What Distancing...

Not much birdwatching this weekend, as I had lots of other tasks to do around home, which again included much needed attention to the garden.  Finding enough time to spend on everything, especially on the birding front is always limited at the moment.  I cannot wait to see the plant life cease growing, as I'd rather be out in the wilds looking for those elusive rings.

 

In this week's post, I've added the ring sightings which have been reported to me by Graham McElwaine and Jan Rod.  Graham has also undertaken the role of ringing co-ordinator, for colour-ringed waders, belonging to a relatively new Northern Ireland Project.  I now have the ringing details for two Oystercatchers and two Curlews, which I recorded from this project.  Having obtained the metal numbers for the four birds, I've updated my sightings on the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database, and should receive the recovery details in the next few days.  This will also provide me with the offical distance's covered, especially for the two Oystercatchers.

 

With also now knowing the metal numbers used, I checked through DemOn, on the other numbers used in the same series.  Although the birds I recorded are now on the system, others that were ringed have yet to be submitted.  So far, all that I can see at the moment, is there may well be a fair number of Oystercatchers about, so a few more will likely be added to my sightings over this winter.  As a ring reader, every sighting is brilliant to get, and is just reward for the hours spent in the field.  No matter what the weather is doing, it all adds to the knowledge of our ringed birds here in Northern Ireland.

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Black-headed Gulls at Antrim Marina - Sunday 20th September 2020

I undertook this week's visit to Antrim Marina on Sunday morning, as I did not plan on ring reading anywhere.  I arrived at the Marina at 8:50, and the weather was sunny, calm and slightly on the chilly side.  However, it did not take long for the temperature to rise, which gave way to a really nice day.

 

Not a single gull was present, and the first birds arrived at 9:10, when   2AAA , was the first colour-ringed Black-headed Gull to be recorded.  A further six colour-rings were spotted, with   2CSR  being the 7th bird, at 9:56.  For no particular reason, gulls were largely absent until around 11am, when numbers really began to increase.  At this time, maximum numbers were estimated to be around 80 Black-headed Gulls, and a further three colour-rings were spotted, with   2ABS , being the 10th, and final, colour-ring noted at 11:29.

 

After this, the gulls once again departed, with just the odd few coming and going until my departure around 1pm.  This was again, another very poor visit, but the excellent weather was likely to be the reason for this.  Anyways, by 11am, the good weather had encouraged lots of people to visit the Marina, and it left me wondering about 'Social Distancing', which in many cases here, it was non-existent.  As I was driving along the avenue which links the Marina to the town of Antrim, a Police van was heading towards the Marina.  I wondered if they were going to take a look.  I'd be pretty sure, that they would take a dim view, especially as lockdown measures are once again, beginning to take a hold.

 

I'm still slightly concerned, by the lack of visiting Black-headed Gulls so far during this autumn/winter season, and a small number of colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, have yet to be recorded, though they should be present by now.  I really need the weather to change for the worse.  It would encourage hungry gulls to come looking for food, and discourage so many visitors.

 

An email was received from Kate McAllister on Tuesday 22nd September.  At 8am that morning, she spotted   2BRA  and   2CSJ .  Although Kate knew, that she had recorded these two in the past, I'm always grateful for any latest updates.  I added these two sightings to my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet, a copy of which I attached, on my reply to Kate.  Again Kate, all sightings are much appreciated - Thank You.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls at Antrim Marina Today - 20th September 2020

2AAA	2CSX	2ABL	2BRA	2AAN	2ABK	2CSR	2CSJ	2FDK	2ABS

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded During This Autum/Winter, but not Recorded Today

2AAK	2ABA	2AAV	2AAB	2ABN	2ACV	2CJT	2CSA	2CSB	2CTC

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As stated, no gulls at all were present on my arrival.  Other than the Black-headed Gulls mentioned above, it took until 11:00, before any other species of gull arrived.  This was the adult Herring Gull, presumably the regular bird here, and then at 11:13, a single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull appeared.  Both were gone again by 11:20, and a few minutes later, an adult Common Gull, also made a brief appearance.

Just two Mallards were present when I arrived, but their numbers quickly increased to around 80 birds, which remained on site right up to my departure.  Again with these, most legs were checked, but still no rings.

The Mute Swan family, consisting of the adult pair and their six cygnets were present throughout my visit.  A second pair of Mute Swans landed on the small beach area around 11:15.  This is the same pair which has appeared here of late, and I know this by looking at the beak of the female, which looks a bit lumpy.  My son Adrian, should be coming on next Sunday's visit, and between us, we shall begin the process of metal-ringing the cygnets, and then their parents.  Just to keep the ring numbers in order, once these are ringed, then future visiting swans will also be ringed.  I have 20 metals available at present, these being the taller type, which are normally used for ringing eagles.  With the larger characters on the rings, it will make things slightly easier for other ring readers, to record the numbers.  Being able to keep a track of the swans here, will be a great addition, to reading the colour-rings on the Black-headed Gulls.

