The upper part of Mt. Tam was closed for a while due to excessive smoke from the Woodward Fire in Pt. Reyes, but it opened up again this week. Which isn't to say the skies are clear, since it's still quite smoky up there. It's not so bad that you don't want to go for an easy hike, but I wouldn't recommend pushing much beyond easy.
I mainly wanted to check my trail cams, but I was glad I brought my Nikon along to do a little photography. I didn't expect to shoot anything after the morning fog, but I was lucky to see some wildlife, including a covey of California quail.
Of course the quail on Mt. Tam aren't so accustomed to the presence of human beings that they just ignore you. As I approached a group near Rock Spring they all fluttered up into the bay and oak trees, alarm chirps sounding in the branches. I spotted this look-out and managed to fire off a couple of frames including this last one before he, too, took wing.
I drove out West Ridgecrest to see what the view north toward Point Reyes might look like and got sidetracked when I saw a jackrabbit by the side of the road. I pulled over and got my camera out, and as I was walking back toward the hare, I saw it bound across the street. I figured it was gone for good but kept walking and soon saw its telltale ears. It seemed to be staring pensively back across the road it had just crossed, probably wondering, "Why did I just cross the road?"
I couldn't help trying to get a little closer, and doing so broke his reverie. But it was hot out there, as well as smoky, and he didn't want to overdo the escape routine.
Eventually, though, he ditched me for good.
Back where I'd parked my car I heard dry leaves being crushed in the woods. There was a doe and young buck on one side of the road...
...and another doe and buck, with larger antlers, on the other side. The deer were so intent on feeding that they tolerated my presence without batting an eyelash. In fact, this buck didn't even bother to raise his head and stare at me. He just kept his down and munched.
When I finally did get farther out on Bolinas Ridge I of course saw that Point Reyes was invisible beneath a layer of fog and smoke. On the hill overlooking Stinson Beach (also invisible), I followed a blister beetle making a bee-line across the parched dirt and tried out my phone camera's macro lens on it. I stepped away after getting a picture, not wanting to be a nuisance. But the beetle kept on truckin' nevertheless, only to eventually disappear down a small hole. I was kind of amazed that the little beetle had known exactly where it was going the whole time.
I also watched a group of wild turkeys pass single-file along the edge of the nearby forest, and as usual was a little surprised that they can get away with being out in the open in a group like that with coyotes and bobcats about.
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