What a lengthy post this one has turned out to be. I was aiming to post it yesterday afternoon (Friday 20th August), but decided to hold back, as I was waiting on two ring recovey reports from Dublin. These duly arrived at 9:20 on Friday evening, and now as I'm about to publish this post, it is approaching 8pm on Saturday evening.
Perhaps it was just as well that I remained at home last Saturday, as had I recorded more ringed birds, then it would have been harder still to get this post out. I had woken up that morning, very stiff and sore. Whilst at work on Friday night, I slipped on a greasy floor, and though I did not go down, I 'jarred' the lower part of my back. My back improved slightly by Sunday morning, so I decided to head off to County Down. By Monday morning, I felt pretty good on my way to Antrim Marina, and coped fairly well that evening back at work.
Cameron Moore's seven ring sightings, later became eight, when he also sent me a re-sighting of a Black-headed Gull spotted back in July. The biggest story, is that of a gull which had changed from being an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull to a Herring Gull - read on.........
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| Antrim Marina - Monday 16th August 2021 |
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Today saw another excellent visit to my Antrim Marina Study site. Unlike last week, the automated barrier was working, which therefore allowed me to take my car into the front car park, where I was able to park alongside the short concrete jetty overlooking the slipway. I was so glad to get the car in, as there were several heavy showers of drizzle. The whole morning from my arrival at 09:05, until my departure at 12:15, was fairly dark and cloudy, with a nippy breeze once again coming in from the Lough. It was just as well, that I decided to wear my chill suit, which kept me really warm as I walked about looking for the colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls.
On my arrival, at least 50 to 60 Black-headed Gulls were already present, and a second bunch of these birds could be seen resting beside the distant breakwater. By 09:33, I had read 11 colour-ringed BHGs,
and thereafter sightings came in 'drib and drabs', with the 21st and last ring being read at 11:40. By mid morning, overall numbers easilt topped the 100 mark, which I'm really pleased to see at this stage in the early autumn.
Last week, saw the first of my weekly visits for this autumn and winter season, with 20 colour rings being recorded. These became the 'baseline' for sightings this season, and today another three birds were added to the list, these being :- 2CSB , 2AAA and 2CSJ . Of all the birds that I'm always pleased to record, is - 2AAA , which was the very first Black-headed Gull to be ringed, belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland project. Caught and ringed here at the Marina on the 12th November 2012, as an adult bird, the duration now stands at 8 years, 9 months and 4 days.
One thing that I really noticed during today's visit, was how hungry these Black-headed Gulls were. They came right up to my feet to be fed, which does not usually happen at this time of the year, as there should be plenty of natural food about. Perhaps I'm missing something - is there a shortage of natural food? This could be a widespread problem, as I experienced on Rathlin Island, where the Common Gulls had another exceptional poor breeding season for the second summer running.
Yesterday, before heading off to Belfast and County Down, I called by other sites in the town of Antrim looking for ringed Black-headed Gulls. I was especially looking for - 2AAV at the town's Elim Church, and the Polish - (White) TY43 at the Baptist Church, but neither were spotted.
With today's three new re-sightings at Antrim Marina, this winter's total increases to 23 birds, though - 2AAK and 2FDK , were absent today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for one or two foreign metal-rung Black-headed Gulls to arrive. With the gulls already 'biting', perhaps I'll get the colour-rings ready for my next visit.
Today's three photos, are three more of the 18 Black-headed Gulls that I caught and ringed last winter, with - 2FHA and 2FHC , being the final two to be ringed.
Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 16th August 2021
| 2CJT |
2FFP |
2AAN |
2CSB |
2AAA |
2FFF |
2FFX |
| 2CSA |
2CSJ |
2ABS |
2ABN |
2FFA |
2BRA |
2CSR |
| 2ABL |
2FHA |
2FFJ |
2AAB |
2FHC |
2CTC |
2FFL |
Black-headed Gulls Recorded Last Monday, but Absent Today
2FFA , was ringed here at Antrim Marina, as an un-sexed adult, on the 23rd November 2020, and the final autmn and winter (spring) re-sighting was made on the 19th April 2021. I recorded this bird again last Monday, which was my first weekly visit for this winter. The duration as of today, is 8 months and 24 days.
