The current pandemic is once again beginning to show it's 'Ugly Head'. In Northern Ireland, as elsewhere in the British Isles, cases of Covid 19 are on the rise again. Recently, restrictions were once again imposed to certain areas here, with those restrictions applying to certain postal code areas, including that of mine - at BT43. These restrictions, also advised against unnecessary travel outside of the postal areas listed, but the wording 'advised' offers me a loophole. Whilst I undertake my hobby of 'Ring Reading', I'm on my own, and in most of the places that I visit, I'm able to stay well clear of other people. The exception to this, is when I'm at work. Despite of the pandemic, our workplace has carried on as normal, albeit, with as far as possible, all measures in place to help protect us from each other. Perhaps it's just a matter of time before we're prevented from going anywhere at all.
On the birding front, another couple of birds from previous winters have been recorded, which not only proves that they are still alive, but adds to their longevity. All of this adds to each birds re-sighting history, and shows how invaluable the use of colour-rings are in providing that data. I would doubt if many new sightings will be recorded this winter, especially those of juveniles, as many countries were effected by their own lockdown restrictions, but I'm hopeful that a few will make it to Northern Ireland over the coming months.
I'm finding it far easier to work with Google's new blog interface. I've discovered, that, by adding the boxes for the subject titles and the Antrim Marina re-sightings table, after completing the post, is by far the best solution. Previously, having added these boxes whilst writing the post, meant my page was jumping all over the place, which caused me all sorts of problems. At least for now, I'm a happy 'bunny' once again.
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| Black-headed Gulls At Antrim Marina - Monday 28th September 2020 |
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I was supposed to undertake my latest visit to Antrim Marina on Sunday morning, along with my son Adrian, but he could not make it. On Saturday, Adrian had to take his dog to the vet, who suspected that the dog seemed likely to have a brain tumour. The poor thing, had been walking in circles and falling over, and was in such a bad way during Saturday night, that my son stayed up all night. I received a text message at 7:20 on Sunday morning, expressing his apologies. Together, we were to begin the process of ringing the cygnets at the Marina. I then decided to postpone my visit to Antrim Marina until the following day, and grabbed another couple of hours sleep, before heading off to County Down.
On Monday morning, having took the wife to work first, I arrived at the Marina at about 9:10. Around 40 Black-headed Gulls were already present, and the first colour-ring to be spotted was that of - 2ABK , at 9:19. Despite Black-headed Gulls being present throughout my visit, numbers never exceeded the 80 mark altogether, and colour-rings were few and far between. Many folk came and went, and all of the birds received a good feed of bread, which were mainly aimed at the ducks. I was going to remain until 1pm, but by 12:30, very few gulls remained, so I decided just to head home.
So far during this autumn/winter season, I had recorded 20 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, but at 11:09, another individual was recorded for the first time - 2CSK . Over the past few weeks, I've wondered about this gull, as it was last recorded here twice in June, which led me to believe that 2CSK , may actually be a resident to the area. I'm still in the process of constructing profiles for gulls ringed during the last couple of winters at the Marina, but I'm being dogged by a lack of re-sightings for one reason or another.
2CSK , was caught and ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 17th December 2017, at the Marina, and no re-sightings have been reported away from Antrim Marina. Below are all of the key re-sighting dates :-
Ringed - 17th December 2017, last sighting on the 19th March 2018 (12 re-sightings).
Summer sighting - 22nd June 2018.
13th August 2018, until 11th March 2019, (21 re-sightings).
Summer sighting - 6th June 2019.
19th August 2019, until 16th March 2020, (18 re-sightings).
Summer sightings - 1st & 29th June 2020.
28th September 2020 - first sighting during this autum/winter season.
The duration since 2CSK was ringed, is now 2 years, 9 months and 11 days, and the bird is the 21st to be added to this winter's list of individuals.
Black-headed Gull - 2CSK - Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim (28 Sep 2020)
(Ringed as an Un-Sexed adult, on the 17th December 2017, at Antrim Marina)
Other than 2CSK , only 11 of the 20 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls were recorded during my visit today. I thought the total would have been much higher, as the day had started off being very cloudy and dull, with a slight drizzle of rain and a light wind. The weather did improve as the morning wore on.
Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls at Antrim Marina Today - 28th September 2020
| 2ABK | 2FDK | 2CJT | 2AAN | 2BRA | 2CTC |
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| 2CSR | 2AAA | 2CSJ | 2CSK | 2ABS | 2ABN |
Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded During this Autum/Winter, but not Recorded Today
| 2AAK | 2ABA | 2AAV | 2AAB | 2ABL | 2ACV | 2CSA | 2CSB | 2CSX |
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Other Birds at Antrim Marina
A juvenile Common Gull was perched along with the 40'ish Black-headed Gulls on my arrival. If memory serves me right, this is the first juvenile that I've seen here so far this winter, and presumably, the same youngster came and went throughout the morning. It actually turned out to be a good day for Common Gulls sightings, as adults appeared at 10:25, 10:58 and 11:33. These times reflect the number of birds present at that actual time, though the birds themselves, may not have been the same three seen. They are far too difficult to tell apart. At the minute, there is no sign of the metal-rung Scottish bred Common Gull. This bird first appeared here as a juvenile during the 2013/2014 winter, and has re-visited the Marina every winter since. The earliest return date on my records, was on the 4th September 2016, but it's re-appearance can be as late as November.
The juvenile Herring Gull which has been here for several weeks now, was already present on my arrival, and it was busy trying to haul out rubbish from the litter bins. Just shows, how quick these youngsters can learn certain habits. A single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull arrived at 10:35, and the usual adult Herring Gull appeared at 11:35.
Just six Mallards were present on my arrival, but numbers quickly increased to around the eighty mark, which thereafter remained fairly constant. Still no ring, though once again, most legs were checked. There was no sign of the Mute Swan family on my arrival, but at 10:22, an adult along with the six cygnets flew past the Marina from upriver, and landed on Lough Neagh, just beyond the breakwater. Shortly after, another swan, swam down to the slipway from upriver, which turned out to be the male belonging to the family unit. Having spent around 20 minutes on the Lough, the female along with the six cygnets, swam back in to the slipway. A second pair of Mute Swans arrived at 12:05. This is the same pair which has put in an appearence over recent weeks, with the female having the 'lumpy' beak. They were quick to depart again, as the family male, with wings arched chased them off. Two of the young swans, also joined in, with their wings arched as well.
Other species seen today, included 8 Jackdaws, 1 Hooded Crow, 1 Magpie and a juvenile Grey Watail.
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| Saturday 26th September 2020 |
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Today, I waited until the early afternoon, before heading off to look for ringed birds. Low tide on the east coast of County Antrim, was around 1:30, so the delayed start would see me hitting the coast, with an incoming tide. I started off at Cushendall, and worked my way southwards to finish at the small coastal town of Whitehead. Throughout the afternoon, relatively small numbers of gulls and waders, were checked with just one re-sighting of an Oystercatcher, having been made on Carnlough Beach. It wasn't until I reached Glynn, on Larne Lough, that I encountered lots of gulls and then recorded two Common Gull re-sightings. After the prolonged stay at Glynn, which also saw me missing out on a colour-ringed (Orange) Black-headed Gull, I then had no luck at my final destination.
The Oystercatcher at Carnlough Bay, was an intended target, as I knew this bird should have returned by now. Yesterday, I had looked at my spreadsheet, and realised that this bird had been under-recorded last winter, which meant that very few attempts were made to record the bird on Carnlough beach. I had recorded it's return, on the 25th August 2019, and another sighting made by a Michael Jackson, on the 8th September 2019, were the only records for last winter. I must do a little better over the coming months.
