Brown Motion

As Covid ravages I sit at home. Sometimes as the sun shines I go and sit in my backyard with a camera. What I saw through the lens was a variety of wildlife making its way as if nothing had changed.  And to them it had not.  Perhaps an unusual stillness had descended with the goofy H sapiens sapiens not making an appearance as often.  These noisy creatures with their large mechanical smoke belchers had suddenly and magically stopped wandering.  So many a winged life buzzed, or chirped and others circled. The turkey vulture pictured below scanned its food supply chain down below and ... ..eyed the little guy sunning himself ... as he in turn kept a wary eye or two on its newly minted offspring pictured below..

Despite some wild fires burning north of us and the wind gusts blowing south I decided I was going to go and complete a hike I had been planning to do for months. The result of the wildfire was that the entire surrounding area in the east bay hills was lit up in a dull orange haze as if the light was filtered from a stained glass.  The air quality left much to be desired but the wind kept the air cooler. I set out after lunch from the parking and passed some old growth Oaks, among other native species.  As long as I kept in the shade of the larger trees I was actually comfortable and cool.  Some had lived a full life and since given up and gone flat.. I startled some deer in the open meadow when I walked down one of the trails that was not in the shade. A creek that runs through the hill was bone dry except where the omnipresent shade did not let the surface water dry out.  Cows could be seen slaking their thirst on the dribs of moisture left in...