Back to the Marina!!!

I had hoped to get out today for the second weekend running, but was forced to remain at home to fix the back of my garden shed.  During the week, the back of the shed broke away from the floor, leaving the framework bulging out and below floor level.  I've known for sometime now, that the back would need some attention, but had hoped it would be ok until late June and July, when I would have more time on my hands before the birds begin returning from the breeding grounds.  Although the framework on the back is fairly sound, I'll need to replace the lower part of the back with new shiplag panels.  For now, I had to use a car jack to raise the back of the shed into position, and secured it into place from inside of the shed using 'L-shaped' brackets.  My blog meanwhile, was finished, but I needed to run it through a word-processr to check for spelling mistakes.  An automatic spell checker whilst writing blog articles wouldn't go amiss.

I have finally returned to Antrim Marina, recording a few sightings of interest.  Sightings have also began to flow from other observers, which is a further sign of folk getting out and about again.  It is looking good to get a clear run throughout the breeding season, as the easing of restrictions continue.  It still puzzles me why us wildlife survey workers, have to be bound by the restrictions, especially as most of us carry out our work on our own anyway.  Much important data is being lost when we are being held back.

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Saturday & Sunday 10th & 11th April 2021

On both Saturday & Sunday, I covered the same route twice, with my main aim being Common Gulls from my own colour-ring project.  On Saturday, I began at Sandy Bay in Larne, working the Antrim coastline visiting all the main gathering sites, where Common Gulls can be found, and finishing off at Ballintoy Harbour on the north coast, just west of Ballycastle.  On Sunday, I followed the same route, but this time I started at Ballintoy Harbour and finished at Sandy Bay.

On Saturday, starting at Sandy Bay, there were a small number of gulls feeding on the shoreline, and it did not take too long before I spotted my first colour-ring.  I had a bit of difficulty in trying to photograph the bird, due to folk walking by and their obvious disregard in seeing that I was trying to take photos.  On a couple of occasions, I had to wait for the gulls to return, as each time they were disturbed, they flew out a short distance and landed on the sea.

Eventually my patience was rewarded, when I captured the code on a juvenile Black-headed Gull -   2HX2 .  I knew straight away, that this was a Scottish-rung bird.  On checking my spreadsheet when I returned home, -   2HX2 , is now the fourth juvenile to have been spotted here over this past winter, which had been ringed this series of rings last summer.  I emailed Iain Livingstone, who has replied to say that -   2HX2 , was ringed as a 1st Winter Bird (Juvenile),on the 20th September 2020, at Blackness Castle, Falkirk, Scotland.  This would mean that the duration since being ringed is now 6 months and 21 days, and the distance from Blackness Castle to Sandy Bay, is roughly 192 kms / 119 miles (SW).  What a nice start since not being out for so long. 

Black-headed Gull  -    2HX2   -  Sandy Bay, Larne, Co.Antrim  (10 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 20th September 2020, at Blackness Castle, Falkirk, Scotland)

 

I also spotted another BHG, this time with an Orange Darvic.  Just as I was focussing onto the gull with my telescope, the birds were once again disturbed, this time by three women.  Less than a minute beforehand, I told them one of the gulls had a colour-ring and that I was trying to photograph the code, but despite what I had said, they still walked out towards the gulls.  This second bird, I cannot be totally sure about, as I just about focussed onto the code, but it did look like -   2ABT .  Despite all efforts, I never saw this one again.    2ABT , would often be recorded here in the summer months, and we know that it winters at Ballyholme, in County Down.  I decided not to accept this possible re-sighting.

