The Beginning

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  T35J  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim

During a visit to Antrim Marina (21st Sep 2013), on the north-eastern shore of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, I spotted a Black-headed Gull (above), with a white Darvic leg-ring.  I began to look at the other gulls present and discovered another three BHGs with Orange Darvic's.  The following day, I travelled back up to the Lough and recorded another nine BHGs with the Orange rings.

Having noted the inscriptions on all the rings, I duly reported them online through the British Trust for Ornithology website.  On receiving the reports back on these birds, I learnt that 'T35J' had been ringed as a chick in Lithuania, on 3rd June 2006.  It was subsequently caught by a Polish ringer on 22nd March 2011, and given a new metal ring (left leg) and the White Darvic ring (right leg).

The Orange Darvic-rung BHGs, were ringed by Adam McClure.  Adam is currently studying the BHGs in Northern Ireland to try and understand the collapse in their breeding numbers.  Adam's blog can be found at bhgullsni.blogspot.co.uk .  On finding out about his project, I decided to visit Antrim Marina weekly throughout the winter, so as to record the gulls, and help Adam with his project.

During my weekly visits, I recorded a few gulls with metal rings and these included 2 BHGs from Iceland, 1 BHG from Finland, 1 BHG from England and 1 Common Gull from Scotland.  Also, numerous Mute Swans, a Jackdaw and a Chaffinch.  Thirty BHGs altogether were noted with the Darvic rings - 29 of which belonged to Adam.

The 30th March 2014 saw the last Sunday of my weekly visits and I turned my attention to the hills and other nesting birds.  From the start of August 2014, I will resume my weekly visits to the Lough, as many of the BHGs will be returning from their nesting sites, to winter here once again.

My aim in this blog, is to record on a weekly basis, what I see here over the winter months.  I will be interested to see if 'T35J', the bird that got me interested in reading Darvic's - returns.  The 16th Febryary 2014 was the last time that I saw this gull, and I assumed it had returned to its breeding grounds in Lithuania.

BHGs Being Fed by Hand At Antrim Marina  (15th Dec 2013)

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