My mother, and her mother before her, kept a pair of binoculars and a journal of bird sightings at their breakfast tables. Daily we were entertained by the various birds that came to the birdfeeder outside the picture window. My mother had rigged a string to a cowbell which she would pull when a cat approached. She waged losing battles trying to keep squirrels out of the feeders. Their acrobatic antics were a source of hilarity.

     With the Birding Festival in Watsonville coming up, I pulled out my old Peterson's Guide and discovered lists of bird sightings from childhood way into adulthood. It includes robins, sparrows, cardinals, bluebirds, bluejays and other birds common to the New England states. I kept those lists to see how many birds I could "collect". One time only, hiking in the foothills of the Rockies with my children, we spied a flash of orange, yellow and red -a Western Tanager! For both beauty and spunk, my current favorite is the junco, pictured here. 

     It occurs to me that during the week and next weekend offers great opportunities for families to get swept into the thrill of the "hunt" for ever new birds for their lists.

                                                                                                Parmalee

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One of the most spectacular birding venues in North America - the Monterey Bay - will take center stage for the fourth annual Monterey Bay Birding Festival. Discover new places and new birds, and revisit favorite spots in the Pajaro Valley, heart of the Monterey Bay's world-renown birding area, and along the spectacular Central Coast of California.

The Birding Festival has something for everyone, especially beginning birders. Trip leaders are skilled, knowledgeable in finding birds and are very interesting in helping you see them and learn more about them.  Over 600 species of birds have been found in California, and the vast majority of these species can be seen in our area.

All festival activities will be headquartered at the new City of Watsonville Civic Plaza, including field trips departures, workshops, evening socials, exhibitors and keynote presentations. More than 70 activities are planned, highlighted by our new series of workshops "Honing Your Birding Skills" designed for beginning birders.

In conjunction with the festival, the City of Watsonville's Wetlands of Watsonville Nature Center at Ramsay Park invites you and your children to the free, bilingual Family Days on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please register.

Thurs 9/24 & Fri 9/25 12-6:30pm and Sat 9/26 8am-7pm. Come to the Vendor's Faire to see unique and quality bird related art and crafts, photography, optics and nature-tourism. Our new exhibitor area will feature Eagle Optics and Leica Optics, two of the leading suppliers of birding optics in the United States.

OK, I know that I haven't made a convincing enough argument. All of you, my friends, who actually feel that I'm harming my child by homeschooling her, you are just holding your tongues so that we can maintain our friendship.

You think that by bringing up little criticisms, little questions, every day, you might make me see the irreparable harm I am causing to my child.

But now, I have finally happened upon the argument that will convince you, once and for all, that what I am doing is Just Fine. My daughter will not be irreparably harmed, and we can go back to talking about the last episode of Survivor rather than educational issues, which, I realize, bore you, though they fascinate me. That, however, is a different issue altogether.

The issue is homeschooling. Yes, it is true that I homeschool my daughter. And today I am going to present you with the argument that will finally silence all of your objections. And it will only take four words: >>>>>