Keetham Lake

Keetham Lake
Location Basin countries Agra, India India

Keetham lake is a scenic lake just outside Agra on the Agra - Delhi highway (NH 2). The Keetham lake is also known as the Sur Sarovar. It is a tranquil spot, ideal for a relaxed outing. A wide variety of fish and water-birds add to the lake's natural charm and beauty.

Location
This scenic lake, is about 20 KM from Agra and 12 km from sikandra is located within the Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary. Keetham Lake is linked by Railway track at Keetham Railway Station and was declared as National Bird Sanctuary in 27 March 1991 by U.P. Forest Department. The riverine belt of River Yamuna surrounds the area of Sur-Sarovar.

Climate
The climatic conditions of the lake area is typical of Uttar Pradesh plains with hot windy summers and extremely cold winters. The average temperature ranges between 1.5 C to 49 C. The monsoon season occurs during July to September.

Area
The entire lake is formed in a catchment area of 7.13 km. Keetham Lake is pentagonal in shape. There are artificially created islands for shelter and breeding grounds to the migratory birds.The best thing is that is placed on the way of Delhi and tourist can visit during the their journey to Agra.

Water Management
The raw water for Keetham Lake is obtained from Agra Canal originating from Okhla barrage on River Yamuna in Delhi. At Delhi Agra road, the Agra Canal water is diverted through Jodhpur branch near Anand Engineering Collage located about 2 km from Keetham. The lake water of Keetham is also used as raw water intake for Mathura Refinery Water Treatment Plant located in vicinity of Keetham Lake

Development

U.P. Forest Department has created woodlands and developed shallow areas near lake, making it a natural habitat for birds nesting sites.

Attractions
More than 106 species of migratory and resident birds are known to have their resting habitats at Sur Sarovar. The entire lake area gets covered by profuse growth of macrophytic vegetation of water hyacinth (Eichornia sp.) and Potamogeton sp. during summers. The water quality of Keetham lake supports wide range of avifauna during winter season. The important aquatic birds inhabiting Keetham lake are

Little Gerbs Cormorants Darter, Grey Heron Purple Heron Paddy Bird Cattle Egrets Large Egrets Smaller Egrets Little Egrets Night Heron Indian Reef Heron Black necked Stork white Ibis Spon Bill Greying Goose Bar headed Goose Lesser Whistling Teal Ruddy Shelduck Pintail Common Teal

Spot Billed Duck Gadwall, Wigeon Shoveler Comb Duck

Dragon fly A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera (from Greek anisos, "uneven" + pteros, "wings", because the hindwing is broader than the forewing).[1] It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies can sometimes be mistaken for damselflies, which are morphologically similar; however, adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Dragonflies possess six legs (like any other insect), but most of them cannot walk well. Dragonflies are among the fastest flying insects in the world. Dragonflies are important predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, wasps, and very rarely butterflies. They are usually found around marshes, lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Some 5680 different species of dragonflies (Odonata) are known in the world today.[2] Though dragonflies are predators, they themselves are subject to predation by birds, lizards, frogs, spiders, fish, water bugs, and even other large dragonflies.

Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Odonata (unranked): Epiprocta Anisoptera Suborder:
Selys, 1854

Butter flyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. Butterflies comprise the true butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea), the skippers (superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (superfamily Hedyloidea). All the many other families within the Lepidoptera are referred to as moths. The earliest known butterfly fossils date to the mid Eocene epoch, 4050 million years ago.[1]

Butterflies exhibit polymorphism, mimicry and aposematism. Some, like the Monarch, will migrate over long distances. Some butterflies have evolved symbiotic and parasitic relationships with social insects such as ants. Some species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage domestic crops or trees; however, some species are agents of pollination of some plants, and caterpillars of a few butterflies (e.g., Harvesters) eat harmful insects. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts. Butterflies
Temporal range: Eocene-Recent, 450Ma Pre O S D C P T J K
Pg

Charaxes brutus natalensis in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera

Suborder:

Rhopalocera