Portuguese Godwit...

Antrim Marina - Monday 25th March 2019

Today's visit to record 'colour-ringed' Black-headed Gulls, was another hugh disappointment.  Unlike my previous visit, where the gulls were arriving in numbers, but not landing, today saw very few birds at all.  Numbers, never exceeded 15 Black-headed Gulls at any one time, though these did land.

Arriving around 9.20am, I departed at 12.00 noon, having recorded just four 'colour-ringed' Black-headed Gulls.  It would seem, that many birds have departed for their home countries, and resident gulls, were seen in large numbers, over the 'torpedo platform', where they breed.

Of the four 'colour-ringed' birds recorded today, we know that   2ACV , has previously been recorded at the beginning of the breeding season, at Leighton Moss, in Lancashire, England - (24th April 2016).    2ACV , usually departs from the Marina, in Mid to late March, each spring.  The latest spring date, in which I've recorded   2ACV , before departure, was on the 2nd April 2015.  

I noticed one Black-headed Gull, in a very poor state of health, perched on the edge of the slipway.  It was so weak, that it did not move away from the Mute Swans, who trampled over it.  Taking pity, I lifted the gull, and placed it snugly into the boot of my car.

On departing from the Marina, I took a peek on it, to discover that it had died, still lying as snug as I had left it.  Poor bird, at least it had some peace and quite, during it's last breaths of life.  I placed the gull, into my compost recycling bin, once I returned home.

Colour-Ringed Black-headed Gulls at Antrim Marina, on Monday 25th March 2019

2ACV	2CJT	2CSS	2CSR

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

The recently arrived pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, were present throughout my visit, and the adult Herring Gull, which has been here over recent weeks, now appears to have a partner.  Just one adult Common Gull, plus a juvenile, came and went throughout the morning.

My hopes of re-sighting the Finnish-rung Common Gull, have now faded.  Whether, it was due to the disturbance around the Marina this winter, or whether it has died, will never be known.  I can only but hope for an appearance next winter.  Had the bird returned, it would have been around twenty-three and a half years old.

Mallard numbers, never exceeded 14 birds, the worst total over the whole winter.

On my arrival today, it was the Mute Swans, which initially grabbed my attention, as there were very few other birds about.  14 adults, and a youngster from last summer were counted.  Within minutes, the number grew to 20 adults, as birds arrived in from both upriver and the Lough.

It was easy to tempt them all out of the water with bread, and three 'metal' rings were noted.  Two were quickly sorted, one being the 'one-eyed'   W34158 , and the other, the small Scottish-ringed female -   W32105 .  This left, a very large looking male, that turned out to be   W34156 .

I had expected to see the return of both   W34156   and   W34157 , well before now.  As yet, I'm still waiting on   W34157 .  Last Spring,   W34156 , returned on the 5th February 2018, and I last saw it on the 2nd April 2018.

  W34156 , was ringed by Ken Perry, on the 17th March 2014, at the Marina, whilst supervising trainee ringers.  I then recorded the bird for the first time 6 days later, on the 23rd March 2014.    W34156 , was not recorded here in either 2015, or 2017, but was spotted on five occasions between the 24th January 2016, and the 27th March 2016.  Although later than expected, it was good to record this bird again.

Mute Swan  -    W34156   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (25 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 17th March 2014, at Antrim Marina)

A male Pheasant, was a first ever sighting at the Marina, since I began coming here.  Although Pheasants, can often be heard in the woodland opposite the Marina, or seen on the nearby golf course, it is definitely unusual to see one strutting calmly past people here at the Marina.  After taking a quick sip of water, on the edge of the slipway, the bird took off towards the woodland.

Male Pheasant  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (25 Mar 2019)

The other species recorded, were :- 3 Hooded Crows, 8 Jackdaws, 1 Rook, 1 Magpie, and the pair of Pied Wagtails.

On leaving the Marina, I just went home, as judging by my experiences here, it was probably pointless to visit the other three sites around the town of Antrim.

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Ringing Details Received

At present, I am waiting on the ringing details for a few birds, especially for a number of Brent Geese.  I have now received all of the ringing data, for the nineteen 'colour-ringed' Barnacle Geese, which I recorded on my recent trip to the Isle of Islay, in Scotland.  A 20th, 'metal-rung' Barnacle Goose, that I recorded, with a 'dodgy' looking number that seemed to read -   120866 , eventually turned out to be an Icelandic-rung bird.  I do not have the time to include these sightings in this post, but intend to publish a separate post before my next weekly update.

The ringing details of the Danish Black-headed Gull - (White) 9MT, have arrived with me from Kjeld Pedersen.  Before these had arrived, I received an email from my 'Ring Reading' counterpart in Dublin - Graham Prole.  Graham, had also recorded 9MT, at Bray Harbour, in County Dublin, on the 3rd January 2019 (record not submitted).

9MT, is a relatively new bird, have been ringed as an adult male, on the outskirts of Copenhagan, on the 31st March 2018.  It spent the winter at Bray Harbour, having been initially spotted there, by Brian Burke, on the 31st July 2018.  The updated PDF File for 9MT, can be read (here), and my blog entry (here).

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From Fulton Somerville

On Thursday the 21st March 2019, I received an email from Fulton Somerville, concerning a 'colour-ringed' Great Black-backed Gull, which he spotted on rocks, close to Greencastle harbour, in Co. Down.  Ringed -   2AT , I was asked to report his sighting to the relevant owner.

Having already recorded a couple of birds from this ring series, I forwarded Fulton's sighting to Graham Prole in Dublin.  Graham, is now the new contact, as he has taken over this ringing project from Chris Honan.  Graham, as always, 'was on the ball', and we soon had the ringing and re-sighting history of   2AT .

The gull was ringed as a chick, on the 14th June 2009, on Ireland's Eye, an island just to the north of Howth, Co. Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland.  Any early re-sighting history for   2AT , may have gone un-recorded or lost through Chris, but Graham first came across the gull on the 13th April 2014, at Howth harbour.  Graham, went on to record the gull twice more in April 2014, and once in June 2014, still at the harbour.

It was in June 2016, when the next sighting was made by Graham again, this time on Ireland's Eye, the site where   2AT   had grown up as a chick.  The following month (16th July),   2AT , was once again spotted back at Howth harbour.  The harbour at Howth, was the scene of   2AT 's final sighting in the Republic of Ireland, when it was recorded by K. Valinčienė, on the 16th March 2017.

It wasn't until the 16th February 2019, before   2AT   resurfaced again, but this time in Northern Ireland.  Jennifer Lynch, recorded   2AT , at Greencastle, in County Down, where the latest sighting was made by Fulton, on the 21st March.

Greencastle, is 71 kms / 44 miles (N), from Ireland's Eye, and the duration since ringing is 9 years, 9 months and 7 days.

My thanks goes to Fulton, for allowing me to report his sighting, along with the photo of   2AT .  Thanks, also goes to my 'Ring Reading' partner in Dublin, Graham Prole, for his speedy reply to Fulton's sighting.  Graham has his own blog, that can be read (here).

