New 'One Leg'...

Having stayed at home last weekend as a 'knock on' from having received my 'Booster Jab', I still undertook my weekly visit to Antrim Marina.  One problem that I've noticed having had my jabs, is that I seem to tire far more easily.  My first jab was ok, but the second and the booster both made me feel really unwell, though only for a day or two.

 

I'm still working on my old laptop, and progress with my new laptop is slow, mainly as I am struggling to find the time to work with it.  I have thousands of photos, files etc., to transfer, but Rome was not built in a day as they say.  I really need everything in the one place, as to be able to work more efficiently, so hopefully this will not take too long.

 

How is it, that when a new laptop is purchased, my existing laptop is suddenly working far better than in recent months.  Having damaged the lid due to a seized hinge, it has been a few weeks now since the last time the screen froze, which meant a forced close down and restart.  Another saying - 'Sods Law'.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 24th January 2022

Today's visit to Antrim Marina saw very calm conditions, dry, sunny and practically no wind.  Just 22 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, and I was on the lookout for 54 colour-ringed birds, with 15 of them having been ringed this winter.  Today was also going to be my last chance this winter to ring new gulls, as I am in the process of changing my ringing trainer.  My current trainer is retiring from ringing, so I was going to have to look for another trainer.  I did not even get a chance to find someone, when an email arrived from Richard Donaghey.  Richard is a member of the Causeway Ringing Group here in Northern Ireland, as was my current trainer - John Clarke.  Richard was willing to take me on as my new 'A' ringer, which I was quick to accept.  

 

As a 'C' Permit holder, any metal rings I use, are registered to an 'A' ringer, and once used, the ringing details have to be submitted through their DemOn Ringing Account.  This past weekend, I provided Richard with a list of rings that I am holding, which range from size 'AA' for warblers, through to 'M', used on the likes of Mute Swans.  Those rings will now have to be transferred from John's account, to Richard's account, therefore until I receive confirmation of the change, it will perhaps be wiser not to ring any more birds in the meantime.  While this is ongoing, we are at that time of year, where permit's have to be renewed to cover us from March 2022 until March 2023.

My last attempt at catching new gulls, saw me catching one bird, only to realise that it was already ringed.  More often than not, when gulls slip through between the legs of the swans, it is not possible to see if they have already been ringed.  I did not even take the time to see which gull I had caught (Blue Darvic), I released it again immediately.

 

On the whole, this was another disappointing visit, as overall numbers of Black-headed Gulls did not quite reach the hundred mark, though colour-ringed birds were clearly coming and going, so others therefore were doing likewise.  If all had stayed, numbers may have topped the 150 mark.  Recording the colour-rings, was a long drawn out affair, as new arrivals appeared at a very slow rate.  Having arrived at 9:15, the first ring read was that of -   2FIF .  This gave me my chance to obtain my first photo for this bird.    2FIF , was caught and ringed here on the 29th November 2021, and it' first re-sighting was made on the 3rd December 2021, and I later realised that I did not have a photo of the gull.  Having made a note,   2FIF , was not seen again until today, so I now have my photo.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2FIF   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (24 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 29th November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

 

My 27th, and final sighting, was that of -   2FIA  at 12:15.  I departed from the Marina at 12:40, leaving me with 27 absentees.  My star bird at present is -   2FDJ , which was spotted in eastern Estonia in April (4th) of last year.  The gull was present today, but I'm keeping a close watch on this bird, as it may depart any time soon.  Last year, on it's way to Estonia,   2FDJ  was spotted in Motherwell in Scotland on the 5th February, and then recorded on the 11th, 13th and 14th February in Kilmarnock, Scotland.  If these dates are anything to go by, the gull may well have 'itchy feet' or should I say 'wings'.

 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 24th January 2022

2FIF	2AAB	2BRA	2ABK	2CTC	2ABL	2FDK	2CJT	2FHL
2AAK	2FFA	2FDT	2FFF	2CSA	2CSK	2FFL	2FDJ	2FHC
2AAN	2ABS	2FIH	2ACV	2FHP	2CSB	2CSL	2AAA	2FIA

Black-headed Gulls Recorded or Ringed at Antrim Marina This Autumn/Winter but Absent Today

2AAR	2ABA	2ABN	2AFD	2BRD	2CSJ	2CSR	2CSX	2CTA
2FDV	2FFC	2FFJ	2FFN	2FFP	2FFT	2FFX	2FHA	2FHF
2FHH	2FHJ	2FHK	2FHN	2FHT	2FHV	2FHX	2FIC	2FIJ

When I first started reading rings here at Antrim Marina which was way back in September 2013, there was a Black-headed Gull with just one leg (left leg), which I named 'One Leg'.  I used to take pity on that bird as it could not compete on the ground with other gulls trying to grab bread being thrown down to the ducks.  With every visit, I would throw bread into the air for 'One Leg', until it could take no more.  'One Leg' returned to the Marina every winter, but eventually the bird failed to return, hence I knew it had died.

