Like most nature lovers, I get a bad case of spring fever this time of year. The only relief is taking a bird walk or wildflower walk or other nature trek. But that creates a "problem." So many competing nature outings are scheduled March through May by various organizations that it's difficult to decide which ones to go on.

Of course, one couldn't possibly go on all of them. So, as I do every spring, I work up a schedule to make as many as possible.

Charles Seabrook / Special (ENLARGE)

Don Scarbrough, a naturalist at Sweetwater Creek State Park, talks about the blooming wildflowers during a nature walk.

Charles Seabrook / Special (ENLARGE)

Bloodroot, one of the early spring flowers in bloom along a trail at Sweetwater in Douglas County during a wildflower walk Easter weekend.

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Last weekend, it took two Atlanta Audubon Society bird walks and a wildflower walk to soothe my fever, at least temporarily. The first of the bird treks was on Saturday in the splendid Fernbank Forest in northeast Atlanta. A group of 15 of us birders saw or heard 33 feathered species on a fine spring morning during a two-hour stroll through the old-growth woods.

Our leader, Chris Showalter, noted that it was a little too early in the season for many of the spring migratory songbirds, most of which will arrive during the next few weeks. Fernbank Forest rarely disappoints, and our trip was no exception. The biggest "show" for us was a Cooper's hawk chasing a barred owl.

"I've never witnessed that behavior from a Cooper's before," said Showalter, a Fernbank Science Center ornithologist. No one else in our group had witnessed such behavior, either. Other interesting sightings during our morning trek: a blue-headed vireo flitting around in plain view for a couple of minutes and purple finches and red-breasted nuthatches (birds that occasionally spend the winter in Georgia and nest up North in summer) still hanging around.

Saturday afternoon, I headed to Sweetwater Creek State Park in Douglas County, where park naturalist Don Scarbrough led a small group of us on a three-mile wildflower walk. With this season's cooler than usual weather, spring seems to be a little late, and several wildflowers seem slow to bloom, Scarbrough said. Still, the white-flowered bloodroot was in magnificent blossom; so were the star chickweed, rue anemone, yellow violet and common blue violet.

Scarbrough noted that many other early spring wildflowers should be in full bloom during the next few weeks. Interesting note: Scarbrough has recorded more than 120 blooming species from February to mid-June along Sweetwater park's trails.

The next day, a chilly Easter Sunday morning, found me in the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve in Decatur for my second bird walk of the weekend. Led by birder Lisa Hurt, our group saw or heard 42 bird species, including a pair of mallards and a pair of wood ducks, the only two duck species that nest in Georgia. The ducks were swimming on the pond, filled with water by recent rains. For the past several months, the pond has been bone-dry because of the drought.

At one point, we kept our binoculars trained on a splendid male brown thrasher, Georgia's official state bird. It conveniently perched for several minutes on a river birch along the pond. Hurt noted that a brown thrasher may have a repertoire of some 2,000 songs. "That's more than my iPod can hold," someone quipped.

For more information about upcoming nature outings, check these Web sites: www.atlantaaudubon.org (Atlanta Audubon); www.gastateparks.org (Georgia State Parks); www.gabotsoc.org (Georgia Botanical Society). Also, organizations such as the Georgia Sierra Club and Georgia ForestWatch offer occasional weekend nature hikes.

Birds in buildings

From time to time, wild birds accidentally enter a home or other building. The human occupants scramble to shoo it out, but the effort often is frustrating. Recently on the Georgia birders' chat line, birder Charlie Muise of Lamar County offered some tips on freeing a trapped bird.

Most birds escape by flying up, so simply chasing a bird toward a door or window doesn't work very well. Hummingbirds can die quickly if chased. However, if you leave a door or window open and leave the area for about 10 minutes, there's a good chance the bird will find its way out.

Don't try catching a bird in your hands. There's a good chance you'll hurt it, though unintentionally. Using a net is a little safer but still dangerous for the bird.

If the bird is a wren, it might not be trapped. A wren will nest inside a building and can enter and leave through very small holes.

If it is a hummingbird, try moving a nectar-filled feeder near an open door or window, just on the outside, then leave the area.

In the sky

The moon rises this week about midnight and sets around midday. By April 4, it will shrink to a very thin crescent in the predawn sky, says Fernbank astronomer David Dundee. The moon will be new on April 5. Mercury is very low in the east just before sunrise. Mars is high in the south at about sunset. Jupiter rises out of the east just after midnight and appears close to the moon tonight. Saturn is high in the east at sunset.