IN THE PIPELINE:

“Cinnamon Teals,” he says excitedly. “First I’ve seen this season.” In the water near the boardwalk bridge at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, several small ducks with large light blue patches on the front of their wings swim nearby. Males have a bright cinnamon red head and body, hence the name.

Steve Mullins watches them in wonder, just as he watches every other creature here, winged or otherwise. It’s early one recent morning at the wetlands, and Steve is doing what he always seems to be doing when I see him here — listening and watching the nature, and cleaning up.

“My dad is my hero,” he says. “A true naturalist. He taught me early not just to appreciate nature, but to leave a place better-looking than it was when we arrived. And really, pretty much everything else in the Boy Scout oath.”

Mullins, a onetime scout who got out of the ranks to play high school football, is as much a part of the terrain, it seems, as the snowy egrets. When he’s not picking up, I’ll sometimes bump into him in the weeds, where he waits patiently, spotting scope in hand, ear to the wind.

“I’m obsessed with nature,” the father of two college kids laughs. “But especially, the sounds of the birds. I think I have a photographic memory when it comes to those sounds. They just stick in my head after hearing them once. Woodpeckers, red-tail hawks, peregrine falcons — they’re like voices to me, instantly recognizable voices.”

And for this gift he also credits his dad, Gary Mullins. “He’d wake me up early when we were growing up out in Brea to listen to the pheasants and the coyotes — my dad really made sure I appreciate nature to its fullest.” Today, Gary lives in Huntington Beach and he occasionally takes walks with Steve at the wetlands, where the son now points out things to his teacher — his hero — his dad.

But as noble as Steve’s passion for nature and picking up are, I’d be remiss if I didn’t focus on what seems to be Steve’s true purpose out here in the wetlands. You may have seen him in his true mode as you drive by on Pacific Coast Highway. Look for a large group of school kids being led out on a nature walk, and you may then notice a Pied Piper-esque leader before them — Steve.

See, upward of three times per week, Steve helps lead groups of school kids around the wetlands, teaching them about birds, local history, Native Americans, water conservation, nature — and not littering. He’s one of the volunteers in the Bolsa Chica Land Trust’s Miracles of the Marsh, the elementary school education program that brings children from around Orange County and Long Beach to the Bolsa Chica for a walking tour in this living classroom.

As dedicated as I see Steve in his bird-listening and cleanup efforts, it’s teaching the kids where he seems to find his strongest stride. In fact, so much does he enjoy showing off this rich estuary that the third Sunday of each month, he leads a free tour of the wetlands for all comers. “Ten a.m. in the parking lot across from Bolsa Chica State Beach,” he says. “I’m here for the tour, and sometimes it gets up to around 30 people.”

I know he’d rather I leave it out, but I think you should also know that Steve, an old-fashioned tile contractor who was taught by the masters, is at the ready if you need some tile work done. It frustrates him that these days, the old-school pros get aced out by so many low-ball bidders who ultimately do shoddy work. “You get what you pay for,” he shrugs with a short laugh. “My dad taught me that, too. Don’t take short cuts. Do it right the first time.”

Write me and I’ll gladly put you in touch with Steve if you’d like. Or even better, show up the third Sunday some time for one of his free tours. He can tell you about tile. But first, no doubt, you’ll get some wonderful lessons on raptors, burrowing owls and more from a true nature lover — a gentle, kindly denizen of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands named Steve Mullins.

And remember, high school writers: The first In The Pipeline writing competition is underway. In 600 words or less, write a nonfiction story that reveals something special about the city. Use photography and interviews and develop your story as your own column, because the winner will have their piece run in this column space — and more. Deadline for entries is April 16. Please write me with any questions you might have. Good luck!

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 17 books, including the new “Huntington Beach Then & Now.” You can write him at chris@chrisepting.com .