Two weeks ago, I had another one legged Black-headed Gull here, this one also being left-legged.  Last week, saw the bird hovering by my car window, waiting for me to throw out bread, and here it was again today.  As with my original 'One Leg', it cannot cope in crowds, so my new found friend is now being fed by hand.  The bird is obviously benefiting from being at the Marina, so it will be interesting to see if it remains for the remainder of this winter, and perhaps return after the summer.

 

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Once again, there were plenty of Mute Swans present when I arrived this morning.  A quick count gave me 14 White birds and 4 cygnets.  At some point, a further two birds slipped in unnoticed which took the overall total to 20 birds.  I'm pretty sure that all legs were checked for rings, and the now usual two rings were read -   Z78574  and   Z78580 .

 

  Z78574 , first appeared at the Marina, on the 3rd January 2022, and today was it's fourth weekly re-sighting.  It was ringed as a juvenile at Ballyronan, Co. Londonderry on the 8th November 2020.  Ballyronan, lies 20 kms / 12 miles (W), from Antrim Marina.

 

  Z78580 , was ringed here at the Marina as a juvenile, on the 15th November 2020, and was recorded until the 26th April 2021.  The bird arrived back at Antrim Marina on the 6th December 2021, and has been recorded during most weekly visits since.

 

Mallard numbers were again very low.  Last week, no a single bird was present on my arrival, and today, just one female was present.  Numbers slowly built up to a high of around 40 birds, still well down of what would normally be expected.  As usual, most legs were checked for rings.

 

The first Common Gull to arrive, was a juvenile at 10:48.  It remained on site throughout my visit, and the first two adults were recoded at 11:10 and 12:08.  Moments later, I suddenly realised that a further three adults and a second juvenile had arrived.  A quick check before I departed, gave me 5 adults and two juveniles.  There was no sign of the Scottish metal-rung bird.

 

The resident Herring Gull appeared at 9:30 and remained through the remainder of my visit.  A second adult arrived at 11:20, but only stayed for around 10 minutes.

 

8 Jackdaws, and a pair of Pied Wagtails were the only other species noted today.

 

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From César Álvarez

On the 20th January 2022, I received another email from César Álvarez in Spain.  He informed me, that he had re-sighted my Black-headed Gull -   2FAA , on the 10th January 2022, this now being the second sighting of the bird this winter.

  2FAA , was ringed as a chick, on the 4th June 2019, at Inch Island Lake, County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.  The then juvenile, was first spotted by César, on the 13th February 2020, on the Avilés Estuary in Northern Spain, some 1,279 kms / 794 miles (S), from Inch Island. 

 

The following year,   2FAA  returned to the Avilés Estuary, where César recorded the gull on a further four occasions between the 21st January 2021 and the 24th February 2021.  This winter,   2FAA  appeared for the third winter running, when on the 30th December 2021, Manuel Marcos along with Guillermo Eguidazu, spotted the gull on the estuary, also providing the clearest photo to date.

 

There was no photo to go along with César's latest sighting, but the duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 7 months and 6 days.  My thanks goes to César for this latest sighting.

 

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From Tom Carroll

Tom Carroll sent me an email on the 19th January 2022, to say that earlier that day, he spotted Black-headed Gull -   2CJF , at the 'water feature', at the Grangecastle Business Park in Dublin City.  This is now the second sighting of -   2CJF  at the site, as on the 30th December 2021, Graham Prole had also recorded the gull there.

 

  2CJF , was ringed as a chick, on the 3rd July 2016, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve, on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  I made the first re-sighting of the bird, on the 26th August 2018, on Kinnegar Beach situated on the southern shore of Belfast Lough - 22 kms / 13 miles (SSW), from Larne Lough.  In March 2019,   2CJF  was then spotted on the breeding platforms, at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve, which is more or less, a stone's throw away from Kinnegar Beach.

During 2020,   2CJF  was spotted in the spring and autumn on Kinnegar Beach, and though spotted on the RSPB's WoW Reserve during the summer, whether it bred there was not confirmed.  In 2021, no sightings were reported until the 25th September, when David Nixon, along with John O'Boyle spotted -   2CJF  on Kinnegar Beach, which happened to be the gull's last sighting in Northern Ireland.  During the summer, the RSPB kept their viewing hides on their WoW Reserve locked, as a precaution against Covid.

 

Grangecastle Business Park in Dublin, is 171 kms / 106 miles (SSW), and the duration since being ringed, was 5 years, 6 months and 16 days.  Judging by previous re-sighting records,   2CJF  should return to either Kinnegar Beach or the RSPB Reserve, by early March.

 

My thanks goes to Tom for both the re-sighting report and the photo.