Black-headed Gull - 2FFA - Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim (16 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 23rd November 2020, at Antrim Marina)
2FHA , was ringed as an un-sexed adult, here at the Marina, on the 28th December 2020. The gull was recorded at the Marina during the breeding season, which suggests that it may be a resident to the area. Those sightings were made on the :- 19th & 26th April, and on the 23rd May 2021. I recorded this bird last week, which saw the beginning of this winter's weekly visits. The duration, now stands at 7 months and 19 days, since being ringed.
Black-headed Gull - 2FHA - Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim (16 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 28th December 2020, at Antrim Marina)
2FHC , was also ringed on the 28th December 2020, as an un-sexed adult. My first re-sighting of the gull after being ringed, was made on the 4th January 2021, after which time the second 'Coronavirus Lockdown' began. Despite the easing of the lockdown in April, 2FHC was not recorded again until last Monday. The duration for this bird, is also 7 months and 19 days since being ringed.
Black-headed Gull - 2FHC - Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim (16 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 28th December 2020, at Antrim Marina)
Other Birds at Antrim Marina
This section has to start with Common Gulls for this visit. The first of two Common Gulls spotted today, appeared at 09:29. I'd be fairly sure that this was the same adult that I noted on last Monday's visit, and today the bird remained at the Marina throughout most of my visit, and spent most of it's time perched on the roof of the Gateway Centre.
At 10:28, I was in for a 'shock re-sighting', as whilst scoping through the gulls on the long wooden jetty, I spotted a second adult Common Gull bearing a metal ring. I knew straight away who this bird was, but I also knew that this return to Antrim Marina was by far the earliest date ever recorded. All I needed to do, was photograph the ring number just to confirm that this bird was indeed - EY64036 .
I positioned myself beside the Gateway Centre, and zoomed across the short stretch of water and onto the long jetty. A few photos later, and the ring was confirmed. EY64036 , was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2013 at Hunterston in North Ayrshire, Scotland. My first sighting of the then juvenile bird, was made on the 9th February 2014, and the duration at that point was 7 months and 20 days since being ringed. The distance from Hunterston to Antrim Marina, is 142 kms / 88 miles (SW).
With today's sighting of - EY64036 , means that the gull has returned at Antrim Marina for the eighth winter in a row, and this was my 56th sighting record for the bird. As mentioned above, this was by far the earliest return date to be recorded, and could it possibly reflect on the poor breeding season that I noted with our Common Gulls in Northern Ireland this summer - perhaps the same situation occurred in Scotland. Previous return dates for - EY64036 are :- 21st September 2014, 22nd November 2015, 4th September 2016, 25th September 2017, 15th October 2018, 28th October 2019 and 9th November 2020. The latest date that I've recorded - EY64036 before it's departure from Antrim Marina, was recorded on the 15th March 2015.
As I spend just a few hours at the Marina once a week, arrival and departure dates can only be taken as approximate dates, as this gull could easily come and go without me being present. The duration now since being ringed, is 8 years, 1 month and 27 days.
Common Gull - EY64036 - Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim (16 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, Scotland)
An adult Herring Gull arrived at 09:35, and remained throughout my visit. Now, this bird has me a trifle puzzled. Judging by it's movements around the Marina, it appeared to be the same adult that was here last winter and is and has always been 'people friendly', confidently approaching folk to be fed as with the Black-headed Gulls. What happened later in the morning, even surprised me. By this time, the Mute Swan family, consisting of a female along with her six cygnets, had arrived in from the Lough and rested up on the slipway.
Having already talked to several people, I knew there was a family party of Mute Swans about, but I had not seen a single swan recently until the family arrived around 11:30. Offering the cygnets brown bread, they easily came to my hand to feed, showing that they were quite used to being around people. Now this is where the Herring Gull surprised me, as it too, pushed itself in between the cygnets and also took bread from my hand. Should this gull continue to take feed from me, then I may have a chance of catching and ringing this one.
Mute Swan Along With Her Six Cygnets - Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim (16 Aug 2021)
There were not too many bird species about the Marina today, as I noted 5 Jackdaws, and a single male Pied Wagtail. At one point, I thought I could hear a distant Kingfisher, but as the bird got nearer, I wondered, was that a Common Sandpiper. Seconds later, a Common Sandpiper whizzed past the Marina heading out towards Lough Neagh. If I'm right, than this is the first time that I have seen this species here.