Normally, I shy away from recording other species at the Marina, unless they land.  However, I could not resist making a note of three Jay's, which flew low overhead, heading for the woodland area across to the other side of the river.  This is the first time that I've ever seen or heard of Jay's here.  1 juvenile Grey Wagtail, 4 Hooded Crows, 8 Jackdaws, 1 Rook and 1 Magpie, were the only other species recorded today.

 

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From Jan Rod

I have received three emails from Jan Rod, who hails from County Dublin.  The first of these, concerned the sighting of a Black-headed Gull from Adam McClure's former NI Project.    2ASB , was spotted at the northern end of Strangford Lough, just on the outskirts of Newtownards in County Down.  I have no idea, by what name the local people call this section of shore, but I named it 'Teal Rock', the name given to a nearby housing estate.

 

  2ASB , was ringed as a chick, on the 15th June 2015, at the WWT  Castle Espie Wetland Centre in County Down, situated just 6 kms/  3 miles, to the south from where the gull was spotted by Jan, on the 16th September 2020.  The only previous sighting for this bird, had been made, just 13 days after ringing, as the then juvenile, was still at the Wetland Centre.  It is now 5 years, 3 months and 1 day, since   2ASB  was ringed.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2ASB   -  North Shore of Strangford Lough, Newtownards, Co. Down  (16 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 15th June 2015, at the WWT Castle Espie Reserve, Co. Down)

(Mobile Phone Photo - Courtesy of Jan Rod)

 

On the following day, the 17th September, Jan was back on home ground, when he re-sighted Common Gull -   2BB6 , for the fifth time.    2BB6 , had been ringed as a chick, on the 4th July 2009, on Big Copeland Island in County Down, by Shane Wolsey, who ran a Common Gull study on the island from 2009 until 2014.  I now respond to all sightings from Shane's former project, but   2BB6  went un-recorded until the 17th July 2018, when Jan captured the first re-sighting of the bird on the Rogerstown Estuary, at Portrane in County Dublin.  Although not 100% sure of the code at that time, re-sightings on the 5th August 2019, 1st June 2020, and on the 29th July 2020, along with photos, confirmed it's presence in the Portrane area.

 

Jan's latest sighting, increases the longevity record for   2BB6 , to 11 years, 2 months and 13 days, and the distance from Big Copeland, to the Rogerstown Estuary, is 135 kms / 83 miles (SSW).  There was no photo, to go along with the latest sighting, so I've added one taken by Jan, on the 29th July 2020.

 

Common Gull  -    2BB6   -  Rogerstown Estuary, Portrane, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 4th July 2009, on Big Copeland Island, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Jan Rod - taken on the 29th July 2020)

 

A Sandwich Tern -   UTL , was also spotted by Jan on the 17th September 2020, at Portrane.  Having contacted Chris Redfern about the sighting, when Jan received the reply, he realised that the last person to record this bird, was me.  My only sighting of   UTL , was made on the 22nd September 2019, on Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough.    UTL  was ringed as a chick, on the 14th June 2015, on Coquet Island, just off the Northumberland coast in England.  The birds first re-sighting, was made in May 2019, at Port Seton in Scotland, before being recorded back on Coquet Island, on four occasions, also in May 2019.  Prior to my sighting at Kinnegar,   UTL  had once again been spotted at Port Seton, in August 2019.

 

With Jan's permission, I submitted his sighting to the BTO, and the offical distance from Coquet to Portrane, is 359 kms / 178 miles (WSW).  The duration since ringing, is 5 years, 3 months and 3 days.  Again, there is no photo to go along with Jan's sighting, so I've added the one I took at Kinnegar last year.  My thanks to Jan for the three sightings, all of which adds to each birds re-sighting and longevity records.

 

Sandwich Tern  -    UTL   -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 14th June 2015, on Coquet Island, Northumberland, England)

(Photo taken by me, on the 22nd September 2019)

 

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From Graham McElwaine

An email from Graham McElwaine, produced the latest re-sighting of a Scottish-rung Black-headed Gull - (White) 2APK.  This bird was ringed as a chick, on the 14th June 2015, in the Moorfoot Hills, situated in the Borders Region of Scotland.  As with Graham's latest sighting, the previous five re-sightings, have all been made here in Northern Ireland.  The first sighting was made by James O'Neill, when he spotted (White) 2APK, by the lake at Castlewellan Forest Park in County Down, where Graham recorded the latest sighting, on the 17th September 2020.

 

The other four re-sightings were made by Suzanne Belshaw at Lurgan Park Lake, County Armagh (June 2017), Graham McElwaine at Castlewellan Forest Park (September 2018, and July 2019), and by David Nixon at Dundrum Inner Bay, County Down (July 2020).  As of Graham's sighting on the 17th September, the duration is now 5 years, 3 months and 3 days, and the distance from the Broad Law colony, to Castlewellan, is 249 kms / 154 miles (SW).

