Birding Workshops

Attention bird watchers - the Wild Bird Crossing shop at Bridgehampton Commons has scheduled two workshops for Saturday: "Bird Watching for Beginners" at 7:30 a.m. and "How to Get Started in Backyard Bird Feeding" at 10 a.m.

For the first workshop, those interested are asked to meet at the shop for the trip to Morton National Wildlife Refuge in Noyac. The shop is again the meeting place for the backyard feeding workshop.

The East Hampton Trails Preservation Society has planned a hike through the Grace Estate and Cedar Point County Park for 10 a.m. on Sunday. Richard Lupoletti will lead trekkers on a diagonal course through the Grace Estate, passing Samp Mortar Hollow, Standing Rock, and the sunken bridge before dipping into a little-known corner of Cedar Point Park. Hikers are asked to meet at the Northwest Harbor end of Alewife Brook Road along the Cedar Point Park fence.

The peak of the Montauk Mountain is the goal of a Nature Conservancy hike scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday. True, it's only 130 feet above sea level, but what a view! It includes Fort Pond and Fort Pond Bay beyond. For reservations and to learn where to meet, hikers are asked to call the Conservancy's East Hampton headquarters.

The ecology of the pine barrens is the subject of a slide show and lecture tonight at the offices of Cornell Cooperative Extension Service at 246 Griffing Avenue, Riverhead, from 7 to 9 p.m. On Saturday, phenomena described at the previous night's workshop can be viewed first-hand during a field trip to the pine barrens.

The time and location of the field trip will be announced at the workshop. The fee for the two-day event is $30. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Long Island Pine Barrens Society. Advance registration is required and can be made by calling the service's marine program headquarters at 3690 Cedar Beach Road in Southold.