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By:

Vinod Chavan

30 September 2025 at 3:04:23 pm

Birder Cop finds an Australian tagged bird

Latur: G. Thikanna, serving in the Andaman Police Department as an Assistant Sub-Inspector in Communications was posted on one of the most remote and lesser-inhabited islands in the world to complete a one-month tenure. This island lies about 140 nautical miles away from the capital city, far from his family and loved ones in Port Blair. Life there is challenging, with no mobile network and no regular power supply. The only source of electricity is a portable generator that runs for about...

Birder Cop finds an Australian tagged bird

Latur: G. Thikanna, serving in the Andaman Police Department as an Assistant Sub-Inspector in Communications was posted on one of the most remote and lesser-inhabited islands in the world to complete a one-month tenure. This island lies about 140 nautical miles away from the capital city, far from his family and loved ones in Port Blair. Life there is challenging, with no mobile network and no regular power supply. The only source of electricity is a portable generator that runs for about three hours a day just enough to charge communication devices and essential equipment. This was his second visit to the island in 2025. On the morning of June 16, 2025, during a routine inspection of the shoreline, he noticed a small bird moving along with the tidal waves. What caught his attention, however, was that the bird was having some colour tags on it legs. The photographs revealed that the bird had three tags: a red flag leg above the knee and a yellow tag under the knee on it right leg. The left leg had a metal ring. The red flag had a code which read DYM. In March 2026, Dr. Raju Kasambe, ornithologist and former Assistant Director at Bombay Natural History Society, and founder of Mumbai Bird Katta, visited South Andaman for a birding trip by his venture. Thikanna shared his observation and photographs with him. Dr. Kasambe took great interest and asked Thikanna to send the photographs. He identified the bird as Sanderling (Calidris alba), which breeds in the extreme northern parts of Asia, Europe and North America. After studying the shorebird Colour Marking Protocol for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) Dr. Kasambe realized that the bird was tagged in South Australia. He informed the EEAF team and Ms. Katherine Leung reverted with the information about the tagging of this tiny migratory wader, which weighs just 40-100gramms. The wader was tagged on 13 April 2025 by Ms. Maureen Christie at the Danger Pt, Brown Bay, near Port Macdonnell, in South Australia. That means the wader had reached Narcondam Island after two months and three days on its return journey back the its breeding grounds in extreme northern parts of Asia. The straight-line distance the bird had flown was an amazing 7472km and it hadn’t yet reached its final destination – the breeding grounds. This is first record of resighting of any tagged bird on the Narcondam Island, as the island remains mostly inaccessible to bird watchers. Interesting, the Island is home to the endemic Narcondam Hornbill, a species which is not found anywhere in the world. Mr. G. Thikanna is associated with the Andaman avians Club which conducted bird watching and towards creating awareness about birds in the Andaman Island. Other members of the club have congratulated him on the great find in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Flying of drones, UAVs banned in Leh

  • PTI
  • May 8, 2025
  • 2 min read

Leh: Authorities in the Union Territory of Ladakh on Thursday prohibited flying of drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Leh district, citing credible inputs and security concerns about their “potential misuse” by anti-national elements.


District Magistrate of Leh, Santosh Sukhadeve, ordered the prohibition on flying of drones and UAVs by locals, tourists, or private persons and said any violation of the order shall attract strict legal action under relevant laws.


"This order is issued ex-parte in the interest of public safety and security and shall remain in force until further notice," he said.


The order was issued a day after Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.


In view of the likelihood of threats to public safety, security installations, and the general public, the order said the Superintendent of Police, Leh has requested for issuing orders prohibiting flying of drones and UAVs by the general public and tourists.


Using his powers conferred under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, the deputy commissioner said the flying, operation, or use of any kind of drone or UAV by locals, tourists, or any private persons is strictly prohibited within the entire jurisdiction of Leh district.


"Any person who observes any drone or UAV flying in violation of this order shall immediately report the same to the Police Control Room (PCR) or the nearest police or civil authorities," the order said.


Complimentary stay

Meanwhile, the All Ladakh Hotel and Guest House Association has announced a complimentary stay for stranded tourists due to the ongoing disruption of flights from Leh airport.


The association has taken a unified step to support stranded tourists and decided that the guests whose outbound flights have been cancelled due to the prevailing situation will be provided complimentary stays at the same hotels where they have been staying in Ladakh, its president, Rigzin Wangmo Lachic, said.


She said the decision was taken at a meeting of the association on Wednesday and comes at a time when the hospitality industry needs to extend care and support to guests during unforeseen challenges.


"The initiative reflects the core values of Ladakh's tourism sector and aims to uphold its reputation as a responsible and welcoming destination," she said.

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