A crow, on that beach near the Golden Gate Bridge, silhouetted by the sun. That might be the perfect picture for a photographic series about light and shadows.

That very young Redtail Hawk I spotted near the elementary school I went to so many years ago. Shadows obscure his magnificent plumage, but the light throws his majestic form into relief.

A turkey, pretending he is a vulture?

Nature doesn’t waste energy. Bird feathers have two functions, impressing the ladies for mating, and keeping the bird alive.

Turkeys are tasty, so the males, like that one, aren’t exactly peacocks.

But what does this have to do with light and shadow? I am getting to that.

Now observe the group of females. Those mottled feather patterns are perfect for woodlands. They blend in with the dead leaves on the forest floor.

They break up the turkeys’ shape, and even mimic the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves.

A black cat is perfect for this study.

A black cat is basically a walking shadow.

Lots of cats are colored to blend into dry gasses and stripy sunlight.

The black cat can do this too.

But for hunting at night, in the absence or near-absence of light, these predators have it going on.

Plus, black keeps you warm at naptime.