 

Tom Dougall, who is the contact for this Scottish project, thinks that (White) 2APK, may be nesting here in Northern Ireland, because of the June and July records here.  This is a possibility, but the bird could also be making an early return from Scotland, having made successful or failed breeding attempts.  Again, there was no photo to go with the latest sighting, so I've added one taken by Suzanne Belshaw in 2017.  My thanks to Graham for the latest sighting.  I wouldn't mind seeing this bird myself, so I might try for it during the course of this winter.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  2APK  -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 14th June 2015, at Broad Law, Moorfoot Hills, Borders, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw, taken on the 26th June 2017)

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From Brian Chambers

Mark Fitzpatrick, who is the co-ordinator, for the gulls ringed on the Isle of Man, has been in touch with me concerning a Great Black-backed Gull -   T5ZX .  Mark and I, have come to an arrangement, whereby I submit all Northern Ireland sightings, of Isle of Man gulls.  This saves Mark time, having to create the finding sites on his DemOn ringing account, whereby, I have those same sites already set up on my account.

  T5ZX , was spotted on a fishing boat, three miles east, out at sea from Annalong in County Down, and a Brian Chambers, took a photo of the gull with his mobile phone.  Brian, had no idea how to report his sighting (made on the 24th August 2020), but via Facebook, the sighting was directed to Mark, through a Peter Rock from Wales.

  T5ZX , had been ringed as a chick, on the 3rd July 2014, at the Point of Ayre, situated on the north coast of the Isle of Man.  Brian's sighting, was a first for this bird, having been made 6 years, 1 month and 21 days after being ringed.  The offical BTO distance, was given as 101 kms / 62 miles (WSW), from the Point of Ayre.

Brian's sighting, has also triggered a discussion, whereby, many fishermen would also see colour-ringed gulls, but, would have no idea on how to report their sightings.  Obviously, it would benefit everyone, if a solution could be made to address this problem.  If a solution can be created, it would enhance those fishing trips, as more gulls would be reported, and the fishermen involved would learn of the history for each bird.  I've suggested an information notice board, placed at all major fishing harbours, which not only highlights the colour-ringing of gulls, but also how to report sightings.  Even members of the public, could become involved on reading these notice boards.

 

My thanks to Brian, on behalf of Mark and myself, on his persistence to find an owner for his sighting.  Having got there in the end, the sighting may well be the 'spark' needed to gather further reports.  It is well known, how gulls tend to follow fishing boats.  The reason being, that many fish are gutted on board the vessels, and the unwanted offal thrown overboard.  This process in turn, makes the birds themselves very confident with their close approach to the fishermen themselves, thereby leading to the colour-rings being fairly easy read. 

Great Black-backed Gull  -    T5ZX   -  At Sea, Three Miles East of Annalong, Co. Down  (24 Aug 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 3rd July 2014, at The Point of Ayre, Isle of Man)

(Mobile Phone Photo - Courtesy of Brian Chambers)

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Saturday 19th September 2020

Today I worked the east coast of County Antrim, starting at Sandy Bay in Larne, and finished at Whiteabbey Beach.  At Whiteabbey Beach, a colour-ringed Common Gull was spotted, which may well have been   2AIP , which is a regular here.  However, the tide was so far out, as was the bird, not even my camera could not capture the code, so this one fell by the wayside.

Despite visiting several locations, only two rings were confirmed, these being colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, both of which were recorded on the shore beside Kilroot Power Station.  On this same shore, I was on the lookout for Black-headed Gull -   2BJL , which had been recorded by Jeff Higgott on the 21st December 2019, whilst he was here on holiday  The only previous sighting of   2BJL , was made by me, on the 5th September 2014, in my home town of Ballymena.  At that time, the gull was a juvenile, having been ringed in June 2014, at Castle Espie.

When I spotted an Orange Darvic at Kilroot, my hopes went soaring thinking I had got   2BJL , but when I captured the code with my camera, the gull turned out to be   2ADB , a regular at the nearby Carrickfergus Harbour.  Adding my sighting to Adam McClure's BHG Database, this is the bird's 57th sighting record overall, having been recorded on all occasions bar one, at Carrickfergus Harbour.  The other sighting was made at Carrickfergus Leisure Centre.  Ringed as an adult male, on the 25th November 2013, at Carrickfergus Harbour, the duration is now 6 years, 9 months and 25 days, since being ringed.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2ADB   -  Kilroot Power Station (Shore), Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (19 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 25th November 2013, at Carrickfergus Harbour, Co. Antrim)

 

The second colour-ringed Black-headed Gull at Kilroot, had a Green Darvic, so I instantly guessed that this was a Norwegian bird.  At the start, I had some trouble in capturing the code with my camera, as Oysercatchers kept getting in the way.  I was fearful, that the gull would fly off, but thankfully it stayed and I was able to capture the code -   JZ01 .