 

I scoped gulls as I travelled up the coast, and when I reached Glenarm, I decided to stop for a while at a Peregrine Falcon nesting site, which is directly above a main road.  Here they use two sections of the cliff to nest on.  One is slightly inland from the road, the second which they nested on last year, is much easier to observe.  Spending at least an hour and a half here, I was hoping that the male would arrive with a kill.  The male was seen on a few occasions, and at one point, landed on the cliff top above where they had nested last year.  I used my scope to look at last year's nest ledge, which now had very dark green grass growing on it.  This is the result of nutrients seeping into the soil from last years prey items.  For now, I reckon that they are using that same nest ledge this year.  A second visit the next day, strengthened my belief that they are definitely using this cliff.  A two hour visit, again saw the male coming and going, but no kills were brought in.

 

After checking the gulls on Carnlough Beach, which also had a small number of Common Gulls, I moved on to the small breeding site between Waterfoot and Cushendall.  A few Common Gulls look to be pairs which will nest here this summer.  There was also a small roost of mostly Common Gulls on one of the rocky islets.  Scoping these birds, one Common Gull was carrying a Blue Darvic, so was likely to be one of my study birds.  In fact, last summer, I spotted one here with a Blue Darvic, but was never able to capture the code.  Today's bird, fell into that same category.  Standing on it's right leg, the left leg was tucked up underneath the bird, but every now and again, I would get a glimpse of the ring.  After a while, all of the birds suddenly took off for no apparent reason.

 

Moving on along the shore towards the harbour at Cushendall, I came across a pair, with one bird carrying only a metal ring.  I'd be sure, that this is the same gull which has been seen here over the previous two summers, but as yet, I cannot get close enough to it to capture any details on the ring with my camera.

 

The island at Torr Head was my next stop.  Around 20 pairs of Common Gulls had nested here over recent years, but in the past two years, the birds appear to have abandoned the site.  A couple of Common Gulls were on the island today, but it does not look hopeful that they'll nest there over the coming summer.

 

A quick stop at Ballycastle Beach beside the harbour, saw a few gulls bathing, which included around half a dozen Commons, but here the birds were frequently disturbed by walkers out with their dogs.  It still puzzles me, why people cannot stay clear of wildlife when they are at rest.  Here on Ballycastle Beach, it's so long, there's no reason why people should go near the birds.  The gulls are trying to drink and bathe on the fresh water river which flows over the beach and into the sea.

 

A lengthy stay at Ballintoy Harbour, saw me scoping many Common Gulls, perhaps as many as twenty pairs altogether.  No colour-rings were spotted, nor was the gull which has a metal-ring, this one having been seen here during the two previous breeding seasons.  The gulls were very vocal, and three pairs were busy constructing their nests.

 

On Sunday, I started here at Ballintoy Harbour and finished at Sandy Bay, with precious little to see.  At most sites, hardly a gull was to be seen, and not a single ring was seen the whole day. 

 

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Antrim Marina - Monday 12th April 2021

Antrim Marina was one site I just could not wait to get to, but I decided it would be wiser to avoid a weekend visit, as there would bound to be far too many people about.  Having said that, on Monday, as the morning wore on, there were still loads of folk about.  This did not deter the gulls though, and throughout my four hour visit, around 60 to 100 Black-headed Gulls were present at most times.  Many of these were now 2nd or 3rd calendar year birds, though full adults were clearly coming and going.

 

The residential status for Black-headed Gulls which I have ringed here in the last couple of winters, still have to be established, and this wasn't helped by the 'lockdown' during the breeding season last year.  My last visit to Antrim Marina was made on the 4th January 2021, then the latest 'lockdown' came into force.  As the Marina, is over 10 miles from where I live, I had to forsake my weekly visits, which would have ended in the final weekend of March.  As well as those gulls ringed over the past couple of winters, I also need to establish the status of 18 birds which I colour-ringed this past winter.