Footnote :-  On Thursday 28th March 2019, I received an email from Graham Prole.  He spotted   2AT   back at Howth Harbour, that morning.  Thanks Graham, for keeping us all informed.

Great Black-backed Gull  -    2AT   -  Greencastle, Co. Down  (21 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 14th June 2009, on Ireland's Eye, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Fulton Somerville)

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Saturday 23rd March 2019

It wasn't till mid afternoon, before I could get out today, so I decided to cover the east County Antrim coast, beginning at Carnlough Bay, and finishing at Glynn, on Larne Lough.

It's now that time of year, when many gulls and waders, have moved on towards their breeding sites.  This was evident, by the lack of birds to be seen, with the largest numbers being recorded at Glynn.  The only ringed bird spotted, was on a Brent Goose, on the mudflats at Glynn.

On arriving here, the tide was well out, and I scoped the birds from the railway platform.  My camera, zoomed out to the distant group of 8 Brent Geese, and the code on the ringed bird was easily captured, reading - Blue S, Yellow H.  Graham McElwaine, of the Irish Brent Goose Research Group, is currently in Australia, so I'll have to wait on his return, to receive the ringing details.

Brent Goose  -  Blue S - Yellow H  -  Glynn, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim  (23 Mar 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

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Sunday 24th March 2019

Making an early start today, I decided to make the long journey down to the Castle Espie Wetland Centre, before making my way to Portaferry, from where I would move northwards along the outer Ards peninsular.

As I was dropping downhill on the motorway towards Belfast, I decided to make an un-scheduled stop on the mudflats, at the Dargan Industrial Estate.  I knew the tide was incoming, so I thought I would take a look to see what was about.  The number of gulls and waders, were practically non existent, barring some 250 to 300 Black-tailed Godwits.  Scoping the Godwits, I thought there had to be a ring or two among them, and I was rewarded with a new sighting.

Ringed, Blue over Red, on the left leg, and White over a Green Flag, on the right leg, on returning home and checking my Godwit 'colour-ringing' guide (pdf), I discovered that my bird was from a Portuguese project.  I was well pleased with this sighting, as this was my first sighting of a Godwit, that had been ringed in Portugal, and I duly sent an email to José Alves.

José, replied confirming the bird was from his project, and had been ringed as an adult female, on the 4th October 2016, on the Tagus Estuary, close to Setúbal, in western Portugal.  Prior, to my sighting today, the Godwit, was re-sighted on the Tagus Estuary, on the 5th February 2018.

It is now 2 years, 5 months and 20 days, since BR-WGf, was ringed, and I calculate the distance from Portugal to Dargan, as being roughly 1,807 kms / 1,123 miles (NNE).  No doubt a bird on it's way back to Iceland for the summer.

Black-tailed Godwit  -  Blue/Red - White/Green Flag  -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough  (24 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 4th October 2016, on the Tagus Estuary, Setúbal, W. Portugal)

Arriving at the Castle Espie Wetland Centre, I went straight to the 'Brent Hide', to see how the tide was progressing on Strangford Lough.  Unlike Belfast, where it was nearing high tide, it was still well out on the upper reaches of the Lough.

A quick scan of the few gulls and waders, provided another 'colour-ringed' Black-tailed Godwit, on which looking at the rings, I knew was another new sighting.  The 'colour-ring' on the right leg of this bird, was the first time I had come across such a ring.  It's a solid ring, with two black stripes.  As the ring, was pale blue, the coding for the ring would be 'PNPNP', with the 'P' standing for 'Pale Blue', and 'N' for Niger, standing for Black. 

Again, on checking my 'Godwit Guide', this bird belonged to Pete Potts.  I have emailed Pete, using both the address given in the guide, and another email address that I have for him, but as yet, have not had a reply.

This was already turning out to be a good day, with two new ring sightings - even better, as they were both Godwits.

Black-tailed Godwit  -  GR-PNPNP  -  Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (24 Mar 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

I now turned my attention, onto the tidal lagoon, on the north side of the 'Brent Hide', I spotted one of Adam McClure's Black-headed Gulls -   2BKL .

This bird, was ringed as a chick, here at Castle Espie, on the 19th June 2014.  I first encounted   2BKL , on the 2nd of June 2017, here at the Wetland Centre, which at that time, was it's first re-sighting since being ringed.  I then spotted   2BKL , breeding here last summer, on the 13th May 2018, this being the second sighting of the gull.  I also recorded it, on the 27th May and 24th June 2018.

During these series of visits, I recorded many of Adam's 'colour-ringed' Black-headed Gulls, most of which were first re-sightings.  I found this, slightly bemusing - what was going on here?  How come, the staff, charged to look after the wildfowl collection, failed to record and report the 'colour-ringed' Black-headed Gulls, nesting underneath their noses!!

Having discovered a wealth of Adam's gulls, I paid for full WWT membership, otherwise, I would have had to pay £9.00, for every visit.  Again, this is costing me money, helping out with Adam's project, which at present seems to have been 'abandoned', but I'm going to persist, as much re-sighting information can be recorded at Castle Espie, which I think, should still be documented.

Black-headed Gull  -    2BKL   -  Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (24 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 19th June 2014, at the Castle Espie Wetland Centre)

Next, I focused my attention onto the breeding lake, on the south side of the 'Brent Hide'.  Scoping the small islets on the lake, I spotted one 'metal-rung', and two 'colour-ringed', Black-headed Gulls.  The two 'colour-ringed' birds were easily dealt with, being   2AHT   &   2AHB .  On returning home, and entering their codes onto my spreadsheet, I discovered that both birds, were first ever sightings for me.

As Adam, is not responding to emails, I have no idea if either of these gulls have ever been re-sighted.  I even came up with a blank, after entering the 'ring codes' onto Adam's own blog, which has not been updated for over a year now.

I reported   2AHT   and   2AHB , to the British Trust for Ornithology, through their DemOn Ringing Database, but seemingly, the ringing data, has not even been submitted to them either.  They sent an email to Adam, requesting the 'metal' numbers and ringing details for both birds.  Going by the codes on these rings, I suspect, that both birds were ringed at an early stage of Adam's project, perhaps in 2013 or 2014.  For now, I'll just have to wait for a reply.

Black-headed Gull  -    2AHT   -  Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (24 Mar 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

Black-headed Gull  -    2AHB   -  Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (24 Mar 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

I was only able to get a 'partial' number, on the 'metal-rung' Black-headed Gull, which appears to read -  238 .  Perhaps I can obtain better images on a later visit, once the gulls really get down to the business of breeding.  I could get a little closer, by entering the closed off area, which prevents the public, from encroaching on the nesting birds.  I would need to get permission, from staff at the Centre, but I think they'll understand what I'm trying to achieve.

I conducted a search of   238 , on Black-headed Gulls, on my spreadsheet, but none of the 'metal' numbers contained this combination, but this was clearly a case of me clutching at 'straws'.

Over the breeding season, I will be recording the gulls here at Castle Espie on a regular basis.  The gulls, are exceedingly 'people tolerant', and nests can be approached quite closely.  During the following few months, I will be able to record many returning 'colour-ringed' birds, most of which, were ringed here as chicks.

