Notes about your surroundings.

Touring the Bay--Friends of Newport Bay will host tours of the Newport Back Bay area on Saturday. The Upper Bay is home to many birds during the winter months, including herons, ducks, dowitchers, sandpipers, willets and shovelers.

These birds can be spotted diving in the water, foraging in the mud flats or dabbling in the lower marshlands. The area’s dense, marshlike vegetation is also home to more than half of the state’s population of the light-footed clapper rail, a bird on the U.S. endangered species list.

The guided tours are free and will begin continuously from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Those who would like to participate are asked to meet at Back Bay and Eastbluff drives in Newport Beach. For more information, call (714) 646-8009.

Feathered Friends--While those interested in shore birds are touring Upper Newport Bay, the Oak Canyon Nature Center will be hosting a Saturday morning program on birds that can be spotted in the inland area of the county. At 8 a.m., the “Early Birders” program--geared toward those with some bird-watching experience--will feature a guided hike through the center’s grounds in search of the unusual and common. Binoculars are recommended.

At 10 a.m., the “Feathered Friends” presentation begins. It will feature slides and descriptions of birds and is geared toward children and bird-watching novices. It will be followed by a walk as well.

The program is one in a series of Saturday morning programs being offered by the center with an emphasis on bringing families together and appreciating nature. The center is at 6700 Walnut Canyon Road, Anaheim. Call (714) 998-8380 for more information.