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Last week Cameron Moore sent me an email which kind of caught me on the 'hop'. I've been struggling to keep up to date with emails and ring sightings, and Cameron presented me with seven colour-ring sightings that he has recently recorded at his home village of Whitehead, situated on the western shore of Belfast Lough in County Antrim. Two of these ring sightings concerned me, as both Common Gulls were first re-sightings of birds from my own study based on Rathlin Island.
2BDH , was ringed at Rathlin's Arkill Bay colony on the 19th June 2018. The distance to Whitehead, is 67 kms / 41 miles (SSE), and the duration as of the 6th August 2021, is now 3 years, 1 month and 18 days. This first re-sighting has left me wondering if this gull had returned to Rathlin to breed this summer. Although I checked through the main sub-colonies on the island, 2BDH could have been at one of the two other sub-colonies where I discovered there are access issues - these being Portcastle and Portawillan.
Common Gull - 2BDH - Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (06 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 19th June 2018, at Arkill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim)
(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
The second of the two Common Gulls, was - 2BTT , which was also ringed at the Arkill Bay colony, on the 15th June 2021. Again, the distance to Whitehead, is 67 kms / 41 miles (SSE), and the duration is now 1 month and 25 days since being ringed. It can be stange when you colour-ring chicks, return to the site a week later, to find there is no sight of them. But sightings such as this made by Cameron, just goes to show that some fledge ok.
Common Gull - 2BTT - Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (09 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 15th June 2021, at Arkill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim)
(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
On Wednesday 11th August, Cameron photographed Common Tern - 3P3 , which confirmed my 'dodgy' sighting of this bird at Whitehead, on Sunday 8th August (see previous post). I emailed Birdwatch Ireland, and Tara Adcock, replied whilst I was at work, around 9:20 last night (Friday 20th August), with the details of this bird. I was glad that I held back from publishing the post on Friday afternoon, as I could not complete everything until today (Saturday 21st).
3P3 , was ringed as a chick, on the 4th July 2019, on a breeding pontoon at the Port of Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. On the 18th July 2019, the bird had fledged and was spotted on the Great South Wall, situated a short distance away from the nesting platforms. My sighting at Whitehead on the 8th August, was the first since 2019, which was followed up with this sighting made by Cameron, on the 11th August 2021.
The distance from the docks at Dublin to Whitehead, is around 160 kms / 99 miles (NNE), and the duration as of Cameron's sighting on the 11th August, is 2 years, 1 month and 7 days.
Common Tern - 3P3 - Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (11 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 4th July 2019, at Dublin Docks, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)
(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
Another Irish tern was spotted by Cameron on the 3rd August 2021, this one being a Sandwich Tern, ringed - K8C . I checked out the ring on the https://cr-birding.org/ birding site, to find that the bird came from the Lady's Island Lake Project in County Wexford. I sent an email to Tony Murray, who explained that I was lucky, as my email ended up in his 'spam box'. Tony is now using a new email address.
K8C , was ringed as a chick on the island of Inish, at Lady's Island Lake, on the 21st June 2017. Other than a sighting of the then juvenile, 15 days after being ringed, Cameron's was a first re-sighting away from the colony. The distance from Lady's Island Lake to Whitehead in County Antrim, is 287 kms / 178 miles (N), and the duration since being ringed, is 4 years, 1 month and 13 days. My thanks to Tony for the info.
Sandwich Tern - K8C - Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (03 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 21st June 2017, at Inish Island, Lady's Island Lake, Co. Wexford, R. of Ireland)
(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
Cameron's sighting of a Polish Mediterranean Gull - PPN5 , is the stand out one, of his seven colour-ring sightings, as this is now the fourth record in a row of the gull having been recorded here in Northern Ireland. The first two of these sightings, were made by Graham McElwaine in County Down. On the 18th July 2018, the bird was spotted at Millquarter Bay on Strangford Lough, and then on the 11th August 2019, at Kilclief Bay also on Strangford Lough. By the 14th December 2019, PPN5 had moved northwards into County Antrim, where Suzanne Belshaw emailed me about her sighting of the gull on the beach at Whiteabbey, Belfast Lough. Cameron's sighting on the 3rd August 2021, has seen the gull moving further up the County Antrim coast to reach Whitehead.