 

During my visit, a total of 15 colour-ringed Black-headed Gull were record, 6 of which, were among the 18 ringed during the winter.  The first bird recorded today, was one of those and a special one at that -   2FDV .    2FDV  was ringed as a chick, on the 13th July 2020, at Marsh House Farm, at Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham in England.  I first recorded the juvenile at Antrim Marina, on the 19th October 2020, and managed to catch it, on the 9th November 2020, when I then fitted the Darvic onto it's left leg.  I was actually surprised to see that it is still here, as I thought it may have returned to England.  I'm well pleased to see that the bird has survived the winter.  The distance from Stockton-on-Tees to Antrim Marina, is 323 kms / 200 miles (W), and the duration since being ringed, is now 8 months and 30 days.

Black-headed Gull  -    2FDV   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 13th July 2020, at Marsh House Farm, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England)

 

My third sighting was another bird that I was pleased to see, and that was of -   2CJT .  This one was ringed as a juvenile, on the 4th December 2016, at Antrim Marina.  Since then, -   2CJT  has accumulated a long list of re-sightings at the Marina, and today's sighting took the overall total to 157.  Over the years since being ringed, I considered -   2CJT  to be an all year round resident.  My previous sighting (155th), was made on the 4th January at the Marina, prior to the latest 'lockdown'.  It therefore came as a bit of a shock, when G.B. (prefers to remain nameless), reported that on the 25th February 2021,   2CJT  was at Castle Semple Loch, Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, Scotland, and had the photo to prove it.    2CJT , had now moved 159 kms / 98 miles (NE) from Antrim.

 

At the time, this blew my theory, that -   2CJT  was a resident completely 'out of the water'.  Was this bird foreign bred after all, and was it finally returning home?  Now that it has returned to Antrim, I can once again believe it is a resident here.  I now wonder, could it have been possible, that -   2CJT  was dragged along with other gulls heading towards their respective countries.  Anyhow, it was great to record this one back home, and the duration since being ringed, is 4 years, 4 months and 8 days.   

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2CJT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 4th December 2016, at Antrim Marina)

 

The third bird of note was -   2ADD .    2ADD , was ringed as an adult male, on the 29th November 2013, at Carrickfergus Harbour, on the east coast of County Antrim.  The gull winters every year at Carrickfergus, but breeds on Lough Neagh, hence it's summer arrival to Antrim Marina.  I presume that he breeds on the former 'Torpedo Platform', although there is a small rooftop nesting colony behind Antrim's Asda Supermarket.

  2ADD , has the curious habit of stopping for a couple of weeks, at Antrim's KFC outlet, before moving on to the Marina, and vice versa on his return to Carrickfergus after the breeding season has ended.  Due to 'lockdown', I missed out on his visits to the KFC outlet, but it is good to see that he is here at the Marina.  The distance from his wintering site at Carrickfergus to Antrim Marina, is a whopping 27 kms / 16 miles (W), and the duration since being ringed, is now 7 years, 4 months and 14 days.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2ADD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 29th November 2013, at Carrickfergus Harbour, Co. Antrim)

 

Colour-Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina, on Monday 12th April 2021

2FDV	2FFF	2CJT	2ABS	2FHA	2CSJ	2BRA	2FFJ
2FFX	2ADD	2AAB	2AAA	2FFL	2ABN	2FDK

I shall endeavour to make repeated visits over the coming months of the breeding season, and will report on the other gulls as I go along.  It would take up to much room to report on each sighting on a single post.  As well as   2FDV ,   2FFF ,   2FHA ,  2FFJ ,   2FFX  and   2FFL , were among the 18 new birds that were caught and ringed during this past winter.

 

  2FDK , was one of five gulls caught and ringed during the winter of 2019/2020, the others being -   2CTR ,   2FBA ,   2FDJ  and   2FDL .    2CTR ,   2FBA  and   2FDL  apparently failed to return to Antrim Marina during this past winter.    2FDJ , did return, but has just recently been spotted in Estonia.