The code however, rang no bells with me, but on returning home and checking it via my spreadsheet, I had recorded the gull earlier this year.  On the 5th January 2020, I had spotted it at the Mill Ponds at Carrickfergus Leisure Centre, with the bird having been recorded in Northern Ireland for the first time.    JZ01 , was ringed as an adult male, on the 29th March 2016, at Hovindammen, a lake on the outskirts of Oslo.  Until I recorded it at the Leisure Centre, there had been one previous re-sighting, which was made on the 17th July 2018, when the gull was spotted at Scaling Reservoir in Cleveland, England.

After my sighting in January of this year,   JZ01  was not recorded back in Norway, but was re-sighted on the 30th March 2020, at Mariestad in Sweden, 217 kms (SE), from the ringing site in Norway.  This way the last sighting until today.  The distance from Hovindammen to Kilroot, is 1,147 kms / 713 miles (WSW), and the duration since being ringed, is 4 years, 5 months and 21 days.  I was well pleased having recorded another returning bird, and I hope this one will become a regular winter visitor here.

Black-headed Gull  -    JZ01   -  Kilroot Power Station (Shore), Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (19 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 29th March 2016, at Hovindammen, Oslo, Norway)

A third, metal-rung Black-headed Gull was also spotted at Kilroot.  The bird was far too far away, to attempt to capture the number, but the tall ring indicates that this was another foreign bird, possibly from Finland or Denmark.  This is only my second visit to the shore at Kilroot, but it seems likely, that more rings will be recorded here in the future.  There is a nice 'spit' of land close to the power station, which attracts lots of roosting gulls and waders.

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Enjoy...

Another battle trying to sort my blog posts.  For some reason, the side-bar in my previous post, ended up at the base of my blog post, instead of running down the right hand side of the page.  I spent forever looking at the set up features trying to find the cause, but this morning (Saturday), I finally located the problem.  This was actually caused by the post itself.  Somehow, for some reason, something had crept into the coding behind my writings, which saw my side-bar being relegated to the bottom of the page.  I'm still not at all happy with Google's new interface, and the boxes for subject headings and the Antrim Marina sightings table, are not really suited to the new interface.  At some point in the future, I shall have to find a different way to include these boxes, that won't give me such a headache.

Back on to the birding side of things, I've recorded a few birds from the past, which adds to their longevities.  Another couple of gulls, have also been reported to me by other observers, which enhances the longevity records for those as well.  I would have included those sightings in this post, but I used up far too much time, trying to sort out the side-bar problems.  As well as recording new ringed birds, I try to record as many from previous winters as possible.  This is now my eighth winter of Ring Reading at Antrim Marina, and my seventh winter of Ring Reading elsewhere.  I, along with many other birdwatchers, many of which I've never met, are slowly building up profiles on our birds here in Northern Ireland, via the metals and colour-rings used.

Rings tell a story, whereas looking at an un-ringed bird, really tells you nothing.  It still amuses me, those birdwatchers who have said, they've seen this bird and that bird, which on the face of it tells you very little, but there is nothing more rewarding, than knowing the history of a particular bird.  As I've said before, Ring Reading can be challenging, but is well worth the effort.  I sometimes receive emails from those who fancy trying this branch of ornithology, but effort and patience, will get the results desired.  Then, there's the added bonus, of coming across a ringed bird, which is a sighting out of the 'blue', and we've had a couple of those here in Northern Ireland over the last couple of years.  To those that are going to take this up - go out and enjoy, and many thanks for contacting me.

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Black-headed Gulls At Antrim Marina - Monday 14th September 2020

On Sunday the 13th September, I decided to make a first ever visit to Mill Bay, on the County Down shore of Carlingford Lough (read below).  As this meant a long drive from my home town of Ballymena, I undertook this weeks, weekly visit to Antrim Marina on Monday morning.  Having arrived around 8:45, my visit took a turn for the worst, at 9:35.  During a previous visit on August 23rd 2020, there was much disturbance around the Marina, as two replica Viking Longboats, were being prepared for sea trials on Lough Neagh.  Well, today they returned to the Marina, to be hauled out of the water by the use of a crane, and loaded onto flat-bed lorries, to be taken away.

The first of the two longboats, sailed in at 9:35, aided by two support boats, which then headed back out, to bring in the second longboat.  The whole operation lasted until near 12:00, and I had earmarked my own departure for 12:30, as I had to return home and get a couple of hours sleep before starting work at 7pm.

With all of the noise and disturbance, there were times, when no gulls were present at all.  So far this autumn/winter season, 20 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls have been recorded, but only 14 of these were re-sighted during today's visit, and no new returnees were recorded.  On my arrival, there were an estimated 40 BHGs present, but numbers never exceeded the 80 mark overall.

