Notes about your surroundings

Spring Tour--Guided public tours of the Bolsa Chica wetlands will take place Saturday morning. The free tours, sponsored by Amigos de Bolsa Chica, will begin at 9 a.m. and leave every 20 minutes until 10:20 a.m.

The 1 1/2-hour tours will be led by docents of the Bolsa Chica Foundation. Birds spotted at the wetlands include great blue herons, whimbrels, white pelicans, red-breasted mergansers and red-tailed hawks.

Spring is an excellent time to visit the wetlands. Recent rains helped produce a harvest of wildflowers, reeds and cattails.

To participate, meet at the ecological reserve on Pacific Coast Highway about half a mile south of Warner Avenue, across from Bolsa Chica State Beach.

Private tour groups are available any time by reservation and a minimum $10 donation. For more information, call the Amigos de Bolsa Chica office at (714) 897-7003.

Bay Watch--Groups, from classrooms to Girl Scout troops, are invited to study Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve once a month, year-round.

The project helps students understand marine biology and the importance of ecological responsibility through a series of scientific tests including towing a 100-foot wall of net offshore, then dragging it back to shore. Fish caught will be weighed, measured and released back into the bay.

Those interested should contact the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve and Regional Park at (714) 640-6746.