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The Mute Swans at Antrim Marina have also been in the news over recent weeks, all for the wrong reasons.  Apparently, there have been a number of attacks made on them by dogs, with one bird in particular being seriously injured and taken into care by Debbie 'Doolittle' Nelson.  Back on the 15th November 2020, Debbie was at the Marina for a planned event, which had to be cancelled.  Whilst there, she caught and ringed four cygnets, three of which, were also fitted with colour-rings.  The first of the colour-ringed juveniles -   NJX , disappeared from the Marina after the 23rd November.  The other three -   NJY ,   NJZ  and   Z78580 , were last recorded by me, on the 4th January 2021, after which time the latest 'lockdown' began.

Today, there were 24 Mute Swans present, made up of a mix of 2nd & 3rd Calendar birds, as well as adults.  There was no sign of   NJZ , but   NJY  and   Z78580  were two of the four ringed swans to be recorded.  The other two swans, ringed   Z78561  &   Z78581 , were both first ever sightings for me.  Both birds would have been ringed by Debbie, as they belonged to the same ring series.  I reported both birds to the BTO, and duly received the recoveries.

Interestingly,   Z78561 , had been ringed as a second calendar year bird, on the 9th April 2020 here at Antrim Marina.  I say interestingly, as this bird had not been present at any time during my weekly visits from the beginning of August 2020 until the 4th January 2021.  The duration for this bird, is now 1 year and 3 days.

 

  Z78581  on the other hand, was ringed as an adult female, on the 29th November 2020, at the former Belfast Waterworks in Cliftonville, Belfast.  This swan has travelled 22 kms / 13 miles (WNW) to reach the Marina, and the duration since being ringed, is 4 months and 14 days.  Not all of the swans came out of the water, but the legs on all cygnets were checked.

 

New notices are now in place around the Marina, asking the public to protect wildlife by keeping their dogs on leads.  These are easily seen, compared to existing signs which were placed high up on lampposts.  Personally, I think a few heavy fines for breaching wildlife legislation, would certainly encourage dog owners to be a lot more responsible.  

 

Mute Swan  -    NJY   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Juvenile, on the 15th November 2020, at Antrim Marina)

 

Mute Swan  -    Z78580   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Juvenile, on the 11th November 2020, at Antrim Marina)

 

Mute Swan  -    Z78561   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 2nd Calendar Year Bird, on the 9th April 2020, at Antrim Marina)

 

Mute Swan  -    Z78581   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 29th November 2020, at the Former Belfast Waterworks)

 

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From Cameron Moore

Cameron Moore sent me an email recently, which was reminiscent of an email that was sent to me by Geoffrey Wood not so long ago.  Cameron was looking through his photograph folders when he noticed that one particular picture of a Black Guillemot, showed it carrying a Yellow Darvic -   7E .  The photo had been taken on the 11th October 2019, at Mill Bay, which is on the Islandmagee side of Larne Lough.

 

On checking the cr-birding site, I discovered that this ring series was registered to Shane Wolsey, so I emailed Shane about Cameron's sighting, as well as submitting the bird to the BTO by it's colour-marks only.  The BTO was unable to identify the bird by it's colour-ring, and sent out a request to Shane for the birds ringing details.  A couple of days passed, and I then emailed Chris Acheson, who is the ringing secretary for the Copeland Bird Observatory, to see if he could help identify the Guillemot.

Again, another couple of days passed, and then I received replies from both Shane and Chris.  Shane stated that -   7E , belonged to Julian Greenwood, who passed away suddenly a few years back.  Shane had intended to further Julian's long running Black Guillemot Project, which was based around Bangor Harbour in County Down, but was unable to find the time.  However, Shane did receive a memory stick which contained Julian's files, but these were corrupted and unreadable.  Chris, in his reply, said the bird was not colour-ringed on the Copeland Islands, and also suggested that -   7E , likely belonged to Julian's project.

 

Unless anything crops up in the future, the ringing details for -   7E , will remain unknown.  For now it's fairly safe to assume, that the Guillemot was ringed as a chick at Bangor Harbour in County Down.  The distance to Mill Bay on Larne Lough, is 18 kms / 11 miles (NNW).  My thanks goes to Cameron for reporting his sighting, and to both Shane Wolsey and Chris Acheson for their comments.