PPN5 was ringed as a chick, with just a metal-ring, on the 20th May 2014, on Lake Jezioro Ryńskie, near Rybical in north-east Poland. It was later caught on the 11th June 2014, still at Lake Jezioro Ryńskie, and the colour-ring was fitted. The distance from Poland to Whitehead, is 1,595 kms / 1,096 miles (W), and the duration as of Cameron's sighting, is 7 years, 2 months and 14 days.
Prior to the Northern Ireland sightings, the bird was spotted on five other occasions :-
12th July 2014 - Orfordness, Suffolk, England.
12th September 2015 - Isle of Luing, Argyll & Bute, Scotland.
10th October 2015 - Isle of Luing.
18th March 2016 - Beauport, France.
19th May 2016 - Polder Sątopy-Samulewo, Poland.
Mediterranean Gull - PPN5 - Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (03 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th May 2014, at Rybical, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Poland)
(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
In the original communication from Cameron, he reported on two tern sightings, but did not include photos for these birds. One of the two, was that of a Sandwich Tern colour-ringed - C76 . I checked out the cr-birding site and duly sent an email to Bart Donato. Bart replied, and was a trifle concerned about this sighting as apparently their ringing group had not, as yet, used - C76 . Having said that, he could not rule out the sighting either, as another unused colour-ring had been reported earlier in the year, with this one being - C74 . These two sighting reports left Bart wondering if there was another ringing project on the go, using the same combination of rings. He asked if we could supply further info at our end, and the issue was resolved when Cameron sent me photos of - C76 , and Common Tern - PCF, along with that of a Black-headed Gull - 2HX2 .
On looking at the colour-ring on - C76 , I think 'light' has played it's hand here, as I decided that the ring was Orange and not Yellow. I conculded, that at a distance, 'light' may change the colour appearance of a ring, hence in this case it was not Yellow. I did the exact same thing a few years back. I reported a Common Gull to the Grampian Ringing Group in Scotland, which appeared to have an Orange Darvic, when in actual fact, it was Yellow and belonged to the Clyde Ringing Group, also in Scotland.
Going back onto the cr-birding site, it turns out, this colour-ring also belonged to Bart Donato. On sending Cameron's photo, along with the 'light' explanation, a relieved Bart sent the bird's ringing and re-sighting history.
C76 , was ringed as a chick, on the 26th June 2018, at the RSPB Hodbarrow Reserve in Cumbria, England. The first re-sighting was made on the 20th August 2020, when - C76 was spotted in Merseyside in England, and then on the 21st May 2021, it was back at Hodbarrow. Cameron spotted the tern on the 11th August 2021, by which time, the duration since being ringed, was 3 years, 1 month and 16 days. The distance from Hodbarrow to Whitehead, is roughly 169 kms / 105 miles (NW). My thanks goes to Bart for the ringing and re-sighting history for this bird - 'we got there in the end'.
Sandwich Tern - C76 - Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (11 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 26th June 2018, at the RSPB Hodbarrow Reserve, Cumbria, England)
(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
Common Tern - PCF , was spotted by Cameron on the 10th August 2021, at Whitehead. Tara Adcock from Birdwatch Ireland emailed me around 9:20 on Friday evening whilst I was at work, with the details for the bird. The tern was ringed as a chick, on the 23rd June 2015, on a nesting platform at the Port of Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. Cameron's sighting, was a first for this bird, having travelled 160 kms / 99 miles (NNE) to reach Whitehead. The duration from ringing, was 6 years, 1 month and 18 days.
Common Tern - PCF - Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (10 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 23rd June 2015, at Dublin Docks, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)
(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
In my previous post, I reported on my re-sighting of a Scottish-rung Black-headed Gull - 2HX2 . The bird was ringed as a juvenile, on the 20th September 2020, at Blackness Castle in Falkirk. Along with the two photos I needed from Cameron Moore, concerning the above two terns, was another photo of - 2HX2 , taken on the 28th July 2021, at Sandy Bay in Larne. I had stated in my post, that this gull probably remained at Sandy Bay throughout the summer, and this sighting now cements that theory.
10th April 2021 - Sandy Bay, Larne - Gareth Platt
17th April 2021 - Sandy Bay, Larne - Bill Guiller
9th June 2021 - Sandy Bay, Larne - Cameron Moore
28th July 2021 - Sandy Bay, Larne - Cameron Moore
8th August 2021 - Sandy Bay, Larne - Gareth Platt
The distance from Falkirk to Larne, is 192 kms / 119 miles (SW), and the duration as of the 8th August, is 10 months and 19 days. My thanks goes to Cameron for these eight colour-ring sightings, they have certainly kept me busy.