 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls at Antrim Marina Today - 14th September 2020

2ABL	2AAA	2CJT	2ACV	2CSJ	2CSR	2ABK
2FDK	2CSX	2ABS	2AAK	2ABN	2AAN	2BRA

Black-headed Gulls Recorded This Autumn/Winter, but not Present Today

2AAV	2AAB	2ABA	2CSA	2CSB	2CTC

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

The Mute Swan couple, along with their six cygnets, were present throughout my visit, and they, along with the Mallards, were unfazed by all of the commotion.  On Saturday evening past, I drove to Coleraine, to collect the metal swan rings from my ringing trainer - John Clark.  My younger son, Adrian, is now available, and we shall visit Antrim Marina next Sunday morning, to begin ringing the cygnets.  We aim to get the six youngsters ringed first, and will then ring the adults.  This may take a couple of visits to complete the task, but I'll then be able to keep tabs on the youngsters once they disperse.  The adult pair, should remain at the Marina, and I'll be able to keep a check on them too.  If and when possible, I'll try and ring other visiting swans, but I'll be relient on having a helping hand.

 

Just six Mallards were present on my arrival, but numbers very quickly built up to around the 80 mark.  Once again, most legs were checked, but still no rings.

 

The juvenile Herring Gull was also present on my arrival, with this bird having remained here for several weeks now.  The adult Herring Gull appeared quite late, at 11:45, as did the pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  One adult Common Gull, came and went, several times, and a second adult appeared briefly at 11:20.

 

A juvenile Grey Wagtail, 4 Hooded Crows and a maximum count of 8 Jackdaws was made.  Overall, this was another poor visit, and I've still many Black-headed Gulls unaccounted for at present.  Many of these, were ringed in the past couple of winters, but surely they can't all be non-residents.

  

First of the Longboats Arrive back to the Marina  -  Antrim Marina  (14 Sep 2020)

 

Preparing to be Lifted by the Crane  -  Antrim Marina  (14 Sep 2020)

Onto the Lorry  -  Antrim Marina  (14 Sep 2020)

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Saturday 12th September 2020

Today, I headed off to Belfast again, with Whitehouse Lagoon, the shore of Belfast Lough below Hazelbank Park, and Kinnegar Beach being my main targets for the day.  Altogether, eight colour-rings were read, these being five re-sightings, along with three new birds.

 

Other than a metal-rung Black-headed Gull, and a metal-rung Herring Gull, both of which, were too far away to even attempt photographing their rings, no colour-ringed birds were seen, especially that of a Polish Black-headed Gull, which is now long overdue.

 

Walking the footpath from Whitehouse Lagoon, to the shore of Belfast Lough, below Hazelbank Park takes you underneath the motorway which divides them.  I spent quite a long time along this shore, as their were masses of gulls and waders, especially Godwits of both species.  The first colour-ringed bird spotted, was an Oystercatcher belonging to a Northern Ireland Project - R-Wf(AXN).  Actually, this was my second sighting of this bird, as I first recorded it recently, on the 30th August 2020.  Ringed with a plain 'Red Ring' on the left tibia, on the right tibia, the bird had a 'White Flag' - inscribed with the letters - (AXN).  This bird was reported to the BTO, and they in turn contacted the ringer for the ringing details, but as yet, the ringer concerned is yet to respond.

 

Oystercatcher  -  R-Wf(AXN)  -  Hazelbank Park (Shore), Belfast Lough  (12 Sep 2020

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

 

What's even worse, was the next colour-ringed bird spotted, was a second Oystercatcher, belonging to the same ringer.  This one, was ringed with a plain 'Red Ring' on the left tibia, and on the right tibia, had a 'White Flag', this time inscribed with the letters - 'APX'.  I've submitted both of today's sightings to the BTO, but I fear, it may take a while to obtain the ringing information.  To compound the situation even more, I'm still waiting on the ringing details for two colour-ringed Curlews, which also belonged to that ringer, these having been spotted on the 22nd August 2020.  Apparently, the two Curlews, were trapped and ringed during last winter, and the BTO did not have ringing information on them either.  This situation, is frankly appalling, especially by the fact, that these colour-ringing projects were funded in the first place. 

 

Oystercatcher  -  R-Wf(APX)  -  Hazelbank Park (Shore), Belfast Lough  (12 Sep 2020)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

 

It was back to normal, with my third colour-ring sighting, along this stretch of shore.  Actually, it was one of two colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, bearing 'Orange Darvic's'.  Both birds belonged to Adam McClure's former project, which I now respond to.  The first bird, was standing in a pool of water, with just the top of the Darvic visible, but it eventually flew off.  I couldn't believe my eyes, when I read the code for the second bird.  This was   2ANB , whose ring I had read six days earlier on the roof of the Baptist Church in the town of Antrim.  As I stated in my previous post, the sighting of   2ANB  was a surprise, and this bird continues to supply surprise re-sightings.