Black-headed Gull  -    238  -  Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (24 Mar 2019)

Leaving Castle Espie, my next planned stop, was to Portaferry, from where I would travel up the coast of the outer Ards Peninsular.  Now moving south along the shore of Strangford Lough, just south of Newtownards, I spotted several small groups of Brent Geese.

Stopping every so often, I spotted one 'colour-ringed' Brent Goose, within one of these small groups.  Although, a long way off, my camera made short work of the distance capturing the code - Lime H, on the right leg, and Yellow 7, on the left leg.

I sent my sighting to Graham McElwaine, of the Irish Brent Goose Research Group.  As yet, I'm still waiting on a reply, but the last I heard of Graham, he was in Australia.

Brent Goose  -  Lime H - Yellow 7  -  Strangford Lough, Newtownards, Co. Down  (24 Mar 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

On reaching Portaferry, and moving up the east coast of the Ards Peninsular, no more rings were spotted until I reached the beach at Millisle.  One disappointment along the way, was not finding my oldest BTO-rung Black-headed Gull, at Ballywalter.

Ringed -   ET02500 , as a chick, on the 15th June 1998, when I last saw this bird, on the 13th October 2018, it had now reached the ripe age of 20 years, 3 months and 28 days.  Had I recorded the bird today, it would have been 20 years, 9 months and 9 days.  Just four Black-headed Gulls, were at Ballywalter, so it might be next autumn before I see   ET02500   again (should it survive the summer).

At Millisle, there were few gulls about, but Herring Gulls, especially immatures, and Common Gulls, were the most numerous about.  The only rings spotted were on the Common Gulls, with one 'colour-ringed', and three 'metal-rung' birds present.  The 'colour-ringed' bird was   2BBC , and one of the three 'metal-rung' birds, was   EX38230 , both recorded here on my previous visit, on the 3rd March 2019.    EX38230 , was easily distinguished, as it has a crippled left leg.

Of the other two 'metal-rung' birds, one was too distant to try and read it's ring, but I was successful with the second bird.  Having captured all of the number, excepting for the '  E ', with my camera, the full number read -   EX38015 .  On returning home, and entering the number onto my spreadsheet, I discovered that this bird was another new sighting.

As I'm now in poscession of all of the Common Gull ringing data, which was given to me by Shane Wolsey, after taking over from his study on this species, I found that   EX38015 , was ringed as a chick, on the 1st June 2010, on the nearby Copeland Islands.

Being 'metal-rung', I reckon, my sighting is the first ever confirmed report for this gull.  Even, entering the number onto the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database, there were no records, since the gull was ringed as a chick.  The duration since ringing, was now 8 years, 9 months and 23 days.

On leaving Millisle, I checked a few more sites before driving home, but no more rings were found. 

Common Gull  -    EX38015   -  Millisle Seafront, Millisle, Co. Down  (24 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 1st June 2010, on Big Copeland Island, The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)

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First Visit to Islay...

I couldn't get away on Saturday, which was probably, just as well as it rained for most of the day.  This meant, I had to pack in as much as I could do on Sunday, because I was joining an organised trip to the Isle of Islay, in Scotland, on Monday.  All this, and I still had to undertake my weekly visit to Antrim Marina, as well.

In a way, this could well have been a blessing.  With what I recorded on both Sunday and Monday, had I recorded several ringed birds on Saturday as well, I would have been facing an information overload.  Having recorded 19 'colour-ringed' Barnacle Geese on Islay, this in itself, poses a daunting task, in which to edit photos, add entries to my spreadsheet, and create individual files for each bird.

Sometimes, I wish I could be paid for 'Ring Reading'.  With an income coming in, I could spend more time in the field recording rings and find more time for my blog.  Having a regular job away from 'Ring Reading', certainly does eat up the hours, where I could be channelling my efforts otherwise.

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Antrim Marina - Sunday 17th March 2019

I finally arrived at Antrim Marina, just after 3.00pm, this afternoon.  After my last reasonably successful 'Ring Reading' session, here at the Marina, I was looking forwards to today's visit.

Over the next two hours, what unfolded, was my worst weekly visit of the winter so far, with just the one 'colour-ringed' Black-headed Gull being recorded -   2ABK .  During most of the two hours, no gulls were present at all.  Now and again, flocks of up to 100 gulls would appear, but they just flew around, and few landed.

Plenty of people, came and went, each feeding the ducks and swans.  There was so much bread floating on the water, when the gulls did arrive, they just dipped in for their share of the spoils.

There was no sign of the adult Herring Gull, which has been present over recent weeks, and the recently arrived Lesser Black-backed Gull pair, made a couple of quick visits. A single adult Common Gull, arrived, but was gone again two minutes later.

14 adult Mute Swans, along with the recently arrived cygnet, were present, but the only ring recorded on these, was the ever present   W34158 .

Mallards, numbered just 23 birds, and I've yet to record a ring on any of these this winter.

Other species, included 3 Hooded Crows, 9 Jackdaws, 1 Rook, 1 Magpie, and the pair of Pied Wagtails.

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After two hours, I gave up, and proceeded to the Elim Church at Parkhall, and the car park of the KFC outlet.  There was still no sign of   2AAV , at Elim Church, and no sign of   2ADD , at the KFC car park.  I'm seriously thinking, that we've lost   2AAV , and I'm wondering if   2ADD , has already moved on to the 'Torpedo Platform' on Lough Neagh, where he presumably breeds.

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Sunday 17th March 2019

Today, I really needed to visit Antrim Marina, as I was going on an organised trip to the Isle of Islay, in Scotland, to carry out a bit of 'Ring Reading', on Barnacle Geese.  Instead of an early morning visit to the Marina, I decided to leave it till later in the afternoon.  With the tide due to start going out, around 9.30am, I decided to start my day off at Glynn, on Larne Lough and then proceed towards Belfast.  Before going to Antrim Marina, I also wanted to visit Lurgan Park and Kinnego Marina.  I would cover as many sites as possible, in the time I had available to me.

At Glynn, there was not as many gulls about, as I had hoped for.  Common Gulls were present in fairly good numbers.  The only ring spotted, was on an immature Great Black-backed Gull.  Bearing a 'Yellow Darvic', I knew straight away this was a new sighting for me.  Once again, despite the distance from the railway platform, that I was scoping from, my camera made short work of it, capturing the code -   X:065 , which seemed familiar.

Later, on returning home, I checked the code on my ringing spreadsheet, and the ring had been recorded before.    X:065 , had been ringed as a chick, on the 13th June 2017, on the Isle of May, in Fife, Scotland.  The only previous sighting of this gull, prior to my sighting today, was made by David Nixon.  David recorded the bird on the 15th November 2017, at Millquarter Bay, in County Down.

The duration since ringing, is now 1 year, 9 months and 4 days.  The distance from the Isle of May to Glynn, is 253 kms / 157 miles (SW).