Black-headed Gull - 2HX2 - Sandy Bay, Larne, Co. Antrim (28 Jul 2021)
(Ringed as Juvenile, on the 20th September 2020, at Blackness Castle, Falkirk, Sterlingshire, Scotland)
(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
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Today I decided to have a bash at reading some Common Gull rings at Millisle in County Down. Having colour-ringed 19 Common Gull chicks on Big Copeland Island this summer, I was hoping to record a bird or two at Millisle, which in the past, has been a hotspot for ring sightings. I had planned to ring around 100 Common Gull chicks on the island, but on my first ringing session, I ran into problems, as unknowingly to me at that time, authorization from the land owner had changed hands from father to son. I was unable to contact the son, so had to cancel planned ringing trips.
On my way to County Down, I checked out some Black-headed Gull sites around Antrim Town, before moving on to Belfast, and other sites in County Down, finishing off the afternoon at the fishing village of Portavogie. Just three ringed birds were recorded, which was slightly disappointing.
The first of these was a Herring Gull at Whitehouse Lagoon, situated alongside Belfast Lough. The bird ringed - B21:W , belonged to Katherine Booth-Jones, who is now the BTO's Northern Ireland Rep. In 2019, Katherine began her own project ringing breedind adult Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls that were nesting on the rooftops of some of Belfasts highest buildings.
B21:W , was ringed as an adult male, on the 23rd May 2019, on the roooftop of the Metro building. All three sightings of this gull away from the building have been made by me. My first encounter was made on the 29th August 2020, when I recorded the bird on Kinnegar Beach on the southern edge of Belfast Lough. On the 11th October 2020, I made my second sighting, this time on the north shore of Belfast Lough, not far from Whitehouse Lagoon where I recorded the bird for the third time today. Whitehouse Lagoon, is a tidal Lagoon, where water passes underneath a motorway from Belfast Lough. The distance from the Metro building, is just 6 kms / 3 miles (NNE), and the duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 2 months and 23 days.
Having informed Katherine about my latest sighting, she asked if I had noticed a GPS tag on the birds back. The gull was actually quite a long way off from me, and I could only see the front of the bird. My camera, actually makes short work of the distance, and even at that, I never think to check for other tags unless they are pretty obvious.
Herring Gull - B21:W - Whitehouse Lagoon, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (15 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as an Adult Breeding Male, on the 23rd May 2019, at Metro Building (rooftop), Belfast)
Having checked a few more sites along the way looking for ringed birds, without any success, I eventually reached Millisle. With it being high tide, there were a number of Herring, Black-headed and Common Gulls resting up in the car park along the seafront. The gulls constantly had to shift around, due to walkers and moving traffic.
There were two ringed Common Gulls, one with a yellow darvic which I knew would be - 2BBC , and the other bore a metal-ring. It was straight forward confirming - 2BBC , and today's sighting is the 43rd record for the bird on my spreadsheet. Belonging to Shane Wolsey's former project on Big Copeland Island in County Down, 2BBC was ringed there as a chick, on the 23rd June 2009. Other than it's first ever re-sighting, 2BBC has always been recorded here along the Millisle seafront car park. As a juvenile, it was spotted on the 23rd January 2010, at Gormantown in County Meath, in the Republic of Ireland.
Over the years, 2BBC has been recorded in every month of the year, especially from autumn through to the spring. I had hoped to see the bird on Big Copeland Island during my visits there, but had no luck. Millisle lies 8 kms / 5 miles (S) of Big Copeland Island, and the duration from being ringed, is now 12 years, 1 month and 23 days. A diet of bread and chips at the car park, have not done this bird any harm.
Common Gull - 2BBC - Millisle, Drumfad Bay, Co. Down (15 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 23rd June 2009, on Big Copeland Island, The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)
The metal-rung bird was very hard to follow, as the gulls were frequently disturbed by either people walking by, or cars passing through the car park. I knew I had very little hope in photographing the ring, but when I noticed the letters - ' EG ', I instantly knew this would be quite an old bird, and was a 'must get'. Attaching my camera to the tripod, I had to constantly follow this bird about, and kept my fingers crossed, that it would remain within the car park.
