On left: Rufous-sided Towhee in garden this morning, shot through kitchen window,

Ain’t he handsome?

On right: Deerskin from road-killed fawn I found near Gualala (CA) a few months ago. I skinned it, then cut up the meat and put in the freezer. I stretched and salted down the hide for a week, then sent it via UPS to a tanning place in Pennsylvania; and voila!—6 weeks later the beautifully tanned hide came back (via UPS). What a win-win situation from an animal that would otherwise have rotted on the road.

California’s state bird. The males (with topknots) are almost always the sentries. This guy was sitting on a beanpole in the garden yesterday, watching over a brood of chicks scratching around on the ground. Quail colonies have been steadily increasing here over the years. They are all over the place now. They’re members of the pheasant family (Phasianidae), as are chickens.

Friday I worked on my (irregular) email newsletter GIMME SHELTER most of the day (slow writer) and around 6 took my paddleboard down to the lagoon. Incoming tide, headed into one of the secret side channels, maybe 25′ wide’ winding thru mudflats and pickleweeed. No soul in sight. Gliding along prone, @water level, get v. close to birds. Elegant egrets, wary blue herons, cloud of red-wing blackbirds at one point. Water warm from day’s sunshine, headed into small side channel, gliding thru cordgrass. Pulled board up on mudflats, stripped and coated every part of my body I could reach with gooey black mud that was pungent with ocean & sea minerals. Dried a bit in wind, then jumped in deeper channel to wash mud off. paddled back to dock and here was fisherman Andrew, pulling in with 4 fresh halibut. I bought a 7-pounder, brought home and filleted. Great evening at seashore.