Pinking Up
Category: Rio Grande
Sunset & Hawk
Below is a Red-Tailed Hawk that was in an apple tree in Wagner’s orchard nextdoor. The first two photos were taken this morning, and remaining photos where taken this evening after sunset. The mud had dried a little in the evening, so I walked across the field to get closer photos. The hawk flew which allowed me to get backlit photos of it flying.
Anything On The Tele?
Incoming
Sunset on the Sandias and Sandhill Cranes coming in for landing. Most of the group of cranes decided not to land and flew further south, or made another round before landing.
Moonrise and Painted Sky
Resa’s Tree in Morning Light
I was thinking that Resa’s tree might turn all yellow before turning brown; however, we had a har frost last night that turned the lower leaves brown. Many of the trees in the bosque that were yellow last night turned brown today.
Fall Colors after Sunset
A Dashing, A Splashing, A Bobby & Vixen
The balloonists were splashing and dashing in the Rio Grande before sunrise this morning, and continued until well after sunrise. There were soft breezes moving the balloons very slowly near the water. I doubled the speed of the video to make it easier to watch. The last 10 seconds of the video was recorded yesterday. It shows how the balloons move different directions at slightly different altitudes. They call the wind directions changing every 100 feet or so “The Box” and the box makes if very easy to navigate balloons in this part of the Rio Grande Valley.
Balloons, Boats & Buzzards
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. 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.
Beavers, Heron, Sunset
Off Center & Not Even 