 

Today's sighting, is now my sixth for the bird overall.  Ringed as a chick, on the 15th July 2015, it's first three re-sightings occurred, at Whitehouse Lagoon, just over the motorway from where it was now.  These occurred on the 4th & 11th September 2016, and on the 30th September 2018.  Earlier this year, on the 2nd March 2020, I spotted   2ANB , in the car park of the KFC outlet in Antrim Town, where I had totally un-expected to see it.  Having recorded it in Antrim, just six days ago, I now wonder if it bred in the Antrim area over the summer, perhaps on the former 'Torpedo Platform'.  Sadly, I can only speculate, unless I can obtain some summer sightings.  Having been ringed as a chick, on the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve on Larne Lough, the distance to where I spotted it today, is just 19 kms / 11 miles (SSW), the duration since ringing, being 5 years, 1 month and 28 days.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2ANB   -  Hazelbank Park (Shore), Belfast Lough  (12 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 15th July 2015, at the RSPB Blue Circle Island Reserve, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

 

Having spent a long time here, and no further rings found, I eventually departed for Kinnegar Beach, having taken another quick look at Whitehouse Lagoon on my way back to the car.  By now, the tide was on it's way in again, which was a perfect time to go to Kinnegar.  On my arrival, there wasn't as many gulls and waders around, but for the first time so far this winter, there were numerous Sandwich and Common Terns, with their chicks still tow.  Four out of five colour-rings were read on Sandwich Terns, and a colour-ringed Oystercatcher was re-sighted just prior to my departure.

 

Two of the Sandwich Terns were re-sightings, and the other two were first sightings in Northern Ireland.  The first of the re-sightings, was that of (White) - UZF.  (White) - UZF, was ringed as a chick, on the 17th July 2016, on Coquet Island, situated just off the coast of Northumberland in England.  It's first three re-sightings were recorded in 2018, where it was spotted on it's natal island, in July and August, before being recorded here in Northern Ireland.  It was Cameron Moore, who spotted the bird at Whitehead, on the County Antrim coast, just a few kilometres north, from where I spotted the tern today.  It was next seen in August 2019, on the Ayrshire coast in Scotland, before two quick re-sightings in August 2020.  On the 16th, it was once again spotted back home on Coquet Island, but twelve days later on the 28th, it was recorded at Rush, Co. Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland, and a further fifteen days later, here it is at Kinnegar.  The straight line distance from Coquet Island to Kinnegar, is 286 kms / 177 miles (WSW), but being a coastal bird, would have flown many miles further to get here.  The duration since ringing, is 4 years, 1 month and 26 days.

 

Sandwich Tern  -  (White)  UZF  -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (12 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 17th July 2016, on Coquet Island, Northumbria, England)

 

The second of the terns to be re-sighted was that of (White) EDL, which was ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 17th August 2010, at the Ythan Estuary, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.  The duration is now 10 years, and 26 days, since this bird was ringed, but today's sighting, is only the sixth record for this tern.  It was first re-sighted just off the coast of Tiguent, in Mauritania, on the 10th November 2011, some 4,606 kms / 2,862 miles (SSW), from Scotland.  Sightings two and three, occurred in August 2013 (at Saltcoats, Ayrshire, Scotland), and in May 2015 (at Coquet Island, Northumberland, England).

 

On the 14th September 2017, Cameron Moore, spotted (White) EDL at Whitehead in County Antrim - it's first know appearance here in Northern Ireland.  The bird was not seen again, until I recorded it here at Kinnegar Beach, on the 26th August 2018, with this being the last sighting until today.  The distance from the Ythan Estuary to Kinnegar Beach, is 383 kms / 237 miles (SW).  My thanks to Ewan Weston, for the history of (White) EDL. 

 

Sandwich Tern  -  (White)  EDL  -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (12 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 17th August 2010, on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, Scotland)

 

The first of the two new Sandwich Tern sightings, was that of (White) UFZ.  On site, I had to re-check the ring of UZF, as both birds rings, were read just seconds apart, and I wondered if I'd made a mistake in reading them.  Nope, no mistake, these were two separate sightings.  (White) UFZ, was also from Coquet Island, having been ringed as a chick, on the 2nd August 2015, which is an unusually late date for a Sandwich Tern chick to be ringed.  It's first re-sighting was made in the Calvados Region, in NW France, on the 13th August 2017.  No further sightings were recorded until June 2019, through to August 2019, and again in April 2020, where it was noted back on Coquet Island.  On the 27th August 2020, (White) UFZ, turned up in Rhos Point in Wales, which was it's last sighting until today.  As with (White) UZF mentioned above, the distance from Coquet Island to Kinnegar Beach, is 286 kms / 177 miles (WSW), and the duration since ringing, is now 5 years, 1 month and 10 days.

My thanks goes to Chris Redfern, for supplying the histories for both birds.

