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said.
    She folded her arms over her notebook. “That’s all the time I have. I have other stuff to do tonight.”
    â€œWhat stuff?” I asked. “What could be more important than this birding project right now?”
    Ava scowled at me. “We’re wasting time. I now have fifty-eight minutes. My brother will be back right at five thirty.”
    â€œOkay, okay,” I said. “Let’s go to the kitchen and introduce you to Claudette. Great news! Colin’s great-aunt — don’t let her hear you say ‘great’ about her — is an expert birder, and she is going to take us out in the field to find the Kirtland’s.”
    Colin waved us across the room. “We’ve already told Bergita and Claudette about our assignment, and they’re on board.”
    When we walked into the kitchen, Bergita pointed to the pizza on the counter. “Ava, I’m so glad you could come over.”
    Ava squinted at Colin’s grandmother as if she was trying to decide if the older woman was lying to her.
    Bergita simply smiled. “I just pulled this out of the oven. You kids help yourselves.”
    I grabbed a piece of pepperoni pizza and placed it on a plate before slipping back onto the stool at the counter. I spun the seat so that I faced Claudette and the map.
    Colin and Ava did the same and perched on stools on either side of me.
    Claudette sat at the dining table and seemed to have no interest in the pizza. She made notes on a yellow legal pad. “Since there will be a group of us going out, we have to rethink our supply list. We should have enough food — I hope you kids like granola — and then there’s always the issue of the amount of toilet paper to bring. You never know.”
    Ava grimaced at her slice of pizza.
    â€œI have an extra tent,” Bergita said. “It holds two adults. It should be plenty big enough for the girls. Colin has a single pup tent, so we are good as far as shelter goes.”
    Great, I’d be sharing a tent with Ava.
    Ava wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Why do we need a tent?”
    Claudette dropped her legal pad onto the table. “Because we have to be there as early as possible to see the birds. It’s best to camp the night before.”
    â€œI — I can’t do that,” Ava stammered.
    â€œAre you afraid of the ghost?” Colin teased.
    â€œNo,” Ava snapped with her old confidence.
    â€œYeesh.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I was just kidding.”
    â€œWell don’t,” she snapped again.
    Claudette pointed her pen at them. “I don’t like the sound of this. There will be no squabbles out in the field. Do you hear me?”
    We all nodded. Ava was tough, but Claudette — she was tougher.
    Ava wrinkled her forehead. “I will have to check and see if I can come. I have some stuff I have to do at night. I’ll have to ask my mom.”
    â€œAva, if you need me to talk to your mother about the camping trip, I can,” Bergita said.
    â€œNo,” Ava said, more quietly. “I’ll talk to her.”
    â€œOkay.” Bergita resumed dicing. “What about binoculars? Does everyone have those?”
    Colin and I nodded, but Ava shook her head.
    Bergita smiled. “That works out well because I just so happen to have an extra pair.” She dumped the last of the tomatoes into the salad bowl and walked across the room to the buffet, which ran along the wall. Usually, the buffet was covered with Bergita’s best dishes, the ones no one is allowed to eat on. Now, in the dishes’ place there was everything a camper would need for a night in the wild.
    I popped my last bite of pizza into my mouth and hopped off the stool for a closer look. Ava and Colin did the same, but Colin grabbed another piece of pizza and brought it with him.
    Bergita handed Ava a pair of binoculars from the buffet.
    â€œThank you,” Ava