F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.
Bald Eagle ( Juvenile )
Who won the race between two balls of string?
They we’re tied!
Interesting Facts: Bald Eagles are powerful fliers—soaring, gliding, and flapping over long distances. In one of several spectacular courtship displays, a male and female fly high into the sky, lock talons, and cartwheel downward together, breaking off at the last instant to avoid crashing to earth. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/lifehistory )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 200.
Brown pelican
What’s the difference between roast beef and pea soup?
Anyone can roast beef, but nobody can pee soup!
Interesting Fact: Pelicans usually forage during the day, but may feed at night during a full moon. Before swallowing their prey they drain the water from their pouches, while gulls or terns often try to steal fish right out of their beaks. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 400.
Black-capped Chickadee
Two snakes are talking.
One of them turns to the other and asks, “Are we venomous?”
The other replays, “Yes, why?…”
“I just bit ma lip.”
Interesting Fact: Most birds that associate with chickadee flocks respond to chickadee alarm calls, even when their own species doesn’t have a similar alarm call. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400 ISO 320.
Sandhill Cranes
Did you hear the one about the roof?
Never mind, it’s over your head.
Interesting Fact: Sandhill Cranes mate for life, choosing their partners based on dancing displays. Displaying birds stretch their wings, pump their heads, bow, and leap into the air. Although each female usually lays two eggs, only one nestling typically survives to fledge. Mated pairs and their juvenile offspring stay together all through the winter, until the 9- to 10-month-old juveniles finally separate from their parents the following spring. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/lifehistory )
F/7.1, 1/800, ISO 200.
Common Tern
Why do you always see teen girls in groups of three?
Because they literally can’t even.
Interesting Fact: Males and females make a small scrape on the ground. Females add dead vegetation that has washed onshore, shell fragments, bones, stones, and sometimes plastic to the nest scrape before and after laying eggs. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Tern/lifehistory )
F/13.0, 1/640, ISO 250.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Why are politicians like diapers?
Both should be changed regularly and for the same reason.
Interesting Fact: In the 18th century the Portuguese Jesuit priest Bartolomeu de Gusmão envisioned an aerial apparatus called Passarola which was the predecessor of the hot air balloon. The purpose of Passarola was to serve as air vessel in order to facilitate communication and as a strategical device.[5] In 1709 John V of Portugal decided to fund Bartolomeu de Gusmão’s project following a petition made by the Jesuit priest [6] and an unmanned demonstration was performed at Casa da India in presence of John V, the queen Maria Anna of Austria, having as witnesses the Italian cardinal Michelangelo Conti, two members of the Portuguese Royal Academy of History, one Portuguese diplomat and one chronicler. This event would bring some European attention to this event and this project. A later article dated on October 20, 1786 by the London Daily Universal Register would state that the inventor was able to raise himself by the use of his prototype. Also in 1709, the Portuguese Jesuit wrote Manifesto summário para os que ignoram poderse navegar pelo elemento do ar (Short Manifesto for those who are unaware that is possible to sail through the element air); he also left designs for a manned air vessel. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_air_balloon )
F/11.0, 1/800, ISO 250.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
What sort of music is bad for balloons?
Pop.
Interesting Fact: A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries passengers and a source of heat, in most cases an open flame caused by burning liquid propane. The heated air inside the envelope makes it buoyant since it has a lower density than the colder air outside the envelope. As with all aircraft, hot air balloons cannot fly beyond the atmosphere. The envelope does not have to be sealed at the bottom, since the air inside the envelope there is at about the same pressure as the surrounding air. In modern sport balloons the envelope is generally made from nylon fabric and the inlet of the balloon (closest to the burner flame) is made from a fire resistant material such as Nomex. Modern balloons have been made in all kinds of shapes, such as rocket ships and the shapes of various commercial products, though the traditional shape is used for most non-commercial, and many commercial, applications. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_air_balloon )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 250.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Breaking: A man was arrested yesterday for impersonating a helium balloon.
A spokesperson for the police said.. We held him for a while and then let him go..
Interesting Fact: The Balloon Fiesta grew each year for decades, and today is the largest balloon convention in the world. The number of registered balloons reached a peak of 1,019 in 2000, prompting the Balloon Fiesta Board to limit the number to 750 starting in 2001,[4] citing a desire for “quality over quantity”. The limit was changed to 600 in 2009 –; citing recent growth in the city and a loss of landing zones. On any given day during the festival, up to 100,000 spectators may be on the launch field where they are provided the rare opportunity to observe inflation and take off procedures. Countless more people gather at landing sites all over the city to watch incoming balloons. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albuquerque_International_Balloon_Fiesta#Albuquerque_box )
F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 200.
Great Egret
What did the ghost teacher say to her class?
Watch the board and I’ll go through it again.
Interesting Fact: Visit a pond or coastal marsh and look for an all-white bird—slightly smaller than a Great Blue Heron, with black legs and a yellow bill. It may be wading slowly or standing stock-still, peering intently at the water as it searches for fish. If you live outside of the species’ breeding range, you may still see Great Egrets in late summer as they move about widely before heading to their wintering grounds. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret )
F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200.
Double-Crested Cormorant
What do birds do on their free time?
They check their Twitter account.
Interesting Fact: Double-crested cormorants are gregarious birds that are almost always near water. Their main two activities are fishing and resting, with more than half their day spent on the latter. When at rest, a cormorant will choose an exposed spot on a bare branch or a windblown rock, and often spread its wings out, which is thought to be a means of drying their feathers after fishing. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 