One bird reported to me, was of special interest due to my own Common Gull Project. This was bird from Shane Wolsey's former Common Gull Study, which I've now taken over, with the gull having been ringed on Big Copeland Island. Talking of Big Copeland Island, the owner has granted me permission to visit the island to further Shane's former project (read all below).
On the subject of Common Gulls, an Icelandic metal-rung bird, has been reported to me. Unfortunately, the observer concerned, missed out on the last digit of it's ring number. I have sent an email to Iceland with 'Tounge in Cheek', to see whether they can still generate a recovery. If the bird concerned was ringed as a chick, and this species being a colonial nester, then enough chicks may have been ringed at the same site and on the same date, to provide a result. That would cover all ten missing digits of 0 to 9. Fingers crossed for this one, and, as far as I know, this might possibly be a first for Northern Ireland. I'll report on the outcome for this one in my next post.
___________________________________________
| Antrim Marina - Monday 27th January 2020 |
|---|
Slowly recovering from my hip problem, I stayed at home over the weekend, and undertook my weekly visit to Antrim Marina on Monday morning. Arriving at 9:55am, I departed around 1pm, as the number of gulls present, slowly dwindled. From my arrival until the last half hour or so, around 120 Black-headed Gulls were present, but judging by the colour-ringed individuals, gulls were clearly coming and going at a steady rate.
My visit was fairly routine, with nothing new to report. Of 36 colour-ringed BHGs either re-sighted or ringed this winter, 22 of those were recorded during today's visit. Looking over the last couple of weeks data on my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet, two gulls have caught my eye, over their absence.
The first of these is 2ACV , who normally would be observed on a regular basis from week to week. This one was last recorded here on the 6th January 2020. We know 2ACV , likely nests at the Leighton Moss Nature Reserve in Lancashire, England, but this gull does not depart from the Marina until late March each year. I'll be keeping a special eye for this one over the next couple of weeks.
The second noticeable absentee is 2CTA . 2CTA , was caught and ringed at the Marina, as a 2nd winter bird, on the 10th December 2018. My first re-sighting of the gull at the Marina, occurred two weeks later, thereafter, it was not seen again by the time I completed my weekly visits on the 25th March 2019. Having had to put up with all of the disturbance, due to the construction of the new cafe, and the dredging works, the absence of several gulls could easily be excused.
2CTA , returned to the Marina, on the 28th October 2019, the return date itself, suggesting that this gull may well be of foreign origin. Sightings of 2CTA since it's return has been patchy, at one point being absent for four weeks. Having not recorded this one since the 30th December 2019, this may suggest it has departed, as last winter the final sighting was made on the 24th December 2018.
As with most of the gulls ringed over the last couple of winters, using the 2C** series of rings, it will take a couple of years to build up profiles of their coming and goings, whether they are residents to the Antrim area, or are indeed winter visitors.
Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 27th January 2020
| 2AAB | 2AAK | 2CJT | 2AAA | 2CSR | 2BRA | 2CTC | 2AAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2CSB | 2CSA | 2CSJ | 2ABS | 2FDK | 2ABL | 2AAP | 2AAN |
| 2CSK | 2ABN | 2ABK | 2CTB | 2CSL | 2CSH |
Black-headed Gulls Re-Sighted or Ringed This Winter, but not Recorded Today
| 2ABA | 2AAV | 2ACV | 2ADV | 2AFD | 2BRD | 2ANS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2CSX | 2CTA | 2CTR | 2FBA | 2FDJ | 2FDL | 2FDN |
Other Species at Antrim Marina
As regular readers will have noticed over the last few weeks, the Common Gulls are being paid particular attention. Unlike last winter, where the aforementioned disturbance effected the number of gulls visiting, Common Gulls were virtually absent. With the construction of the new cafe having been completed of late, the number of visiting Common Gulls has increased dramatically.
This species does tend to be shy, and individuals often avoid human contact, so numbers at the Marina never top the dozen mark or so. I have had a good number of re-sightings of a small metal-rung Scottish bird, but I have been keeping my fingers crossed, hoping to see the return of a metal-rung Finnish bird, which normally appears during the month of January.
