they scoured inland Orange County during the annual Christmas Bird Count, sponsored by the National Audubon Society.

“Actually, considering the rain, we did quite well,” said count organizer Gerald Tolman. A total of 160 species were tallied, which topped last year’s count of 157 species.

Tolman said the most unusual sighting was that of a thick-billed kingbird, which usually breeds in southern Arizona. The bird has been seen in Orange County for 7 straight years, but has never been spotted in any other Christmas bird count north of Mexico.

Birders will head back out a week from today for the coastal count. Last year’s coastal count in Orange County netted 215 species, which tied for first place in the country. Bird enthusiasts who would like to take part in this year’s census can volunteer by calling the Sea and Sage Audubon Society chapter office, (714) 543-7393.

EDUCATION GUIDE: A new publication is available from the Orange County Department of Education/Environmental Field Study Program. Entitled “Outdoor Science Education in Orange County,” the guide offers a comprehensive profile of nature centers, museums, zoological parks and outdoor science education centers. It is available for $6 from the Orange County Department of Education, P.O. Box 9050, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92628-9050.