Great Black-backed Gull  -    X:065   -  Glynn, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim  (17 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 13th June 2017, on the Isle of May, Fife, Scotland)

My next stop was at the small town of Whitehead, where I was hoping to see the Danish Black-headed Gull (White) 5HA, possibly for the final time this winter.  I recorded the return of 5HA, for the third winter running, on the 18th November 2018.  It has been recorded on a few occasions this winter, not only by myself, but also by Cameron Moore and Ian Enlander.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  5HA  -  Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (17 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a 3rd Calendar Year Male, on the 28th March 2015, at Gentofte, Copenhagan, Denmark)

Looking at all of the birds on the beach, along the seafront at Whitehead, I spotted a Herring Gull, bearing a 'metal-ring'.  From the comfort of my car, the camera, again easily zoomed in to capture the digits on the ring.  Having sorted through several photos taken, I did not have one that clearly showed the '  G ', at the start of the sequence -   GK57597 .

Initially, I thought this might have been the same Herring Gull, with a 'metal', that Cameron Moore, had recorded here.  At home, after checking my spreadsheet, this was an entirely new sighting.  I entered the ring number, on the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database, but the ringing details have not been submitted to them as yet, as there is no record of the gull.  No doubt, the BTO, will have to contact the ringer concerned for the details.

Herring Gull  -    GK57597   -  Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (17 Mar 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

My next stop, was at Carrickfergus Harbour, where I tried again to spot a German-rung Black-headed Gull.  On the 17th January 2016, Adam caught this gull and fitted it with a 'Darvic', which read -   2ANX .  It had been 'metal-ringed', as an adult male in Germany, in 2008.  There was no sign of this bird, which was last seen at the harbour, on the 3rd January 2018.

I then went to Rhanbouy Park, just a short distance to the south of Carrickfergus harbour.  Peering over the seawall with my telescope, I could see another gull I was hoping to re-sight before it leaves for Norway.  This was the second winter running, that I've recorded   JJ02   here.

Black-headed Gull  -    JJ02   -  Rhanbouy Park, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim  (17 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 12th June 2014, at St. Hanshaugen, Oslo, Norway)

Time was already pushing on, so I made quick stops at Whitehouse Lagoon and the Dargan Industrial Estate and Mudflats.  No further rings were spotted here, so I drove on to Lurgan.

At Lurgan Park, I was hoping to re-sight two foreign 'colour-ringed' Black-headed Gulls.  The first of these, was the Polish   T58T .  Suzanne Belshaw, recorded the return of   T58T , for a third winter running, on the 13th December 2018.  This had been the only record of the gull this winter.  I fear I may have missed this one, as last spring, it was seen back in Poland on the 23rd March 2018.

As I write, I did a quick check on the 'Live' Polish Ringing Database, and   T58T , has yet to be recorded back in Poland.  I also noted, that Suzanne, has not submitted her sighting of the bird on the 13th December (an oversight I hope!!).

The second foreign rung Black-headed Gull, I was looking for, was the Norwegian - (White) J4P4.  Despite a few visits this winter to Lurgan Park, by Suzanne and myself, J4P4, has yet to be seen.

A Black-headed Gull, with a 'White-Darvic', did land a short distance away from me, but flew off before I had a chance to switch my camera on.  Whilst trying to relocate this bird, I then spotted two of Adam McClure's Study birds -   2BRD   &   2CNH .    2BRD , is a gull which I would record infrequently during the winter at Antrim Marina, but always returns to Lurgan Park, prior to the oncoming breeding season.

Black-headed Gull  -    2BRD   -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (17 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 1st February 2015, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

  2CNH , had 'bells' ringing in my head.  I knew it seemed very familiar, but at the time I could not place it.  It wasn't until I returned home and checked my spreadsheet, that the 'penny' dropped.  In my previous post, I had written an article about   2CNH , the gull having been spotted on the Tolka Estuary, in Co. Dublin, by Jan Rod.

Jan, recorded   2CNH , on the 9th March 2019, and here it was eight days later at Lurgan Park, in County Armagh.    2CNH , was ringed as a chick, on Blue Circle Island, on Larne Lough, on the 16th June 2017.  The only previous record of the gull, prior to Jan's sighting, was made on the 14th July 2018, when I recorded it at Whitehouse Lagoon, on the northern fringes of Belfast.

Black-headed Gull  -    2CNH   -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (17 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 16th June 2017, on Blue Circle Island, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

Eventually, the gull with the 'White Darvic', did appear again, but it wasn't the Norwegian - J4P4.  This one was a new sighting, rung - (White) 9MT.  I knew straight away, that this was another Danish bird, as it's ring is similar to that of (White) 5HA, which had been re-sighted again earlier at Whitehead.  I have sent an email to Kjeld Pedersen, but as yet, I'm still waiting on a reply.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  9MT  -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (17 Dec 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

Having had a nice haul of three rings at Lurgan Park, I drove on to the nearby Kinnego Marina, where I recorded another three rings, all of which are regularly recorded here.

The first of these, was   2BPV , who has a re-sighting history at Kinnego Marina, as long as your arm, as does   2BPS , which was spotted next.  Both of these gulls, belong to Adam McClure's Northern Ireland Study.

Black-headed Gull  -    2BPV   -  Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh  (17 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 31st October 2014, at Kinnego Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -    2BPS   -  Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh  (17 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 31st October 2014, at Kinnego Marina)

The third Black-headed Gull, bore a 'metal-ring', which I suspected would be   EN52966 .  Even so, I still had to take a number of photos, to confirm it's ring number, and the gull didn't help me, as it remained perched on the part of a nearby jetty, which non boat owners, had no access to.  My camera, still managed to 'bridge' the gap between us, and the number was confirmed -   EN52966 .

  EN52966 , was ringed as a chick, on the 3rd June 2009, at the nearby Blacker's Rock, in County Tyrone - 17 kms / 10 miles (NW).  My first, of the now numerous re-sightings of this bird, here at Kinnego Marina, was made on the 31st October 2015.  The duration since ringing is 9 years, 9 months and 14 days.

Black-headed Gull  -    EN52966   -  Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh  (17 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 3rd June 2009, at Blacker's Rock, Lough Neagh, Co. Tyrone)

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Monday 18th March 2019

Today, I joined a planned trip to the island of Islay, in Scotland, to participate in some 'Ring Reading' of Barnacle Geese.  Islay lies directly to the north of our own Rathlin Island, and the trip was organised by Jim Wells.  This was my first ever visit to the island, and though I've seen Barnacle Geese, in Northern Ireland, and in County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland, I hadn't recorded any rings on those birds.

Leaving Ballycastle harbour shortly after 8.00am, we arrived at Port Ellen, just before 10.00am.  The party of 8 birdwatchers, which included three 'Ring Readers', then travelled by two hire cars, to the Loch Gruinart Nature Reserve, on the north coast of the island.  The reserve is owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

We finished off the afternoon, by visiting the shoreline of Loch Indall, checking out the geese as they came in to roost, between Bowmore and Bridgend.  One of the eight birdwatchers, included David Nixon.  Many emails, have passed between us over the last couple of years, but we had never met until today.  It was great to place a face to the name - hi David, it was good to finally meet you.

