Two nights

Last night (21 August 2020), a crescent moon in a smoky sky:

 

Tonight (22 August 2020), terns on the tidal flats in Bodega Harbor: 

 

 

 

In turn, a group of five Elegant Terns (Thalasseus elegans); next, two Elegant Terns and two Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia); last, close-up of a Caspian Tern with fish (can you help with the fish i.d.?) caught near the Spud Point Marina.

Smoke over the water

Wildfire smoke and filtered light over the ocean: 

 

View from Bodega Head at around noontime on 13 November 2018.

Blackened

 

This afternoon (29 October 2017), I went for a short walk at Crane Creek Regional Park — the first time I've been there since the fires.  Quite a bit of the northern edge of the park was burned.  For the record, this was one example of many blackened and charred oak trees.

Moonrise

Up at 1 a.m. for a fire update and a check on evacuation status, and noticed the moon rising on the eastern horizon:

Smoky sunrise

 

Smoky sunrise from Cotati on 10 October 2017

 

Fire and smoke

I'm so sorry for everyone affected by the fires in the North Bay today.  The damage to people's homes and hearts has been devastating.

Recently I've been reading a book about volcanoes.  The book describes how the smoke and soot from large volcanic eruptions affects the atmosphere and light levels and air temperatures.  I haven't been around an intense volcanic eruption, so it's hard for me to imagine what it feels like.  But the fires and smoke and ash in Sonoma County on 9 October 2017 made me wonder if some of the conditions we experienced today were similar.

Everything felt strange and unfamiliar and scary — the dim light throughout the day...the ash and leaves falling from the sky...the color of the sun, both in the sky and its reflection in the water.

Here are three quick photos for the record.

An example of a burnt and blistered oak leaf that had fallen into our front yard in Cotati (taken ~8 a.m.):

 

The fiery mid-morning sun (taken ~10 a.m.):

 

Unusual golden reflections of the sun in an ocean wave (taken ~3 p.m.):

 

 

I hope the winds will be favorable for the firefighters tonight.  

Please stay safe.