 

Black Guillemot  -    7E   -  Mill Bay, Islandmagee, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim  (11 Oct 2019)

(Probably Ringed as a Chick, Date Unknown, at Bangor Harbour, Co. Down)

 

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From Ric Else & Hazel Watson

Having not heard from Ric Else for quite some time, I sent an email to Ric, enquiring if he and Hazel Watson were still on Rathlin Island.  For the past few years, Ric & Hazel have been working with the RSPB on the island, but while living there, have made a 'Stella' job in recording the island's birds and other wildlife.  I've known for some time that they are leaving the island for good, but I wanted to know if they were still there.

 

Ric and Hazel, have been of great help recording my colour-ringed Common Gulls on the island, especially as I've not been able to get there due to the ' Covid lockdowns'.  Many days passed, then an email arrived back.  Making his apologies, Ric and Hazel have been busy packing up, as they are about to leave the island to live in England.  They have not undertaken much birdwatching, but they did record two of my birds at Rue Point, on the 28th March 2021.  Attached to the email, were two photos taken by Hazel.

 

The oldest of the two Common Gulls was -   2APC .  This bird was ringed as a chick, on the 17th June 2017, which was the initial year when I began my new colour-ringing study on the island.  The main aim of the project, is to see how many of the chicks survive to become integrated into the breeding population on the island.  Most of the Common Gulls on Rathlin Island breed along the eastern side of the island between Rue Point Lighthouse on the southern tip, and along the low lying coast up to the East Lighthouse.  Two other colonies are situated on the large inland lake known as Ushet Lough, and on the rocks below steep cliffs at Roonivoolin, both of which are on the southern arm of the island.  I reckon that there are around 100 pairs altogether, though an accurate count had not been made as yet.

 

I had intended to carry out a count last year, but the Coronavirus outbreak saw us going into our first 'lockdown' until early July, by which time, most of the chicks had fledged.  I only managed to colour-ring nine late youngsters, whereas I had been hoping to ring between 70 and 100 chicks.  At present, we are easing out of our second 'lockdown', so it should be possible to get back onto the island in the next few weeks.  The quicker that I can get back onto the island, the better.  As the birds are beginning to build their nests now, I want to scope for rings whilst they are on eggs.  With the gentle slopes that overlooks the colonies, I can scope from a distance so as not to disturb the birds, and my camera easily has the reach to photograph the gulls with their colour-rings.

 

According to Ric, who was in lockdown on the island last summer, he reckoned that the gulls had a poor breeding season, which I also discovered on my first ever visit to Big Copeland Island.  Common Gull numbers seen during my visit, came nowhere near those that have been published in the Northern Ireland Seabird Reports.  Hardly any chicks were seen during my visit, though I suspect that most of the population on Big Copeland breed slightly earlier than at other sites.

 

Anyway, back to -   2APC .  The bird is back at Rue Point, where it had been ringed as a chick.  The first ever re-sighting was made by Ric, on the 4th June 2019 at Rue Point, this being the only sighting that year.  In 2020, 2APC once again returned to Rue Point, with Ric recording the gull in April, May and June.  After the breeding season had ended, Graham McElwaine recorded -   2APC  on two occasions in County Down - 18th July 2020 at Millquarter Bay, and on the 1st September 2020 at Kilclief Bay, these being the final re-sightings until now.  The duration since -   2APC , was ringed, is 3 years, 9 months and 11 days (PDF).