We departed on our return journey, around 4.30pm, and arrived back into Ballycastle harbour just before 6.00.  Back home, I quickly made a strong cup of coffee, and settled down to sort through my photos.  Picking those that I needed and labelling them, I had recorded 19 'Clour-Ringed' Barnacle Geese, and had a 'dodgy' partial 'metal-ring' number, on another goose, which may have lost it's 'colour-ring'.  The number for this goose appeared to read   120866 , and I reckoned that I was missing the first digit.

I might still be able to get a result for this bird, if the project organiser can match the sequence to any of the birds that he has rung so far.  I will publish a separate post at a later date, once I receive all of the data for my sightings.  For now, I've added a couple of photos just for interest.

Barnacle Goose  -  (White)  6TF  -  Bowmore/Bridgend, Isle of Islay, Argyll & Bute, Scotland  (18 Mar 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

Barnacle Goose  -  (White)  ZTZ  -  Bowmore/Bridgend, Isle of Islay, Argyll & Bute, Scotland  (18 Mar 2018)

(Waiting on the Ringing Details)

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Common Gull Sighting from Jan Road

After checking through my Barnacle Goose photos, I then proceeded to check on any emails received.  I had two emails - one was from Suzanne Belshaw, who congratulated me on my bit of detective work, concerning the Black-headed Gull, which she spotted at the former Belfast Waterworks.  Having obtained a 'partial' number on a 'metal ring' -   EW518** , I managed to identify the site and date, when the gull was ringed (see previous post).  I did not contact Suzanne about my find, as I wanted it to come as a surprise, once she read my blog.  A surprise it was, and due thanks were gratefully received.

My second email, was from Jan Rod, from the Republic of Ireland.  He began, by thanking me for the latest update on the whereabouts of Black-headed Gull -   2CNH .  I spotted this gull, at Lurgan Park Lake, on the 17th March, just eight days (9th March) after Jan, had recorded the bird on the Tolka Estuary, Clontarf, Co. Dublin (read about it above).

Whilst I was looking for ringed birds on the 17th March, Jan was out and about, in his part of the world, and spotted one of my Common Gulls -   2BAJ .  I ringed   2BAJ , as a chick, on the 24th June 2017, at Rue Point, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim.  The summer of 2017, saw the start of my own ringing project of Common Gulls, here in Northern Ireland.

Jan's sighting of   2BAJ , at Laytown, in County Meath, was the first sighting of this gull since it was ringed.  The duration, as of the 17th March, is now 1 year, 8 months and 21 days, having travelled 176 kms / 109 miles (S).  My thanks goes to Jan, for his report and photo.

So far, I have had little in the way of reports, for the Common Gulls, that I have ringed in 2017 and 2018, but Jan's sighting goes to show that these birds are out there somewhere, just waiting for their rings to be read by someone.

Common Gull  -    2BAJ   -  Laytown, Co. Meath, Republic of Ireland  (17 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2017, at Rue Point, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Jan Rod)

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Me - The Detective...

This is another very long post, in most part due to the amount of re-sightings, not only be myself personally, but includes the results of several emails that I have received.  These highlights the extraordinary distances that some young gulls travel.  New sightings, include recently ringed birds, which will be worth looking for over future winters.

As this winter of 'Ring Reading', comes to an end, many of our foreign birds will soon be returning home.  Although not finished yet, I'm already looking forwards to next winter.  I personally have recorded lots of new sightings, as well as a few birds, from a few years back, whom obviously have slipped underneath the 'radar'.

However, the 'Ring Reading' does not stop, as our summer breeding birds will be returning into their localities for another season, and it will be good to increase their longevity records.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 11th March 2019

Today saw another Monday visit to Antrim Marina, and to be frank, I often dread the thought of it.  After a number of disastrous weekly visits, I never know what to expect, due mostly to the amount of disturbance, in one way or another.

Driving to the Marina today, I was 'bouyed' up, having spotted the Latvian   2AFD .    2AFD , should have returned to the Marina, by early November, and I had even predicted the week of it's return.  By the end of my previous weekly visit, I still hadn't recorded   2AFD   at the Marina.

By chance, I fell in with   2AFD   yesterday, as an inspirational thought, took me through the centre of Antrim Town, on my way to County Down.  Having spotted a group of 20 to 30 Black-headed Gulls, on the rooftop of a shop, I swung my car into a vacant car park, where I was able to lure most of the birds down, with bread.  The only ringed bird to land, turned out to be   2AFD .

I have little doubt, that   2AFD , has visited the Marina in my absence, but has avoided the site, as with many other birds, because of the disturbance.  At least I now know, this bird did safely return to Antrim for another winter.

  2AFD , was ringed as an adult male, at Antrim Marina, on the 12th February 2014.  On the 4th, 5th & 11th April 2015,   2AFD  was spotted at the Getlini Eko Landfill Site, in the Latvian Capital of Riga.  In all probability   2AFD , breeds somewhere close to Riga.  This is the first winter since 2014, that I have not recorded   2AFD , at the Marina.

Black-headed Gull  -    2AFD   -  Castle Way Car Park, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (10 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 12th February 2014, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

I arrived at the Marina this morning around 9.20, and many gulls were already perched on the ground around the car park.  The temperature read 4°C, plenty of blue sky, and a slight westerly breeze.  A quick count of the gulls before I began looking for rings, saw 103 birds present.

I departed at midday, and had a fairly successful session of ring 'Ring Reading'.  Of the 36 'colour-ringed' Black-headed Gulls recorded so far this winter, 25 birds were re-sighted during today's visit.  As mentioned recently, a couple of birds such as   2AAV   and   2ABF , have not been seen for a while now, and I could include   2ADV , which visits on an irregular basis.  I cannot be sure, whether something has happened to these gulls, or it could be a case, that they are avoiding the Marina.

One gull, which is definitely not avoiding Antrim Marina, is the young Danish BHG -   VA4235 .  This was my seventh sighting of this bird, since I discovered it here on the 7th January 2019.

At all times during today's visit, the gulls numbered 100+, and may have just touched on the 200 mark, by the time of my departure.  If these totals keep up, over my final couple of weeks here, I will definitely be, well pleased. 

Black-headed Gull  -    2CTB   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (11 Mar 2019)

(Ringed at Antrim Marina, on the 24th December 2018)

Colour-Ringed Black-headed Gulls Spotted at Antrim Marina, on Monday 11th March 2012

2ADJ	2AAT	2CJT	2ABK	2ABS	2CSF	2AAR	T35J	2CSJ
2BRA	2CTB	2CSX	2AAN	2AAA	2CSR	2CTC	2ABN	2CSK
2ACV	2AAP	2AAB	2CSH	2CSB	2ABL	2CSL

Today's Absentees

2AAK	2ABF	2AAV	2ADV	2BRD	2ANS
2CSA	2CSS	2CSV	2CTA	2CTD

Other Birds at Antrim Marina
The most noticeable of the other birds recorded at the Marina today, were a pair of Red-breasted Mergander's.  I've often seen this species, out on Lough Neagh, just beyond the Marina, but this is the first time where I've actually seen them here.  Spending a while on the river, I didn't think they'd come ashore, but they eventually did so.  This was a first, in six winters of visiting the Marina.