The Oystercatcher, ringed Orange over Orange on the left leg, with an inscribed White ring on the right leg (AA). OO-W(AA), was caught and ringed as an un-sexed breeding adult, on the 10th May 2016, at Brautarholt, in SW Iceland. On the 10th August 2016, I recorded OO-W(AA), for the first time on Carnlough Beach. The bird has now been spotted here every autumn/winter since then, making this the fifth year running. Although Boddi, in Iceland, may not have all of this past summer's records at hand, there was one recorded sighting of OO-W(AA), back at Brautarholt, on the 24th April 2020. The duration, as of today's sighting, is 4 years, 4 months and 16 days, and the distance to Carnlough, is 1,355 kms / 842 miles (SE). My thanks to Boddi, for the updated PDF File.
Oystercatcher - OO-W(AA) - Carnlough Bay, Carnlough, Co. Antrim (26 Sep 2020)
(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Breeding Adult, on the 10th May 2016, at Brautarholt, SW Iceland)
As stated above, when I reached Glynn, on Larne Lough, there were hundreds of gulls, and more surprisingly, there were excellent numbers of Common Gulls, along with a good number of juveniles of the same species. My thoughts went back to Rathlin Island, where only nine chicks had been ringed in early July, due to the 'lockdown restrictions' being lifted. By the time of my visit, most Common Gull chicks had already fledged, and I really needed to be on the island in mid June to undertake the ringing of chicks.
Looking at the juveniles here today, I wondered, if there were Rathlin birds among them. However, whilst scoping through the gulls, I re-sighted two Common Gulls, which had been ringed on Rathlin last year. I managed to capture both codes with my camera, whilst I was on the platform of Glynn railway station. I was very fortunate, as both rings were quite dirty.
With the first bird - 2BKX , I had to take numerous photos, just to be sure that the code was captured. On returning home, I ran the code through my spreadsheet, and discovered that the only previous sighting of this gull occurred just two days short, of one year ago. Ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2019, at Arkill Bay on Rathlin Island, it's only previous sighting was made by me, here at Glynn, on the 28th September 2019. The duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 3 months and 2 days. The distance from Rathlin, is 56 kms / 34 miles (SSE).
Common Gull - 2BKX - Glynn, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim (26 Sep 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2019, at Arkill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim)
The re-sighting of 2BSC , was the third for this bird, and the first for me personally. 2BSC , was ringed as a chick, also at Arkill Bay, on the 29th June 2019. It's first re-sighting was made on the 7th December 2019, at which point, the then juvenile was still on the island. Richard Else, who works with the RSPB on Rathlin, spotted the bird at Mill Bay.
The second sighting of 2BSC , was reported to me by a Gillian McCormick, who spotted the gull on the 28th June 2020, at Sandy Bay in Larne. Sandy Bay, is situated just a couple of kilometres north from today's sighting here at Glynn. The duration, is 1 year, 2 months and 28 days, and the distance, is the same as 2BKX , mentioned above.
I'm hopeful, that both of these birds will survive this coming winter, and should they do so, they should return to Rathlin next summer to prospect for nest-sites, and then breed for the first time in 2022.
Common Gull - 2BSC - Glynn, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim (26 Sep 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 29th June 2019, at Arkill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim)
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| Sunday 27th September 2020 |
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This was my third ever visit to Helen's Bay, where I was hopeful of finding a few terns. Last year when I came here, there were a number of Common Terns, though no rings were recorded. Alas, there were no terns here today, and the few gulls which were perched on the rock islets, produced no rings.
On Kinnegar Beach, despite loads of gulls, waders and a few terns, no colour-rings were spotted. Metals were spotted on two Black-headed Gulls, two Common Gulls, and at least four Sandwich Terns, but these were too far out, and out of reach for my camera. While the tide steadily pushed inwards, I was keeping my fingers crossed, that something would appear, but nothing did.
Eventually, I knew I had to leave, before the incoming tide effected the nearby Connswater Mudflats. This was my first visit here this winter, and it did not take too long before I re-sighted a Black-headed Gull belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland project. This was the eighth record for 2AJV , since it was ringed as a chick, at the WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, in County Down.
