We had a clear morning, not a cloud in sight, for the second day of the 48th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Balloons launched in a mass ascension, but there was no wind to speak of, so the balloons hung over the balloon field for a couple of hours.
This pink flamingo boat is what I believe to be the first special shape boat to be on the Rio Grande during the balloon fiesta. Â Kayakers, canoeists, and paddle boarders paddled, floated and shoved their way through the shallows of the Rio Grande as they watched the balloons.
My neighbor texted me that there were buzzards (Turkey Vultures) in the dead cottonwood a couple of properties south of us. There were still four hanging out in the tree sunning themselves and watching the balloons when I got there. Three flew off soon after I arrived, while the one remaining buzzard shook the dust out of its feathers and settled in to watch what was going on below.
Off Center & Not Even 
The balloons are gorgeous against the cloudless sky!
They do go well against the blue sky. Thanks, Robin.
Awesome! And love the swan boat.
Thanks, Cindy.
The turkey vulture is impressive, good photos đŸ˜‰
Thanks, Harry.
Great photographs, Tim! All those balloons in the sky are really impressive…
Thanks, Herman!
Glad the buzzards got into the action as it seems nearly everyone else did. Wonderful photos.
Thanks, Couriers. BTW. WordPress is not letting me like or comment on your site. Nice lot of passengers you had from Greece.
to see flying balloons must be great and see them all so different is very pretty
I loved it, but really loved this pink swan boat
The balloons are fun, but yes, the pink flamingo boat was really different and fun to see. Thanks, Yoshimi.
Fantastic post! I saw news coverage of this Ballon Fest on the Canadian news! The second I heard Albuquerque, I knew I’d be seeing balloons here…. and way better shots than on the news.
Love the Pink Swan Boat, and the Buzzards. What a day!
Thanks, Resa. The AIBF is pretty well know around the world.
Love the post! Love the alliteration!
Thanks, Kendall.
Welcome!
I’ve been to it years a go. It was great and so are your photographs.
Depending on how many years ago, you might have seen more balloons. There were times that we had 1000 balloons at the fiesta. They limit it to 500 now. Thanks, Needhamb.
Awesome photos, that looks like a fun event, not just for the birds!
Lots of flying of all types. Thanks, Tiffany.
Live the balloons and buzzard photos, Tim! I look forward to seeing the festival through your lens every year.
Thanks, Lavinia.
Wow! WOW! And W O W !
They have some new cool balloons I see and that flamingo float is awesome!
Those balloons are something else Tim .. what a grand sight! So is that vulture in flight!
Thanks, Julie.