The Pair of Red-breasted Mergander's on the Slipway, at Antrim Marina  (11 Mar 2019)

I'm still having no luck at recording the 'metal-ringed' Common Gulls from Scotland and Finland.  Just two adult Common Gulls were present throughout today's visit, with two juveniles appearing at 10.05 and 10.24.

The adult Herring Gull, was already on site when I arrived, but would come and go throughout the morning, as did the pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, which arrived at 10.00.

Just 10 Mute Swans were present on my arrival, which included the regularly recorded   W34158 .  The small female Mute Swan -   W32105 , which had been here over the last couple of weeks, was not present.  This bird, was ringed on Hogganfield Loch, in Glasgow, Scotland.  The only addition to the total, was at 11.45, when a pair, along with a cygnet from last summer arrived.  None of these other swans were ringed.

Mallard number are still very much on the low side.  A count just before I departed, revealed a total of 23 birds.  This is very low for this time of the year, and I've still not recorded any rings on this winter.

Other species recorded during my visit, were 2 Hooded Crows, 8 Jackdaws, a pair of Pied Wagtails, and a single Grey Wagtail.

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Leaving the Marina, I checked out the other three sites around the town of Antrim.  At the Elim Church, despite a good number of Black-headed Gulls, there is still no sign of   2AAV .  Last recorded in December, it is very unusual not record   2AAV   here, or at Antrim Marina.

Moving on to the nearby car park, of Antrim's KFC outlet, there was no sign of   2ADD , which I recorded here two weeks ago.  I did not visit these three other Antrim sites last week.    2ADD , spends the winter at Carrickfergus, and stops by the KFC outlet for a couple of weeks, before moving on to Antrim Marina.    2ADD , undoubtedly breeds on the 'Torpedo Platform', situated near the Marina.

My final stop of the day, was at Antrim's Baptist Church.  Unusual for this site, the gulls were already standing around the car park, instead of the surrounding green or the Church roof.  Driving in carefully, so as not to disturb them, the only ring spotted, was that of the Polish-rung Black-headed Gull - (White) TY43.

Having established last winter, that TY43, is a winter resident in the locality of the Church, it is now due to return to Poland.  It would not surprise me, if this is my last sighting of TY43, this winter.  My final sighting of TY43, last winter, occurred on the 25th February 2018.  On the 30th March 2018, it was spotted back in Olsztyn.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  TY43  -  Antrim Baptist Church, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (11 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Calendar Year Bird, on the 9th February 2012, at Olsztyn, Poland)

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Mediterranean Gull in Morocco

On the 7th March, I received an email from Andreas Zours, who is a ringing coordinator, for Mediterranean Gulls, ringed in Germany.  Andreas, has kindly kept me in the loop, concerning the gulls from their project which have been recorded in Northern Ireland.

The email, was about the latest sighting of the young bird -   AY.KA .    AY.KA , was ringed as a chick, on the 8th June 2018, at the Rehbach Gravel Pits, near Leipzig, in Germany.  

Just Ringed  -  Mediterranean Gull  -    AY.KA   -  Rehbach Gravel Pits  (08 Jun 2018)

(Photo Courtesy of the Leipzig Ringing Team)

After fledging,   AY.KA , was spotted on numerous occasions, in June and early July, around the Gravel Pits, then it turned up at Whitehead, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.  It was spotted on the seafront at Whitehead, by Cameron Moore, a keen birdwatcher in the small town, on the 17th July 2018 - just 1 month and 9 days, after being ringed.  The distance, was a whopping 1,263 kms / 784 miles (WNW), for such a young bird.

Mediterranean Gull  -    AY.KA   -  Whitehead, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland  (17 Jul 2018)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 8th June 2018, at the Rehbach Gravel Pits, near Leipzig, Germany)

(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)

The next three sightings of   AY.KA , came from the Republic of Ireland.  Brian Burke, recorded the gull, on the 1st, 2nd and 6th September 2018, on the seafront at Bray, in County Dublin.  The duration as of the 6th September 2018, was now 2 months and 29 days, and the distance to Bray from Leipzig, was 1,269 kms / 788 miles (W).

North West Spain, was the scene, of the next reported sighting.  On the 10th November 2018,   AY.KA , was spotted on the seafront at O Grove, near Pontevedra, by Antonio Fontoira.  By now, it was 5 months and 2 days, since   AY.KA , was ringed, and the distance from Leipzig, was 1,876 kms / 1,165 miles (S).

The overall distance covered, is quite astonishing, considering this young bird had initially flown WNW, before beginning it's southerly route.  The best was yet to come though, as on the 1st & 5th of March 2019, the latest sightings of   AY.KA , came from Morocco.  Ruth Garcia Gorria, reported   AY.KA , on both dates, on the seafront at El Jadida, in the north east of the country.  The duration, by the 5th March, was 8 months and 25 days, and the distance from Leipzig, 2,621 kms / 1,628 miles (S).

This young Mediterranean Gull, is not even a year old yet, but clearly demonstrates the use of 'colour-rings'.  My sincere thanks goes to Andreas Zours, for keeping me informed.  It is fantastic, to follow the travels of 'ringed birds' that have been previously spotted in Northern Ireland.  My thanks also goes to Cameron, Brian, Antonio and last of all, Ruth, for allowing me to include their sightings.  No doubt, we are going to hear more of this bird in the future - (PDF).

Ringing & Sighting Locations of Mediterranean Gull  -    AY.KA

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Mediterranean Gull in Portugal

The latest sighting of the German bred   AY.KA , prompted me to check out the 'live' Polish Ringing Database.  I have reported a small number of Polish ringed Mediterranean Gulls, which have been spotted in Northern Ireland, not only by me personally, but on the behalf of a couple of other observers.

I found one update, and this was for a bird that I recorded on two occasions, at the Castle Espie Wetland Centre, in County Down.    PYU8 , was ringed as a chick, on the 6th June 2018, on an island, on Lake Ryńskie, Rybical, in north east Poland.  My first sighting of this young gull, was on the tidal lagoon, at Castle Espie, on the 29th July 2018.  A first re-sighting since being ringed, my sighting was made 1 month and 23 days later, the young gull having travelled 1, 757 kms / 1,091 miles (WNW), from Rybical.

Mediterranean Gull  -    PYU8   -  Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Co. Down  (29 Jul 2018)

(Ringed as a Chick on the 6th June 2018, on Lake Ryńskie, Rybical, NE Poland)

I recorded   PYU8 , for a second time, at Castle Espie, on the 2nd September 2018.  It was resting on the mudflats, a short distance from the Centre's 'Brent Hide', which overlooks both the tidal lagoon and the mudflats of Strangford Lough.  By now, it was 2 months and 27 days, since   PYU8 , had been ringed.

Mediterranean Gull  -    PYU8   -  Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Co. Down  (02 Sep 2018)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 6th June 2018, on Lake Ryńskie, Rybical, NE Poland)

Having checked the 'live' Polish Ringing Database,   PYU8 , was reported on the 6th February 2019, at Vilafranca de Xira, in west Portugal, by Jacob Jan de Vries & Bob Loos.  The distance from Rybical to Vilafranca de Xira, is 2,831 kms / 1,759 miles (WSW), and the duration by the 6th February, was 8 months exactly, since being ringed.  This is another example, at just how far these young Mediterranean Gulls travel.