Having been ringed as a juvenile in the autumn of 1995, should this bird appear now, it would be around twenty four and a half years since it was ringed. Now that January is fast coming to an end, there is no sign of this bird, which does not look promising. Having last recorded it on, the 19th March 2018 (22y 7m 13d), this gull may now be dead.
Two adults were present on my arrival today, and numbers increased to a high of 9 birds at 11:49. The adult Herring Gull, was late in arriving today, appearing at 11:18.
8 adult Mute Swans, and the large headed juvenile, were present throughout my visit. The two metal-rung birds, which would normally return from January onwards, have not arrived back as yet. The legs of all the swans present were checked for rings.
31 Mallards were present on my arrival, but instead of numbers increasing during my visit, this week, numbers actually declined. A head count just before my departure, gave a total of just 13 birds.
At one point today, a highest ever total of Jackdaws were present, with 18 birds in total. Once again, no Hooded Crows appeared, which is unusual, as a pair often nests in the trees across the river from the Marina. Moorhens were recorded for the second time this winter, with a juvenile being spotted at 10:34. This would probably be the same bird recorded a couple of weeks ago. An adult, was also spotted at 11:33, on the low wooden jetty. A pair of Pied Wagtails, made up the species list today.
******************************
| From David Nixon |
|---|
On Saturday 25th January 2020, I received an email from David Nixon, containing reports of several colour-ringed gulls, which he had spotted at Millquarter Bay in County Down. The six gulls reported, were two from County Dublin, one from Scotland, and three from the Isle of Man. Of the six, four were confirmed, but David was not 100% sure of two Isle of Man birds, so they have been discounted, by agreement of both David and Mark Fitzpatrick - ringing coordinator for the Isle of Man. The codes for those two, may have been - T4VE and T84S .
The Isle of Man gull which was confirmed, is that of a second sighting this winter, of Herring Gull - T0YG . T0YG , had been ringed as a chick, on the 23rd June 2014, on the Calf of Man. The first three re-sightings occurred on the Calf of Man, in July 2017, 14th April 2018, and on the 27th June 2018. The gull then went un-recorded until the 30th December 2019, when both David and Graham McElwaine, spotted the gull independently of each other, at the high-tide roost at Dundrum's Inner Bay, County Down.
The distance from the Calf of Man to Millquarter Bay, is 56 kms / 34 miles (WNW), and the duration has now increased to 5 years, 7 months and 24 days. Our thanks to Mark for the data.
 |
|---|
Herring Gull - T0YG - Millquarter Bay, Co. Down (25 Jan 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 23rd June 2014, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man)
(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)
The two County Dublin gulls, were immature Great Black-backed's, both having been ringed on the 1st July 2018, on Ireland's Eye Island, just off the coast of Howth. Ironically, both 404:D and 409:D , before today's sighting, had been reported together at the Santry Outflow, at Bull Point in County Dublin.
404:D , appears to be the most adventurous of the two gulls. Having been re-sighted still on Ireland's Eye, eight days after being ringed, the next sighting occurred on the 28th January 2019, at Dunmore East, in County Waterford, some 152 kms / 95 miles (SW), from Ireland's Eye. The next two sightings before being spotted on the Santry Outflow, were made in March and April 2019, at Howth Harbour.
The duration from ringing, is 1 year, 6 months and 24 days, and the distance from Ireland's Eye to Millquarter Bay, is 108 kms / 67 miles (NNE).
 |
|---|
Immature Great Black-backed Gull - 404:D - Millquarter Bay, Co. Down (25 Jan 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 1st July 2018, on Ireland's Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)
(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)
As stated, 409:D , is the least adventurous of the two birds. After being ringed, it was spotted on three occasions at County Dublin's Bull Point, which includes the Santry Outflow, where both birds were spotted at the same time, prior to being spotted by David at Millquarter Bay. As with 404:D , the duration is now 1 year, 6 months and 24 days, having moved 108 kms / 67 miles (NNE). My thanks goes to Graham Prole, who is my 'Ring Reading' counterpart from County Dublin, for supplying the information for both gulls.