 

Common Gull  -    2APC   -  Rue Point, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim  (28 Mar 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 17th June 2017, at Rue Point)

(Photo Courtesy of Hazel Watson)

 

The second of the two Common Gulls recorded by Ric & Hazel, was -   2BAX .  It was ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2017, at the Arkill Bay colony, roughly halfway between the two lighthouses.  The first ever re-sighting also occurred in 2019, when Ric spotted the gull at Rue Point Lighthouse.  This bird appears to have settled at Rue Point, also visiting nearby Doon Bay.    2BAX , has yet to be spotted away from the island, and the duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 9 months and 4 days (PDF).

 

Common Gull  -    2BAX   -  Rue Point, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim  (28 Mar 2021)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Hazel Watson)

 

My sincere thanks goes to Ric and Hazel for all their help.  As stated earlier, they have made a massive contribution to Rathlin's wildlife, and will be sorely missed.  I wish them both good luck in the future wherever they go.  I hope they return for a holiday at some point in the future.

 

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From Ian Enlander

I received an email recently from Ian Enlander, who would normally report ring sightings from the County Antrim coast.  This time, he had spotted the most commonly recorded Common Gull -   2BBC , at Millisle in County Down.  The latest sighting by Ian, happens to be my 41st record for the bird, since it was ringed as a chick, on the 23rd June 2009, on Big Copeland Island in County Down.  The gull was amongst the earliest to be colour-ringed, from a project which began on the island in 2009, and ran until 2014, when Shane Wolsey decided to give it up.  I now respond to sightings of the Copeland Common Gulls, and hope to resume the project from this summer onwards.

The first ever sighting of -   2BBC , was made on the 23rd January 2010, when the then juvenile was recorded at Gormanstown in County Meath, in the Republic of Ireland (record obtained from the BTO's Online Ringing Report (2010)), a distance of 124 kms / 77 miles (SSW).  This happens to be the only sighting of -   2BBC , away from the seafront at Millisle.  The duration since being ringed, is now 11 years, 9 months and 23 days.

My thanks goes to Ian for this sighting, along with the photo.

Common Gull  -    2BBC   -  Millisle, Drumfad Bay, Co. Down  (15 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 23rd June 2009, on Big Copeland Island, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Ian Enlander)

 

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From Jonathan Clark

A first ever email arrived from Jonathan Clark on the 15th April 2021, and is a volunteer photographer at the WWT's Castle Espie Wetland Centre in County Down.  Jonathan reported two colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls spotted earlier that day, which belonged to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Study.  I now respond to all sightings from Adam's former project.

The first bird, -   2AHF , was ringed as a chick at Castle Espie, on the 19th June 2014.  It went un-recorded until the months of May and June 2018, when I noted the bird on four occasions at Castle Espie.  I made a small number of visits to Castle Espie in 2019, but there was no sign of -   2AHF .  The 'lockdown' during the breeding season of 2020, prevented any further visits.  The duration since being ringed, is now 6 years, 9 months and 27 days.

Black-headed Gull  -    2AHF   -  WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Co. Down  (15 Apr 2021)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Clark)

 

The second gull -   2CAN , was ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2016, also at Castle Espie.  The first re-sighting was made by me, on the 27th May 2018, at Castle Espie, which was the only record for the bird that year.  In 2019, I recorded -   2CAN  at Castle Espie, once each month during March, April, May and June.  As mentioned above, no visits to the wetland centre were made in 2020.  The duration since being ringed, is now 4 years, 9 months and 22 days.

 

Jonathan said that there were around 200 Black-headed Gulls present at Castle Espie, which seems to be very promising.  With our latest 'lockdown' about to end, there should be no reason to get a number of visits completed this summer.  I informed Jonathan, that there will be quite a few colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls on the site.  Also, it is likely, that one or two previously un-recorded gulls may now be amongst the breeding population.

 

Whilst I wait for the centre to re-open, I'm keepng my fingers crossed that Jonathan will record a few more rings.  My thanks goes to Jonathan for these sightings, and for allowing me to post these along with his photographs.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2CAN   -  WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Co. Down  (15 Apr 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2016, at Castle Espie)

(Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Clark)

 

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