F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Bald Eagle ( Juvenile )
What does the eagle say to his friends before they go out hunting for food ?
“Let us prey.”
Interesting Fact: The largest Bald Eagle nest on record, in St. Petersburg, Florida, was 2.9 meters in diameter and 6.1 meters tall. Another famous nest—in Vermilion, Ohio—was shaped like a wine glass and weighed almost two metric tons. It was used for 34 years until the tree blew down. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/lifehistory )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 640
Wild Turkey
Why did they let the turkey join the band?
Because he had the drumsticks
Interesting Fact: As Wild Turkey numbers dwindled through the early twentieth century, people began to look for ways to reintroduce this valuable game bird. Initially they tried releasing farm turkeys into the wild but those birds didn’t survive. In the 1940s, people began catching wild birds and transporting them to other areas. Such transplantations allowed Wild Turkeys to spread to all of the lower 48 states (plus Hawaii) and parts of southern Canada. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 400.
Great Egret
What do lawyers wear to court?
Lawsuits!
Interesting Fact: The Great Egret walks with its neck extended and its wings held close to its body. In flight, it is graceful and buoyant, with its neck tucked back against its shoulders and its legs trailing behind. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_egret/lifehistory )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.
Eastern Bluebird
What did the penny say to the other penny?
We make perfect cents.
Interesting Fact: Eastern Bluebirds eat mostly insects, wild fruit and berries. Occasionally, Eastern Bluebirds have also been observed capturing and eating larger prey items such as shrews, salamanders, snakes, lizards and tree frogs. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Bluebird# )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.
Downy Woodpecker
Why did Adele cross the road?
To sing, “Hello from the other side!”
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 400.
Northern Flicker
What can you hold without ever touching it?
A conversation.
Interesting Fact: The red-shafted and yellow-shafted forms of the Northern Flicker formerly were considered different species. The two forms hybridize extensively in a wide zone from Alaska to the panhandle of Texas. A hybrid often has some traits from each of the two forms and some traits that are intermediate between them. The Red-shafted Flicker also hybridizes with the Gilded Flicker, but less frequently. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.
Brown Creeper
Why was Cinderella thrown off the basketball team?
She ran away from the ball.
Interesting Fact: Brown Creepers burn an estimated 4–10 calories (technically, kilocalories) per day, a tiny fraction of a human’s daily intake of about 2,000 kilocalories. By eating a single spider, a creeper gains enough energy to climb nearly 200 feet vertically. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 250.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
What did the birthday balloon say to the pin?
”Hi, Buster.”
Interesting Fact: The convention has also become a major showcase of New Mexican culture and history and features numerous cultural exhibitions .The fiesta is one of Albuquerque’s largest tourist attractions and constitutes a major source of income for the city and local businesses. In 2015, the fiesta logged 955,703 visitors.[4] Typically, tourists and fiesta visitors take thousands of pictures of the balloons, so it is no surprise that for several years the fiesta was sponsored by Kodak and was given the title, the Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, though that title was usually only used in print ads and on official memorabilia. In 2018 the fiesta is being presented by Canon, a Japanese camera and imaging company.[5] ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albuquerque_International_Balloon_Fiesta#Local_impact )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 250.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Did you hear about the pig who tried to start a hot-air balloon business?
He couldn’t get it off the ground.
Interesting Fact: The success of the Fiesta depends in part on the cool Albuquerque morning temperatures in October and the Albuquerque box. The “box” is a set of predictable wind patterns that can be exploited to navigate the balloons. At low elevations the winds tend to be northerly (from the north), but at higher elevations they tend to be southerly. Balloonists use these winds to navigate in a vertical box: they ascend slightly from the launch park, move south, ascend further, move north, descend, and repeat the box or land back in the launch park or quite nearby. During events involving on-field targets, such as the “Key Grab” (where pilots attempt to grab prizes, including a set of keys to a new vehicle, from atop tall, flexible poles), it’s not uncommon to see the same balloon make 5 or 6 passes at the targets, simply by working the “Box” to keep returning to the field. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albuquerque_International_Balloon_Fiesta#Albuquerque_box )
F/13.0, 1/640, ISO 250.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost.
He reduces his altitude and spots a man down below.
He lowers the balloon further and shouts: ”Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?”
The man below says: ”Yes, you’re in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field.”
”You must work in Technical Support,” says the balloonist.
”I do,” replies the man. ”How did you know?”
”Well” says the balloonist, ”everything you have told me is technically correct, but completely useless.”
The man below says: ”You must be in management.”
”I am,” replies the balloonist, ”but how did you know?”
”Well”, says the man, ”you don’t know where you are, or where you’re going, but you expect me to be able to help. You’re still in the same position you were before we met, but now it’s my fault.”
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,[3] 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#History )
Through Open Lens 