 |
|---|
Immature Great Black-backed Gull - 409:D - Millquarter Bay, Co. Down (25 Jan 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 1st July 2018, on Ireland's Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)
(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)
The Black-headed Gull, which David spotted, was actually a bird that he had recorded in the past. 2BT3 , was ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 26th August 2016, on the Ythan Estuary in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. David recorded the first re-sighting of 2BT3 , on the 23rd November 2016, at Millquarter Bay in County Down, exactly where the gull was recorded now.
After David's initial sighting, 2BT3 , was then recorded twice in 2018 (July & August), back on the Ythan Estuary. On the 4th November 2018, I also spotted 2BT3 , having returned again to Millquarter Bay. My sighting, was the last record for the gull, until this sighting by David. I have emailed Calum Campbell, who I hope will provide further updates on the history of 2BT3 , but as yet, I have not received a reply.
The duration since ringing is now 3 years, 4 months and 30 days, and the distance from the Ythan Estuary to Millquarter Bay, is 400 kms / 248 miles (SW). David's sighting is another good record of a returning gull, which adds to it's longevity. David was unable to get a photo, so I've added the one I took in 2018.
 |
|---|
Black-headed Gull - 2BT3 - Millquater Bay, Co. Down (04 Nov 2018)
(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 26th August 2016, at Inchgeck, Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, Scotland)
Having returned home from work in the early hours of Wednesday morning, I checked for emails, to find another from David Nixon. Late on, on Tuesday afternoon, David was checking the high-tide roost, at Dundrum's Inner Bay in County Down, and spotted a distant Common Gull with a Blue Darvic. With his Nikon P900 camera, David just about managed to capture the code - 2AHT .
In his email, David wondered if this was a bird from the Copeland Islands, also in County Down. Most of these colour-rings from Shane Wolsey's former project on the island, which ran from 2009 until 2014, have a habit of deteriorating quite badly. Looking at David's photo of 2AHT , the ring seemed to be in fairly good condition, so I thought the gull may have been from my own project on County Antrim's Rathlin Island, which I began in the summer of 2017.
Having began my project, I used the few remaining colour-rings which belonged to the 2A** series, which Shane had used on Big Copeland Island, and thereafter, I began using rings from the 2B** series. On checking my ringing data, I had no record for the gull, and then proceeded to check Shane's data - and there it was. 2AHT , had been ringed as a chick, on the 18th June 2012, and David's sighting on Tuesday, was a first re-sighting.
Having taken over Shane's former project, I've been trying for the last couple of years, to find a means of getting onto Big Copeland Island, to further Shane's project. Recently, I have acquired the services of a boatman, and was granted permission from the islands owner (read below). This sighting of 2AHT by David, further fuels my belief that there are several, or many of Shane's gulls, which have never been recorded from the day they were rung. As you can imagine, I was thoroughly delighted with this report of 2AHT .
Again, my thanks goes to David for this one, plus the others that have been spotted recently. The duration since 2AHT was ringed, is 7 years, 7 months and 10 days. The distance from Big Copeland Island, where I reckon this gull nests, is roughly 51 kms / 31 miles (SW).
 |
|---|
Common Gull - 2AHT - Dundrum Inner Bay, Dundrum, Co. Down (28 Jan 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2012, on The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)
(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)
******************************
| From Declan Clarke |
|---|
Declan Clarke was in touch by email on Monday 27th January 2020. On the day before, Declan spotted a juvenile Herring Gull at Ardglass Harbour in County Down, rung - T7VE . This sighting came the day after a similar ring sighting by David Nixon, at Millquarter Bay, which is quite close to Ardglass. Rung - T4VE , David was not 100% sure of the code, so by agreement with Mark Fitzpatrick, who is the ringing coordinator for the Isle of Man, this sighting record was not accepted.
