Just there next to me on the neighbor’s fence, a thrush, hunting and alighting again.

Across a field and near the river, a family of elk.

There were three different great blue heron, all at very near distances in varied states of motion. Wide wings keeping the bird alight near the horizon or flapping a bit to help a hop downriver, the last was still, blending in, hunting in the water.

Cows and calves. Sheep and lambs. The neighbor puppy next to the school likes to get belly rubs and give kisses through the fence.

A golden eagle. So broad and bold soaring very near the earth for its size, but easily, gracefully. You’d imagine it’s wings would touch the ground on their downswing but the bird knows better. In this way we were granted a view of the eagle’s glorious, broad, golden brown back, wingtip to wingtip.