Ringing & Sighting Locations of Mediterranean Gull  -     PYU8  

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From Suzanne Belshaw

Over recent weeks, Suzanne Belshaw, has been in contact, regarding a few 'colour-ringed' gulls that she has recorded.  Time had prevented me from reporting on these, but I hope Suzanne, does not mind, and I wish to thank her for submitting her sightings.

On the 4th February 2019, Suzanne checked out a number of sites around Belfast, and came across three 'ringed' gulls at the former Waterworks, and a further two 'ringed' gulls on the mudflats at the Dargan Industrial Estate.

The first of the three 'ringed' gulls at the former Belfast Waterworks, was a bird that I also recorded this winter.  On the 9th December 2018, I came across the Dutch-ringed (White) E6HA, on the old landfill site, at Belfast's Dargan Industrial Estate.  After reporting E6HA, to Frank Majoor, I discovered that the gull was no stranger to Belfast.  On the 17th September 2014, Adam McClure, also spotted E6HA, on the old landfill site (blog), this being the first ever sighting in Northern Ireland.

Suzanne's sighting on the 4th February, is now the third record of the gull here, and I've wondered if this bird has been overlooked each winter since 2014.  E6HA, was ringed as an adult male, on the 1st July 2010, at Harlingen, in NW Holland.  The distance, from Harlingen to the Waterworks, is roughly 760 kms / 472 miles (NW), and the duration since ringing, is now 8 years, 7 months and 3 days.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  E6HA  -  Belfast Waterworks, Belfast  (04 Feb 2019)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 1st July 2010, at Harlingen, Friesland, NW Holland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Suzanne, also came across a 'metal-ringed' Black-headed Gull, but no matter how hard she tried, she could only capture a 'partial' number.  The gull was frequently disturbed by dog walkers, whilst Suzanne was taking photos of the ring and missed out on the last two digits, having captured -   EW518** .

I then did a search on my spreadsheet for   EW518 , to discover, that I had one record of a Common Gull, with the number   EW51832 , which had been ringed on the Copeland Islands, as a chick in 2009.  This prompted me to check the ringing data, which I received from Shane Wolsey, having taken over his former ringing project on Common Gulls.

Shane, had used the ring series   EW51801-50 , on Common Gulls, but seemingly did not use the series   EW51851-900 , on this species.  I then checked through the   EW51801-50   series to find that eight Black-headed Gull chicks had been ringed with the numbers   EW51806-13 .

At this point, while writing this, I thought I'd log into the BTO's new DemOn Ringing Database, and check out every ring number used in the series   EW51851-900 .  Having painstakingly entered every number, I discovered that all 50 rings had been used on Manx Shearwater chicks in September of 2017.  Although DemOn, at present, does not show the ringing locations, there is no doubt in my mind, that this series was also used on the Copeland Islands.

Having checked all 100 rings in the   EW518   series, Suzanne's Black-headed Gull, had to be one of those ringed   EW51806-13 , in which case   EW518** , had been ringed as a chick, on the 23rd June 2009.  This makes the duration, since being ringed, as 9 years, 7 months and 12 days.  The distance from Big Copeland Island to the former Belfast Waterworks, is 27 kms / 16 miles (WSW).

Suzanne, does not know about this little bit of detective work I've just carried out, but there's no doubting, that when she reads this, she will be pleased about the outcome.  I carried out a further check, on the DemOn Database, and none of the Black-headed Gulls, which were ringed   EW51806   to   EW51813 , have ever been reported since being ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -    EW518**   -  Belfast Waterworks, Belfast  (04 Feb 2019)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 23rd June 2009, on the Copeland Islands, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

The third of Suzanne's ring sightings at the former Belfast Waterworks, was the first sighting outside of Norway, of a Black-headed Gull, 'colour-ringed' -   JLU3 .

I do not have the full ringing details for this bird, except to say, that it was ringed on the 25th April 2018, at Frognerparken, in Oslo.  It had been re-sighted once in Norway, before it was discovered at the Waterworks by Suzanne.

Perhaps one to watch for in the future,   JLU3 , had flown 1,158 kms / 719 miles (SW), to reach Belfast.  The duration since ringing, was 9 months and 10 days.

Black-headed Gull  -    JLU3   -  Belfast Waterworks, Belfast  (04 Feb 2019)

(Ringed on the 25th April 2018, at Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

On the mudflats at Dargan, Suzanne spotted one of Adam McClure's Black-headed Gulls -   2BKD , though the ring was difficult to read.  I too, recorded   2BKD , here on the mudflats the day before Suzanne's sighting.

  2BKD , had been ringed as a chick, on the 19th June 2014, at the Castle Espie Wetland Centre, in County Down.    2BKD , was one of a number of chicks that were ringed at Castle Espie, which had gone un-recorded until I began a series of visits to the colony last summer.  On the 27th May 2018, nearly four years after being ringed, I discovered that   2BKD , was breeding at it's natal colony.

I recorded   2BKD , on two other occasions at Castle Espie - 10th & 24th June 2018, which were the only records of the gull, until it was spotted by Suzanne and myself, wintering at Dargan.

Castle Espie, is situated just 17 kms / 10 miles (SE), from Dargan.  The distance may be short as the crow flies, but try driving between the two sites, it seems to take forever.  The duration by the time of Suzanne's sighting, was now 4 years, 7 months and 16 days.

Black-headed Gull  -    2BKD   -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough  (04 Feb 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 19th June 2014, at the Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

The Polish-rung Common Gull -   TM45 , was Suzanne's second ring sighting on the Dargan Mudflats.  Unknown to me at the time, Suzanne's sighting on the 4th February, fell in between my two sightings on the 26th January 2019, at Dargan, and on the 17th February 2019, on the nearby Kinnegar Beach.

As far as I can tell, this is the first ever Polish-rung Common Gull, ever to be recorded in Northern Ireland.    TM45 , was ringed as juvenile, on the 7th September 2017, at Gdynia, in northern Poland.  The distance to Belfast is roughly 1,569 kms / 974 miles (W), and the duration by the 17th February 2019, was 1 year, 5 months and 10 days.

Common Gull -    TM45   -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough  (04 Feb 2019)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Juvenile, on the 7th September 2017, at Gdynia, N. Poland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

On the 27th February 2019, Suzanne was on the seafront at Ballyholme, in County Down, when she came across Black-headed Gull -   2CLV .  Another bird from Adam McClure's Study, this is possibly the second sighting of   2CLV , since it had been ringed as a chick, on the 16th June 2017.  Cameron Moore, spotted   2CLV , on the 28th August 2017, at Whitehead, in County Antrim.  It was ringed on Blue Circle Island, on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.

The distance from Blue Circle Island to Ballyholme, is 18 kms / 11 miles (SE), the duration is now 1 year, 8 months and 11 days, since being ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -    2CLV   -  Ballyholme, Co. Down  (27 Feb 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 16th June 2017, on Blue Circle Island, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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From Jan Rod

On Saturday evening - 9th March, I received an email from Jan Rod, in Dublin.  Whilst out and about earlier in the day, Jan spotted one of Adam's Black-headed Gulls -   2CNH .  As Jan is a regular reader of my blog, he has read that Adam has not been responding to emails for quite a while now, and even his own blog, has seen no activity for a year.

