Birdwatching, identifying and watching was the spring break assignment and I was stoked.  He, on the other hand, wasn't as excited. Especially when I said we were waking up early to do this. It was spring break after all but the assignment was 20 birds. 20! I felt like it was hanging over my head. I could feel stress with it. He wasn't worried. I felt this was something that could b done well since I had the camera and equipment for it. So we put on our rainboots, batteries were charged and CF cards were in the camera and we headed out the door to find our backyard PNW birds.
The first morning we visited Vanderyatch Park where they had previously place bird feeders. A heron stalked its prey and came up with a fish. Redwing blackbirds called shrill from the cattails. Robins perched high in the trees, woodpeckers hopped higher and higher as they searched for bugs beneath the bark of the cottonwoods.  Small black-capped chickadees raided the last of the wither red fall berries in the brush. It was a success but it wasn't 20 birds. It meant another day of photographing and walking.
Our next outing was to Tenant Lake where we spied a swallow just as it was taking flight. A morning dove casually made its way along the trail and into the tall grass. Mallard ducks calmly floated in groups while other dabbled and dove in the lake.  Another heron fished along the shore. Success yet still not 20, although getting closer.  We drove to Lake Terrell where upon arriving we were greeted by Canadian geese making their way to the water. Brown sparrows flitted among the bushes. When our feet became wet from an accidental dunking we decided to make our way home. We chose the long way so we could stop at the nest near Axton road.  High in the treetops, we could barely make out the head of the resident Bald Eagle sitting in her nest presumably on her eggs. And yet the elusive 20 birds escaped us.  A seagull and a crow were two more easy ones to include. A visit to a friend's hummingbird feeder, unfortunately, didn't yield any little hummers as I was hoping. The tall cottonwoods near the interstate did have a hawk perched in its branches. At the end of the week, he had 18 birds plus one rubber chicken.  I was extremely satisfied with the outcome of the photos and this assignment. Of course, he still needed to put the finishing touches on the assignment; a powerpoint presentation with facts and information still needed to be done.  I had the easy part of accompanying him on the outings.