How hot is it? Well, even the walk to the mailbox, which is all of 75 feet, is a challenge, and none of the usual natural history venues beckon. Honestly, about the only thing I want to do right now is stay inside by the AC, or go to the local Y to work out in AC comfort. I'm starting to sound like an old person. Even the local Turkey Vultures weren't all that interested in being active outside. On the mail run—truth in journalism: I wasn't moving much faster than a rock wall—I spotted one of the great birds sitting motionless on a low branch. It barely moved in the shimmering heat. Honestly, I felt a bit guilty walking close enough to the vulture to stir it from sleep and then put it to flight. I tried to tell it that I posed no threat and it could just sit tight and conserve energy. i was certainly trying to do that very thing, but it didn't listen. Evolutionary wariness overcame lethargy, which, I suppose, is a good and necessary thing.