varun saumyen and amit did a run along the canal route, which we had not explored for some time since it is often broken during the monsoons. we rode down to chaubepur on gt road, turned E towards sivli, and caught the canal at pratappur just after vidya bhawan.
the canal route was over grown with long bulrushes, and riding through those was a fantastic experience. the place was alive with birds.![](thumbs/IMG_4291w_bulbul-red-whiskered_thumb.jpg)
![](thumbs/IMG_4348w_wagtail-white_thumb.jpg)
red-whiskered bulbul - in the bulrushes near pratappur. right: white wagtail at lodhar
![](thumbs/IMG_4293w_canal-trail_thumb.jpg)
canal-trail - a relatively easy part of the trail. north of this point, we were literally shouldering aside the long thick stems of kAsh as we pedaled along a narrow path.
![](thumbs/IMG_4296w_dove-hoopoe-silverbills-maybe_thumb.jpg)
![](thumbs/IMG_4298w_hoopoe-chasing-off-dove_thumb.jpg)
this ring-necked dove was sharing a tree stump with a hoopoe and a couple of small birds that looked like silverbills. right: the hoopoe seems to be chasing off the spotted dove
![](thumbs/IMG_4306w_sandpiper_thumb.jpg)
![](thumbs/IMG_4308w_kingfishers_thumb.jpg)
a sandpiper rooting around the edge of the canal - near pancham purwa. right: three kingfishers in a row. this year i saw that stakes like these had been put at a number of spots along the canal, no doubt by enterprising fishermen. these are just upstream from the hansapur pool. i am sure the kingfishers thank humans for being so thoughtful as to put such useful perches on the stream....
![](thumbs/IMG_4312w_fruit-bat_thumb.jpg)
![](thumbs/IMG_4314w_cormorant_thumb.jpg)
fruit-bats hanging from a tree. this particular tree has hosted a bat colony for many years. right: cormorant sitting on a stake at another point in the canal.
hoopoe rooting about on the grass by the canal.
![](thumbs/IMG_4333w_kingfisher_thumb.jpg)
![](thumbs/IMG_4338w_pied-kingfisher-display_thumb.jpg)
pied kingfisher. pied-kingfisher display.
![](thumbs/IMG_4339w_pied-kingfisher_thumb.jpg)
![](thumbs/IMG_4347w_pied-kingfisher_lodhar_thumb.jpg)
pied-kingfisher at a rupture on the canal... pied-kingfisher on a wire above the canal at lodhar
sandpiper rooting in the mud along the canal - near kursauli .
![](thumbs/IMG_4287w_am-varun-saumyen_thumb.jpg)
the intrepid trio - amit varun saumyen
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