Ringed on the 19th June 2014, the first ever re-sighting of 2AJV , was made by Scott O'hara, when he spotted the bird, on the 30th October 2014, at the Connswater Shopping Centre car park, not that far away from the mudflats. The birds next four sightings were made by me, at Victoria Park, which is adjacent to the Connswater Mudflats - 14th November 2015, 4th September and 25th December 2016, and on the 25th December 2018.
On the 25th May 2019, whilst recording the nesting Black-headed Gulls at Castle Espie, I once again fell in with 2AJV , back as a breeding bird in it's natal colony. The final re-sighting before today, was made here on the mudflats, on the 23rd February 2020. I had hoped to record the nesting gulls at Castle Espie during this summer, but was prevented due to the lockdown measures. It is now 6 years, 3 months and 8 days, since ringing, and the distance from Castle Espie, is 16 kms / 9 miles (NW).
Black-headed Gull - 2AJV - Connswater Mudflats, Belfast Harbour Estate (27 Sep 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 19th June 2014, at the WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Co. Down)
A second Black-headed Gull, with a Yellow Darvic, was also spotted on the mudflats. Only the top of the ring was visible, as they bird was standing on the edge of the rapidly rising tide. Eventually, the gull just floated off, and the code was not read. I suspect that this one might be a Polish bird, and I'll have to try for this one again quite soon. With a high tide forecast for around 1pm this coming Saturday, a later afternoon visit might just reap a reward. In February 2018, I did record a Polish-rung bird - T7V6 , on the nearby Dargan Mudflats, so today's sighting might well be that same gull. I checked the 'Live' Online Polish Ringing Database, but my sighting of that gull in 2018, is still the only sighting since the gull was ringed in June 2016.
Finishing off the afternoon at Whitehouse Lagoon, despite loads of Black-headed Gulls, there is still no sign of the Polish-rung (White) T56W. This bird should have returned long ago, but now the signs are not looking good, despite several visits having been made here. There were also plenty of large gulls, along with smaller numbers of waders of several species, but not a single ring was spotted on any of them. At present, I'm now hoping to re-sight a Portuguese-rung Lesser Black-backed Gull, which usually appears around Belfast Lough at this time of the year.
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| From Cameron Moore |
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Cameron Moore contacted me recently regarding the sighting of a juvenile Common Gull. He spotted the bird on the 24th September 2020, at the small sandy beach beside Whitehead boatyard, which is situated on the east coast of County Antrim. The youngster which was rung - 2J74 , was a Scottish bird, so I informed Iain Livingstone, of Cameron's sighting.
Iain replied to say that 2J74 , had been ringed as a chick, on the 1st July 2020, at the Elvanfoot colony, situated in the hills of South Lanarkshire in Scotland. Cameron's sighting, was a first for this bird, having travelled 150 kms / 93 miles (WSW), and the duration since being ringed, is just 2 months and 23 days. My thanks to Cameron, for reporting the sighting (the first for a while now), and to Iain for providing the ringing details.
Juvenile Common Gull - 2J74 - Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (24 Sep 2020)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 1st July 2020, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)
(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
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| Ringing Details Received |
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Two Oystercatchers belonging to the same project were spotted by me on the shore of Belfast Lough, below Hazelbank Park. These birds are rung with a plain red ring on their left tibia, and carry a white coded flag-ring on their right tibia. Both Oystercatchers were caught and ringed in the same catch, at Rostrevor on the shores of Carlingford Lough in County Down, on the 12th December 2019. The distance from Rostrevor to Belfast Lough, is roughly 65 kms / 40 miles (NNE), though they would have travelled further had they followed the Northern Ireland coastline.
The first of my two sightings was that of R-Wf(AXN), which was initially spotted at the Hazelbank Park shore, on the 30th August 2020. I spotted R-Wf(AXN) again on the 12th September 2020, still at Hazelbank, but this time, I also recorded the second bird R-Wf(APX). The sighting's for both birds, were the first since they were ringed, and the duration since ringing is 9 months to the day.
My thanks goes to Graham McElwaine for the ringing information. Graham has recently taken up the role as the ringing co-ordinator for this wader colour-ringing project.
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