By Helicopter, F14 to OUN

Women of India

Sardar Market Kirdikot.

Kajuraho.

Umaid Said Hotel.

Dehli.

Ranakpur.

At a restaurant outside Ranakpur.

Sardar Market.

At Humayum's tomb.

Sardar Market.

I am looking outside from Humayum's tomb.

Erosion

Sunrise and Trees

White-crowned Sparrow

Yellow-crowned Warbler

Yellow-crowned Warbler.

Juncos, Male and Female

Various Ducks and an Olive-sided Flycatcher

     Many ducks benefit by the recent rains, eating and resting at the ponds that now have water. Sneaking up closer to the ducks, I managed to take a few pictures of them that now serve as a reminder to me of a wonderful experience watching them and looking at the ponds survive a drought. 

      In addition to the ducks shown below, I spotted four Black-bellied Whistling ducks, Red-headed ducks, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Loggerhead shrikes, Mockingbirds, Meadowlarks, Goldfinches, Bluebirds, Kestrel, a large flock of Canada geese overhead, White-crowned sparrows, Lark sparrows, and what so far I think were Song sparrows.

An Olive-sided flycatcher catching insects that float on the surface.

 Female Bufflehead.

Male and female Buffleheads.

Gadwall appearing comfortable with me sitting in the brush watching her.

A Green-winged Teal kept an eye on me, ready to launch if I moved. I held my breath.

Ring-necked ducks viewed through branches around the pond. This pond is surrounded by thick brush, and though it provides a nice cover, I have to wait for the ducks to float to just the right spots.

Northern Shoveler. 

       A large group of shovelers and teals rested on the surface and in the grasses that had grown tall when the pond dried.

About Two Hundred Ducks

     Happily, the land appears to heal with the help of the autumn rains. The ponds have enough water to see us through the winter. The migratory birds have noticed and stopped by for a while. We spotted (rather startled) about two or more hundred ducks, including mallards, predominantly, pintails, shovelers, and teals.
     One of my wishes for the new year is to see more green foliage growing around the trunks of trees, such as the ones I show in the photos below.

Crystal Bridges Art Museum

A silver tree stands at the entry way of the Crystal Bridges art museum.

The first exhibit hall. I spent most of my time here gazing admiringly at the landscape paintings.

The collection is wonderfully varied. 

      We landed an airport named after the female pioneer in aviation Louise Thaden. The folks at Summit FBO, Will and Cassandra, were gracious and friendly. I'll always remember them. 

      

       Pictures I took during the flight: 

Firelight on my phone showed our route and a few other aircraft in the air. 

We skimmed above the clouds at seven thousand feet on our way to Bentonville. 

Lesser Yellowlegs

Infrared: Wallace's Pond

Infrared: Cirrus Over Pond

Sandhill Cranes in Flight