Mark did except Declan's sighting and forwarded the ringing details. T7VE , was ringed as a chick, on the 3rd July 2019, and this was it's first re-sighting, occurring 6 months 23 days after being ringed on the Calf of Man. The Calf of Man, is a small island just off the southern coast of the Isle of Man, and is home to a Bird Observatory there.
The distance from the Calf, to Ardglass Harbour, is just 57 kms / 35 miles (WNW). This winter, has seen quite a few Isle of Man gulls being reported at Ardglass Harbour. However, very few have stayed 'put' at the harbour, and as other ringing reports suggest, many of these large gulls seem to wander up and down the east coast of the island of Ireland. Although, there is no photo to go along with Declan's sighting, my thanks to Declan for reporting this young gull.
******************************
| From Richard Else |
|---|
An email was received from Ric Else on Tuesday 28th January, reporting on his latest Common Gull sightings at Mill Bay on Rathlin Island. One of these, was a first sighting for Ric, but was no stranger to me.
2BBF , had been ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2017, at Arkill Bay on Rathlin. It's first two re-sightings were made by me, when I discovered the gull at Carnlough Bay in County Antrim, just before and just after it's first year since being ringed - (9th June 2018 & 7th July 2018).
2BBF was then spotted on Rathlin by me, on the 5th May 2019, back at the very same sub-colony where it had been ringed. As it was still short of full breeding age, I reckoned it was prospecting a nest site, and it will likely breed on the island this coming summer. Today's sighting of the gull is great news, knowing the bird is still out there. The duration from ringing, is now 2 years, 7 months and 4 days.
 |
|---|
Common Gull - 2BBF - Mill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim (28 Jan 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2017, at Arkill Bay, Rathlin Island)
(Photo Courtesy of Ric Else & Hazel Watson)
The second bird is another re-sighting of 2BPF , who's first re-sighting was made earlier this month (15th January 2020), also at Rathlin's Mill Bay. Ringed as a chick last summer at Rathlin's Rue Point, the duration is now 7 months and 2 days.
Ric also reported, that as many as 130 Common Gulls, and twice that many Herring Gulls, are now roosting at the island's Doon Bay, which is situated on the south-east corner of the island. No doubt, the gulls are favouring the sheltered bay, being protected from the westerly winds. My thanks to Ric, for these latest gull sightings.
 |
|---|
Common Gull - 2BPF - Mill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim (28 Jan 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 26th June 2019, at Rue Point, Rathlin Island)
(Photo Courtesy of Ric Else & Hazel Watson)
******************************
| Big Copeland Island |
|---|
Despite not being well last weekend and remaining housebound with my hip problem, a phone call on Sunday morning brightened up my day. Alan McCulla, who owns Big Copeland Island, has given me the go-head to visit the island at any time. A Philip McNamara, who owns a fully licenced boat, had agreed to undertake return trips to Big Copeland, pending permission from Alan.
I have spent the last couple of years, trying to find a way to get onto Big Copeland Island, to further Shane Wolsey's former Common Gull Colour-ringing Project, which ran from 2009 until 2014. I believe, that many of those gulls are still alive, and nesting on the island, and would include individuals that have never been re-sighted from the day that they were ringed.
My main aim, is to locate the Common Gull breeding colonies from mid May onwards, whilst the gulls are on eggs, reading the codes and photographing those with colour-rings. There will also be the opportunity to read and photograph some of the Herring Gulls, which were also colour-ringed on the island in 2014/2015, and again, should include otherwise un-recorded individuals.
Big Copeland, is a fairly large island, therefore it will take a bit of time to locate all of the colonies/sub colonies, so my main emphasis this year will be to read rings. A couple of other 'Ring Readers', along with their Nikon P900 cameras, are willing to help out, which is great news. Depending on how well we all do together, I may find time to colour-ring some Common Gull chicks from mid to late June.
It's exciting times ahead, as I try to further Shane's former project, and I sincerely thank Alan for his permission. That short phone call on Sunday morning really made my day.
******************************
No comments:
Post a Comment