 

Sandwich Tern  -  (White)  UFZ  -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (12 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 2nd August 2015, on Coquet Island, Northumbria, England)  

 

The second new Sandwich Tern sighting, was that of -   K5F .  Having checked the cr-birding website, to find the owner, Tony Murray was as ever, quick to reply to my email.    K5F , had been ringed as a chick, on the 29th May 2017, at Lady Island's Lake, in County Wexford in the Republic Of Ireland.  Still being quite a young bird,   K5F , is creating quite an interesting re-sighting history.  Having been ringed in May 2017, it was still at Lady's Island Lake, the following month - 17th June 2017.

 

The next two sightings were made in March and April 2018, where   K5F , was recorded at the Mile 4 Saltworks, in Namibia, Africa.  Following these, the bird was next recorded twice, on Coquet Island, in Northumberland, England, on the 2nd August 2019, and on the 2nd June 2020.  Seven days later, on the 9th June 2020,   K5F  then turned up on the opposite side of the North Sea, when recorded in the Texel area of the Netherlands.  By the 1st September 2020, the bird had returned home, to Lady's Island Lake, but was seen on that same day, at Duncannon Strand, also in County Wexford, and now the bird is here on Kinnegar Beach.  The distance from Lady's Island Lake to Kinnegar Beach, is 273 kms / 169 miles (N), the duration being, 3 years, 3 months and 14 days.

 

My thanks to Tony for the interesting re-sighting history for   K5F , and I really hope we'll record it again sometime in the future, here in Northern Ireland.

 

Sandwich Tern  -    K5F   -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (12 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 29th May 2017, at Lady's Island Lake, Co. Wexford, Republic of Ireland)

 

I was incredibly lucky with my visit to Kinnegar Beach this afternoon.  Being such a nice day, I'd often be plaughed by people venturing out onto the beach.  The visit went well, but as usual the inevitable happened.  A walker, out with his dog, decided to dander along the shoreline, thus upsetting all of the birds present.  Actually, where he joined the shoreline, he disturbed a lot of gulls and waders, which for a few minutes at least, saw the birds landing again near to where I was sat.  Scoping through these, I re-sighted an Icelandic colour-ringed Oystercatcher, which has returned again.

 

Ringed Yellow over Lime on the left leg, and White (UA), on the right leg - YL-W(UA), this bird was caught and ringed as a breeding adult, on the 23rd May 2018, in the Stokkseyri area of southern Iceland.  It's first re-sighting, was recorded by me, here on Kinnegar Beach on the 26th August 2018.  I re-sighted it here at Kinnegar in November 2018 and January 2019, before it was recorded back in Iceland in April and May of 2019.

 

It returned to Kinnegar, for the second year running, where I recorded it in the months of September (14th), October and December.  At present, Boddi in Iceland, is in the process of collecting all of the summer sightings of their Oystercatchers during the breeding season, so the re-sighting histories have yet to be fully updated, but at least YL-W(UA), had made it back here for the third winter running.  The distance from Stokkseyri, to Kinnegar, is 1,335 kms / 829 miles (SE), and the duration since ringing, is now 2 years, 3 months and 20 days.

 

Oystercatcher  -  YL-W(UA)  -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (12 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Breeding Adult, on the 23rd May 2018, at  Stokkseyri, Southern Iceland)

 

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Sunday 13th September 2020

Sitting at home on Saturday evening, I played with the idea of visiting Mill Bay, on Carlingford Lough in County Down.  Of late, Graham McElwaine, has reported several colour-ringed Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls here, and I was curious to see what the site looked like, as I've never been there.  Although, it would have meant a long drive, I eventually made my mind up to go.  When I arrived, the tide was already well on it's way out, but the mudflats here are quite impressive.

 

Straight away, I discovered a few small groups of Brent Geese, these being the first that I've seen this winter.  Scoping through them, I spotted three colour-ringed birds, which were quickly captured with my camera.  I do not know whether the new Online Database for the Brents, is up and running yet, but I've asked Graham McElwaine to let me know.  The Database should have been up and running quite a while ago, but I knew there had been some issues with it.  For now, I've sent the photos to Graham, who was the ringing co-ordinator for the Irish Brent Goose Research Group.

 

Brent Goose  -  Orange(C)-Black(B)  -  Mill Bay, Carlingford Lough, Co. Down  (13 Sep 2020)

 

Brent Goose  -  R(V)-B(T)  -  Mill Bay, Carlingford Lough, Co. Down  (13 Sep 2020)

 

Brent Goose  -  R(V)-B(D)  -  Mill Bay, Carlingford Lough, Co. Down  (13 Sep 2020)

 

Having sorted out the Brents, I stayed on site for a long time, scoping through a mulitude of gulls and waders, though many were a long way off from me.  A colour-ringed Lapwing, was the first to catch my eye, having a plain 'Red Ring' on it's left tibia, and a 'Yellow Flag' on the right tibia.  I suspected that this bird, may well have had a two-letter code on the flag, but at that distance, I had no hope of capturing it.