I'm sure some people would have thought I was 'demented' walking about, then crouching down to take pictures. I was also fortunate, that this was the only gull with a metal ring, and eventually I retreated to my car to work out the ring number, if complete. To my delight, although I did not capture the letter ' E ', I did complete the number - EG64808 .
On my spreadsheet, I have a few Common Gulls that are ringed with the letters ' EG ', so I did a search for - EG648 , and found a match albeit, the number was a partial, taken here at Millisle, on the 1st September 2018 - the number having read - EG6480* . At the that time, I did report my sighting to the BTO, who were able to generate a sighting recovery, as all Common Gull chicks concerned with a similar number were ringed on the same date and at the same location.
With the use of DemOn, I did my own check of the numbers - EG64800 to EG64809 , and discovered that 7 Common Gull chicks had been ringed on the same date - EG64803 to EG64809 , the other three rings had been used on other species.
I now reckon that my partial sighting of - EG6480* and today's completed sighting of - EG64808 , is of the same bird. The gull/gulls were ringed on the 13th June 2004, on Lighthouse Island, which is home to the Copeland Bird Observatory in County Down. The BTO gives the distance as 10 kms / 6 miles (S), and the duration since being ringed, is now a nice 17 years, 2 months and 2 days.
My patience to record this bird was well worth the effort. Not only did I get the ring number, but I have likely solved a previous partial sighting. After all these years, this must surely be the only survivor of the seven chicks ringed that day. There again, you never know. Reading metals on any gull can be challenging, but I'm always thrilled to get a result.
Common Gull - EG64808 - Millisle, Drumfad Bay, Co. Down (15 Aug 2021)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 13th June 2004, on Lighthouse Island, The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)
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Iain Livingstone has got back to me with the ringing details of a Lesser Black-backed Gull which I spotted recently at the Pennybridge Industrial Estate in Ballymena, Co. Antrim. (White) 0M7:C, was ringed as an Adult Male, on the 10th June 2018, at Sliddery, on the southern coast of the Isle of Arran in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The first re-sighting of the gull was made on the 8th December 2018, when it was spotted at El Outia in Morocco, Africa, some 3,037 kms / 1,887 miles (SSW).
The next three re-sightings were again made in Morocco, on the 10th, 18th & 19th January 2020, having been recorded at Agadir, which is situated slightly further to the north of the country - 2, 804 kms / 1,742 miles (SSW). On the 10th July 2020, (White) 0M7:C, was then spotted back on the Isle of Arran, having been recorded at Brodick, a large town on the eastern coast of the island. This was the final sighting until the one I made on the 3rd August 2021 in Ballymena.
The distance from the Isle of Arran to Ballymena, is 91kms / 56 miles (SW), and the duration since being ringed, is 3 years, 1 month and 24 days. My thanks goes to Iain, for supplying the ringing and re-sighting history for this gull.
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 0M7:C - Pennybridge Industrial Estate, Ballymena, Co. Antrim (03 Aug 2021) (Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 10th June 2018, at Sliddery, Isle of Arran, North Ayrshire, Scotland)
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It has taken a long time, but now I have the ringing details for a metal-rung Herring Gull (or kind of), that I recorded at the Ballyholme Seafront, on the 8th March 2020. On Monday 9th August 2021, I received an email from Bridget Griffin at the BTO, asking me to re-check my records, as the metal ring concerned had apparently been used on an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, with the bird having been ringed on the 12th May 2006, on Lighthouse Island, The Copeland Islands, Co. Down.
This was easy for me at my end, as all my ring sightings are backed up with photographs. I replied to Bridget, and attached the photos that I had taken of the Herring Gull. Initially, I had noticed that the gull was sitting on top of a lamppost and bore a metal-ring. I took photos of the gull and it's ring, from in front and behind, before it took off and floated down onto the beach. Here I resumed to take photos and eventually decided I had enough to complete the number which turned out to be - GA00167 .
I suggested to Bridget, that perhaps - GA00167 , had in fact been ringed as a chick, albeit a Herring Gull chick instead of a Lesser Black-backed Gull chick, though the ringing date for a chick in May was far too early. I have recorded two other similar ring numbers, one being - GA00160 , which had been correctly used on a Herring Gull chick in June 2007, and - GA00153 , which turned out to be a Herring Gull and not a Lesser Black-backed Gull chick, which had been ringed in June 2005. GA00153 , is a gull that I regularly record at Millisle in County Down. We have all heard of 'sex changes' before, but 'species change'!!!!
