Notes about your surroundings.

Local Bird Count--Results of the northern Christmas Bird Count, which covered inland portions of Orange County, have been tallied by the Sea & Sage chapter of the National Audubon Society. Results from the coastal count will be available soon.

The following are the five species that were spotted the most and the number of individuals tallied on the count day, Dec. 15:

* California gulls, 10,593.

* Yellow-rumped warblers, 2,149.

* House finch, 1,858.

* European starling, 1,750.

* American coot, 1,540.

Whiting Ranch Trip--The Sea & Sage chapter of the National Audubon Society is sponsoring a field trip on Tuesday to Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, in the canyon and hilly areas behind the newer subdivisions in Lake Forest.

Among the oak and sycamore trees are a variety of bird species. Worth noting are a pair of red-shouldered hawks that have been spotted there.

The field trip begins at 8 a.m. Participants are asked to meet in the wilderness park’s parking lot, off Portola Parkway west of Bake Parkway. For more information, call the chapter office at (714) 543-7393.

Marsh News--Two events will be held at the San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh Reserve this week. Each is sponsored by the UC Irvine Cooperative Outdoor Program.

On Wednesday, there will be a guided night walk in the marsh for people who want to learn more about the reserve’s ecology during the evening hours. It begins at 7.

On Thursday, there will be a guided day tour of the marsh, which will include a discussion of its importance to the ducks and geese that return each winter to the area. The hourlong tour begins at 1 p.m.

For each event, those who would like to participate are asked to meet at the UC Irvine Arboretum on the university’s North Campus. For more information, call Marsh Steward Bill Bretz at (714) 856-6031.