 

Colour-ringed Lapwing -  R-YF(??)  -  Mill Bay, Carlingford Lough, Co. Down  (13 Sep 2020)

 

Every so often, the birds would lift into the air, before settling down again.  This was of great help, as I then spotted a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull - (White) 2093.  I knew straight away, that this bird belonged to a new project, centered on Lough Ree, in County Longord in the Republic of Ireland.  I recorded another one from that project at Antrim Marina, back in February 2020, this one being - (White) 2122.  I emailed Brian Burke, who replied to say that (White) 2093, was ringed as a chick, on the 10th June 2019, the same date as (White) 2122.

 

My sighting of (White) 2093, was a first for this gull, and is the 17th bird from a total of 298 chicks, which has been re-sighted to date.  The distance from Lough Ree, to Mill Bay, is 136 kms / 84 miles (ENE), the duration being 1 year, 3 months and 3 days, since ringing.  My thanks to Brian for the speedy reply.

 

Black-headed Gull  -  (White) 2093  -  Mill Bay, Carlingford Lough, Co. Down  (13 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as a chick, on the 10th June 2019, on Lough Ree, Co. Longford, Republic of Ireland)

 

A Great Black-backed Gull with an Orange Darvic, was barely in range of my camera, but I captured an 'iffy' looking code -   S86:M .  Knowing it was an Isle of Man bird, I sent the photos to Mark Fitzpatrick, who was more than happy to confirm my sighting.  This was a first re-sighting for   S86:M , which had been ringed as a chick, on the 21st June 2019, on the Calf of Man, a small island just off the southern coast of the Isle of Man.  The distance to Mill Bay, was 83 kms / 51 miles (E), the duration being, 1 year, 2 months and 23 days.  A further two Great Black-backed's were also spotted with colour-rings - one Orange and one Black, but both birds were far too far away.  My thanks to Mark, in dealing with this gull.

Immature Great Black-backed Gull  -    S86:M   -  Mill Bay, Carlingford Lough, Co. Down  (13 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as a chick, on the 21st June 2019, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man)

One of my own Common Gulls, was my final colour-ring sighting of the day, but this one looks to have 'beat' me.  Bearing a Blue Darvic, the code appears to read, either   2BLV  or   2BIV , which makes this bird to be one of my Rathlin Island youngsters ringed in June 2019.  It was so far out, and with the sun shining off the ring, it did not help at all.  My photo, has been circulated to a few other birdwatchers, just to see what they make of the code.

Footnote :-  Having received several replies about this gull, everyone has gone for   2BIV .  I shall add this to my records, along with a cautionary note.  Should this gull survive until next summer, it may well return to Rathlin Island, to prospect a nest-site for 2022.  Should   2BLV  appear as well, then we'll be no further forward regarding this particular sighting.  Another confirmed record here at Mill Bay, would help though.

Common Gull  -    2BIV   or    2BLV   -  Mill Bay, Carlingford Lough, Co. Down  (13 Sep 2020)

(Both ringed as Chicks, in June 2019, on Rathlin Island)

All in all, this was quite an enjoyable visit, and provided me with some different scenery for a change.  I had wanted to visit Dundrm and Ardglass on my way back home, but I ran into an accident near Annalong.  The Police diverted traffic along narrow country roads towards the Mourne Mountains, and it took an exceptionally long time to get back onto the main line.  Being so late in the day, I decided just to head for home.  Later on the Northern Ireland news, it was reported that a cyclist was in a serious condition, having been involved in a collision with a lorry on that stretch of road.

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From Marc Hughes

In my previous post, I reported on the second sighting of an Inch Island, colour-ringed Black-headed Gull -   2FCK , with the bird having been spotted at Llanon, in Ceredigion in Wales.  Recorded on the 9th September 2020, I then received an email from a Marc Hughes on the 13th September 2020, reporting the sighting of   2FCK , on Cei Bach Beach, in Ceredigion in Wales, this being slightly south from Llanon.

I never got to ring any chicks at Inch Island this summer, due to the Coronavirus Lockdown.  In the summer of 2019, I ringed 56 Black-headed Gull chicks, at Inch.  50 of those, were also colour-ringed, though one died before fledging.  Of the remaining 49 colour-ringed chicks, the first to be reported, was   2FCV , in the City of Cork, in the Republic of Ireland - (1st & 2nd December 2019).  The duration, has increased by four days, to 1 year, 2 months and 25 days, and the distance to Cei Bach Beach, is roughly 376 kms / 233 miles (SE (Pending Offical BTO Distance)).  My thanks to Marc for reporting the gull, along with a photo - taken with his mobile phone.  Marc stated, that they were actually out to look for colour-ringed Mediterranean Gulls at that time.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2FCK   -  Cei Bach Beach, Ceredigion, Wales  (13 Sep 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 19th June 2019, at Inch Island Lake, Co. Donegal, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Marc Hughes)

 

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