This has to be one of the most bizarre ringing recoveries that I have ever received. Ballyholme is situated 8 kms / 5 miles (WSW) of Lighthouse Island, and the duration as of the 8th March 2020, was 13 years, 11 months and 1 day.
Herring Gull - GA00167 - Ballyholme, Co. Down (08 Mar 2020)
(Ringed as an Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, on the 12th May 2006, on The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)
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Over the past few weeks, Graham McElwaine has copied me into emails concerning some of his latest large gull sightings. Unforuantely, Graham rarely takes photos which is a shame. One of the main reasons for me being copied in, is so that I can submit Northern Ireland sightings of colour-ringed gulls from the Isle of Man and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, as I have the finding locations set up on my DemOn ringing account. By doing this, it cuts out any variations in the localities of the sightings.
T6WF , was ringed as a Herring Gull chick, on the 30th June 2019, on The Calf of Man, Isle of Man. It's only previous re-sighting before being spotted by Graham, was made on the 11th September 2020, at Kentraugh on the Isle of Man. T6WF , was recorded by Graham on the 26th July 2021, at Millquarter Bay on Strangford Lough, Co. Down. The distance from the Calf of Man, is 56 kms / 34 miles (WNW), and the duration is 2 years and 26 days since being ringed.
Herring Gull - B01:D , was ringed as a chick, on the 4th July 2019, on the island of Ireland's Eye in County Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Since being ringed, all three re-sightings have been made at the high tide roost of the Inner Bay at Dundrum in County Down. The first of these was made by Graham, on the 2nd September 2020, followed by one from David Nixon, on the 30th March 2021 (see photo). This latest sighting, takes the duration since being ringed, to 2 years and 24 days. The distance from Ireland's Eye to Dundrum, is 96 kms / 59 miles (N).
Immature Herring Gull - B01:D - Dundrum Inner Bay, Dundrum, Co. Down (30 Mar 2021)
(Ringed as a chick, on the 4th July 2019, on Ireland's Eye, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)
(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)
Herring Gull - Y32:M , was ringed as a chick, on the 10th July 2012, at the Point of Ayre, situated at the northern end of the Isle of Man. The gull was spotted by Graham, on the 5th August 2021, at Millquarter Bay on Strangford Lough, County Down. Despite being a first re-sighting for Graham, the gull's only previous re-sighting was also made at Millquarter Bay, on the 9th October 2015, the observers name was not given. The distance from the Point of Ayre, is 77 kms / 47 miles (W), and the duration since being ringed, is 9 years and 26 days.
The sighting of Herring Gull - T8YW , was the third of four sightings made by Graham, since the bird was ringed as a chick, on the 3rd July 2019, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man. The first of these, was made on the 13th July 2020, at Millquarter Bay in County Down, with a second sighting having been made at Ardglass Harbour in County Down, on the 26th August 2020. David Nixon, also recorded - T8YW at Ardglass Harbour on the 10th March 2021. Graham's latest record was made on the 8th August 2021, with the gull having been spotted back at Millquarter Bay. There has been no sightings other than those in County Down. The distance to Millquarter Bay, is 56 kms / 34 miles (WNW), and the duration is 2 years and 26 days.
Herring Gull - T6VE , was ringed on the Calf of Man, as a chick, on the 3rd July 2019. All five re-sightings have come from County Down. The first two, were made by Graham, on the 27th July 2020, at Millquarter Bay, and then on the 19th August 2020, at the Inner Bay at Dundrum. Dundrum Inner Bay, was the scene for the next two sightings made by David Nixon, on the 9th September 2020, and again on the 13th May 2021. This latest sighting made by Graham on the 9th August 2021, also at Dundrum Inner Bay, takes the duration to 2 years, 1 month and 6 days. The distance from the Calf of Man, is 71 kms / 44 miles (WNW).
My thanks goes to Graham for these gull sightings, and to Mark Fitzpatrick on the Isle of Man, and Graham Prole of the Irish Midlands Ringing Group, for supplying the ringing and re-sighting histories for these gulls. I must also thank David for the use of his photo. We have a mutual agreement, that I can use his photos for my blog.
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