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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.

Pak violates Indian air space; gets proportionate response

  • PTI
  • May 9, 2025
  • 4 min read

New Delhi: Indian armed forces responded proportionately and adequately to Pakistan's attempts to target Indian installations last night, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Friday. He was addressing a press conference here.


Pakistan violated Indian airspace to target our military installations on the intervening night of May 8 and 9, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said. She said Pakistan sent 300-400 drones in 36 locations from Leh to Sir Creek last night to target Indian military installations and the drones were shot down by Indian military.


Misri said the Pakistani side targeted places of worship with a particular design and it is a new low even for that country.


Indian defence and retaliation

India deployed Barak-8 missiles, S-400 Triumph air defence systems, Akash surface-to-air missiles and indigenously developed anti-drone equipment in thwarting Pakistan's attempts to hit 15 Indian cities on Wednesday night, official sources said on Friday.


Pakistani military attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj using missiles and drones.


Every single one of those missiles was intercepted or neutralised and none reached its intended target, the sources said.


The Pakistani military attempted to target the Indian cities in response to India's Operation Sindoor under which nine terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir were smashed early Wednesday.


"The Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Grid, S-400 Triumph systems, Barak-8 missiles, Akash Surface-to-Air Missiles, and DRDO's anti-drone technologies came together seamlessly to create an aerial shield that held firm," said a source.


"India didn't stop at defending. It retaliated with speed and precision. Operation Sindoor saw the Indian Armed Forces strike deep into Pakistani territory, destroying an HQ-9 air defence unit in Lahore and damaging key radar infrastructure," the source said.


India's rapid, coordinated response showcased the strength of its air defence ecosystem, built over the past 11 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "exposed the hollowness" of the Pakistani air defence system, the sources said.


Combat debut

Operation Sindoor also marked the combat debut of loitering munitions - the "suicidal drones" ordered in 2021 and manufactured in India.

"These drones executed simultaneous, precision strikes across sectors, taking Pakistan's defences by complete surprise," the source said.

Additionally, Israeli-origin Harop drones - now locally built - were deployed to target and destroy air defence assets in Karachi and Lahore, the sources said.

These platforms, combined with the strategic deployment of Rafale fighter jets equipped with SCALP and HAMMER missiles, demonstrated India's capability to project power with surgical precision, they said.


BSF kills seven terrorists

New Delhi/Jammu: The Border Security Force on Friday said it has foiled an infiltration bid from across the India-Pakistan International Border in Jammu, killing at least seven terrorists and destroying a Rangers post.


The terrorists were engaged around 11 pm on Thursday in Samba district after a "big group" of terrorists was detected by the "surveillance grid".


This infiltration bid was supported by fire from Pakistan Rangers post Dhandhar, a BSF spokesperson said.


He said the troops neutralised the infiltration bid, killing "at least" seven terrorists and caused "extensive" damage to the Dhandhar post.


Officials said there could be more terrorists, who could have been neutralised.

The BSF also shared a thermal imager clip of the firing and "destruction" of a bunker of the said post where a heavy machine gun of the Rangers was mounted.


Two killed in Pakistani shelling

Srinagar: A woman was killed and two of her family members injured after Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling in areas near the Line of  Control (LoC) in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Friday.


Officials said the Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the LoC and resorted to heavy shelling in civilian areas in Uri sector of north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Thursday night.


Pakistan targeted many areas of Uri, including Silikot, Boniyar, Kamalkote, Mohra and Gingle. The heavy shelling caused damage to several structures, forcing the people to flee, the officials added.


They said three members of a family were injured when a shell hit their car near Mohra while they were trying to escape the shelling.


The injured were rushed to a hospital where a woman, identified as Nargis Begum, succumbed to injuries.


A villager was killed and three others were injured in shelling by Pakistan in forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri districts early Friday morning, prompting Army troops to retaliate. The deceased has been identified as Mohd Abrar of Loran area. Among the injured includes Layaqat Hussain of Chalery area of Mendhar.


Scores of people have been evacuated from areas along LoC to safer areas in Poonch abd Rajouri districts besides Jammu, they said adding several of them have been housed in camps.


24 airports closed for civilian flights till May 15

At least 24 airports in northern and western parts of the country, including Srinagar and Chandigarh, have been shut for civilian flights till May 15, sources said on Friday.


Earlier, these airports were closed for civilian flights till May 10. Airlines on Friday said that their flights have been cancelled due to temporary closure of airports till May 15.


The airports include Chandigarh, Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Bhuntar, Kishengarh, Patiala, Shimla, Dharamsala, and Bathinda. Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Leh, Bikaner, Pathankot, Jammu, Jamnagar, and Bhuj are among the other airports that have been temporarily closed for civilian flights.


Jammu goes dark after blasts heard

Blasts were heard and sirens sounded in the Jammu region as the city plunged into darkness, officials said on Friday.


In Srinagar, mosque loudspeakers were used to convey to locals to switch off their lights as a precautionary measure.


A blackout was enforced across the Kashmir Valley, including its summer capital here, late Friday evening, and sirens were heard at a few places, officials said.


PM chairs meeting with top defence establishment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level  meeting with the top defence establishment on Friday to take stock of the security situation. 


With conflict between India and Pakistan heating up, Modi met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and the three service chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff to strategise over the future course of action.


Earlier in the day, Modi held interactions with veterans, including former chiefs of the three services, taking their feedback on the current situation.



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