Jan was trying his luck, as to whether or not, I had any record of this gull, and his luck was in.  My only sighting of   2CNH , occurred on the 14th July 2018, at Whitehouse Lagoon, situated to the north of Belfast.  The gull was ringed as a chick, on the 16th June 2017, on Blue Circle Island, on Larne Lough, County Antrim, which lies 20 kms / 12 miles (NNE), from the lagoon.

Jan's latest sighting of   2CNH , was on the Tolka Estuary, in the Clontarf district, in the City of Dublin.  The distance from Blue Circle Island, is 164 kms / 101 miles (S), and the duration since ringing, was now 1 year, 8 months and 21 days.  My thanks goes to Jan, for getting in touch, and I've added the photo which I took of   2CNH , on the 14th July 2018.

Black-headed Gull  -    2CNH   -  Whitehouse Lagoon, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (14 Jul 2018)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 16th June 2017), on Blue Circle Island, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

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Saturday 9th March 2019

Today was another poor day weatherwise.  With frequent showers, and a strong wind, I made a late decision to visit the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, as well as the nearby Kinnegar Beach.

At the WoW Reserve, I was hoping to have another go at reading 'metal' rings on the two Mediterranean Gulls, which I believe are of Dutch origin.  One of the rings, has been confirmed by Frank Majoor, the other ring, although I only have a partial number, was also from a ring series, used on De Kreupel Island, in 2016.

Not a single Med Gull appeared, but I noticed on the noticeboard in hide one, that 9 Med Gulls were spotted on the nesting platform on the 2nd March.  It will be interesting to see, if the total number of nesting pairs, exceeds the five pairs, that nested here last summer.

Scoping through the Black-headed Gulls on the nest platform, I re-sighted   2BLK   and   2AJF , both of which were recorded here recently.  I also spotted a Black-headed Gull, with a 'metal' ring.  I tried to follow this bird with my camera, but other gulls constantly blocked out my view of this bird.

On the nearby Kinnegar Beach, no 'colour-rings' were found, but 'metals' were noted on 2 Common Gulls, 1 Black-headed Gull and an Oystercatcher.

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Sunday 10th March 2019

The weather today, was even worse than yesterday, as we experienced a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, coupled with gale force winds.  At times, I could feel my car 'rocking', as the wind was so strong.  However, on Saturday night, I had decided to make the long trip south to Kilkeel, in County Down, to coincide with the high tide, and then make my way back along the County Down coast.

Except for the harbour at Ardglass, I was very surprised at just how few gulls, waders and geese, were to be seen.  By the time I reached the village of Strangford, the afternoon really fell apart, as the sky darkened so much, it seemed as if it was night-time, though it was actually only 4.30.  At this point, I decided to call it a day and headed home, encountering a super heavy shower of hail stones on the way.

My original planned route to Kilkeel, was to go straight through Belfast, but nearing the town of Antrim, I changed my mind.  I decided to visit Corbet Lough and Castlewellan Forest Park, which meant I had to go through Antrim, Moira and Banbridge, on my way south.  

This change of plan, reaped it's reward.  Whilst driving through the centre of Antrim town, I noticed a group of 20 to 30 Black-headed Gulls, on the roof of a shop.  I drove around the block to a nearby vacant car park, and began throwing out bits of bread.  In no-time, most of those gulls, flew down for a feed.

A short distance away, a gull landed with an 'Orange Darvic', this being one of Adam's Study birds.  Grabbing my camera, and taking a couple of picture's, I nearly 'fell' through the ground, as I had just spotted   2AFD .    2AFD , is from my own study at Antrim Marina, which was due to arrive back last November, but I havn't seen it there as yet.  The story of   2AFD , can be read about, at the top of this post.

Anyway, as mentioned, my Sunday afternoon had ended, but I did record four new ring sightings.  The first of these was a Brent Goose, rung Blue C / Blue C, on the beach at Rossglass.  As Graham McElwaine, from the Irish Brent Goose Research Group, is currently in Austrailia, I'll have to wait for the ringing details.

Brent Goose  -  Blue C / Blue C  -  Rossglass Beach, Co. Down  (10 Mar 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

The next two rings, were both spotted at Ardglass Harbour, in County Down.  A gull with an 'Orange Darvic', had me thinking I'd just spotted another Isle of Man, Herring Gull.  The bird, was standing on a small rock outcrop, along with two Brent Geese, but on zooming out with my camera, I could see that it was a Common Gull, and it's ring read -   2AXB .

I automatically thought, this bird was from the project in Aberdeenshire, in Scotland, so emailed Calum Campbell about my sighting.  Although they do use 'colour-rings', starting with a two, followed by three letters, the   2A**   series did not belong to them.  I then looked up the cr-birding site, and discovered that Jez Blackburn from the BTO, was the named contact.

I then sent an email to Jez, and also reported the gull through the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database.  On Tuesday afternoon, the ringing details arrived back from the BTO.

As it is now Wednesday afternoon, and as I sit here on the laptop writing about   2AXB , an email has just arrived from Jim Lennon, and Jez was copied in.

  2AXB , was ringed as a chick, on the 5th July 2016, on the Shiant Islands, in the Western Isles, of Scotland.  Jim in his email, went on to say, that around 40 Common Gull chicks have been 'colour-ringed' in recent years on the islands, and this was by far their best sighting, reported to date, and a first for this bird.  The distance from the Shiant Islands, to Ardglass harbour, is 407 kms / 252 miles (S), and the duration from ringing, was 2 years, 8 months and 5 days.  My thanks goes to Jim for supplying the additional information. 

Common Gull  -    2AXB   -  Ardglass Harbour, Co. Down  (10 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 5th July 2016, on the Shiant Island, Western Islands, Scotland)

Several small groups of Brent Geese, were feeding around the shore of Ardglass harbour.  One was spotted, rung Red D / Red N.  As mentioned above, Graham McElwaine, is in Austrailia, so I'll have to wait on the details for this bird.

Brent Goose  -  Red D / Red N  -  Ardglass Harbour, Co. Down  (10 Mar 2019)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

Parking on the pier, at the village of Strangford, I positioned overlooking Swan Island, which hosts nesting Black-headed, Common Gulls and Sandwich Terns.  On throwing out bits of bread, I soon had a number of Black-headed Gulls, landing beside my car.  One of these, was a first sighting for me, of another one of Adam McClure's Study birds -   2CAV .

As Adam, is not responding to emails, I reported   2CAV , through the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database.  Again, on Tuesday afternoon, the ringing details arrived back with me.    2CAV , was ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2016, at the Castle Espie Wetland Centre, situated just 21 kms / 13 miles (NNW), of Strangford.  I've know way of knowing whether this is a first re-sighting, but it seems that   2CAV , may perhaps nest on the island this summer.

Black-headed Gull  -    2CAV   -  Strangford Village, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (10 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2016, at the Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Co. Down)

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