 

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2CJF   -  Grangecastle Business Park, Dublin City, Republic of Ireland  (19 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 3rd July 2016, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island NR, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Tom Carroll)

 

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From Jan Rod

In my previous post, I reported on a Common Gull sighting made by Jan Rod.  What I did not mention in my report, was the possibility that the code had been read incorrectly.  The gull that Jan reported, was colour-ringed -   2BJX , which happened to be a first re-sighting of a bird ringed as a chick in 2019.  I also have a Common Gull which was also ringed as a chick in 2019,   2BJK , but this bird has already had four re-sightings.

In my return email to Jan, I posed the question of the code possibly being read incorrectly, seeing as the gull flew off before a photo could be taken.  This of course, put the 'seeds of doubt' in Jan's mind, but he stated that he would be 95% sure, that the gull was indeed -   2BJX , and even suggested that I should scrap the sighting just in case.  I've known Jan for quite some time now, and he is an excellent 'Ring Reader', therefore I submitted his sighting.

I reckoned that, if -   2BJX  was indeed still alive, it should return to Rathlin Island this summer, either to prospect a nest-site, or even breed on it's native island.  This would confirm that the gull was alive when spotted by Jan on the 17th January 2022, in County Meath.

 

On the 27th January 2022, I received another email from Jan, this time with photos which were taken earlier that day with his phone via a telescope.  The bird in question, was confirmed as -   2BJX .  I have since given these codes some thought.  To save any further confusion in the future, I will colour-ring my gulls with the codes reading in different directions -   2**K  will read upwards, and -   2**X  will read downwards.  If the 'leads' of any other colour-ringing projects should read this, perhaps they will do the same with their colour-rings, if they have both the letters 'K' and 'X' in their ring series.

 

  2BJX , was still at Gormanston Strand, in County Meath, which is 184 kms / 114 miles (S), from Rathlin Island, where it was ringed as a chick in June 2019.  The duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 7 months and 3 days.

 

I very much appreciate the efforts made by Jan, along with the photos.  You cannot beat a photo when it comes to reporting ring sightings.

 

Common Gull  -    2BJX   -  Gormanston Strand, County Meath, Republic of Ireland  (27 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2019, at Arkill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Jan Rod)

 

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New Laptop...

At last, I now have a new laptop.  Having purchased it through my local branch of Currys, I had to wait until Saturday the 15th for it to be delivered in store.  Patiently waiting at home, the phone call came in during the early afternoon to say it was ready for collection.  Since then, I have hardly found time to completely set it up, and I have a mountain of folders to transfer from my old laptop.  With having had a little time on my new purchase, I'm really delighted with it's speed - just cannot wait to work with it all of the time now.

 

On Tuesday past, I received my 'Booster Jab' at work, and on Wednesday and Thursday, I felt so unwell it felt as if I had been put into a cement mixer.  My head, neck and shoulders felt as if they were all over the place.  I did go to work on Wednesday evening, and my Night Manager gave me the go-ahead to start work, but if I felt really ill then I could return home.  Starting at 7pm, I lasted until 9:50pm, by which time my head was pounding and I simply ran out of energy.  I couldn't even face trying to work on this blog post, especially, as for now, I'm still using my old laptop.  Having worked on both Thursday and Friday evenings, I was still not at myself and remained at home this weekend.  This gave me the chance to finish the post (Sunday), and tomorrow I will go to Antrim Marina.

 

In the last couple of days, I have received two re-sightings of our Black-headed Gulls, one from Dublin and one from Spain.  With no material for my next post, these will now be added to that one. 

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Antrim Marina - Monday 17th January 2022

Today's visit to Antrim Marina saw a frosty start, with the two wooden jetties covered with ice.  It was calm, with a 100% blue sky and plenty of sunshine.  Around 50 Black-headed Gulls were perched on the long wooden jetty, where they were able to catch the early sunshine.  With having caught and colour-ringed another adult Black-headed Gull last Monday, today, I was on the lookout for 54 colour-ringed birds altogether, 15 of which have been colour-ringed so far this winter.

I arrived at the Marina at 9:15, and -   2FIA  was my first ring sighting at 9:20.  Further birds trickled in slowly, and by 10:16, I had recorded 16 colour-rings, with -   2CSK  being the 16th sighting.  After this time, just 9 more colour-rings were recorded and with my departure at 12:30, 25 of the 54 were noted altogether, meaning more than half of my gulls were absent.    2FDT , was the final ring read at 11:34.

Overall numbers of Black-headed Gulls just about hit the 100 mark, which is still well down when compared to other winters here.  I still find it amazing, that no gulls from other ringing projects have appeared at all this winter, which I think is a first.

 

The whole morning seemed to drag by, and I was pleased to reach my finishing point.  I tried to catch another bird or two for ringing, but very few were willing to come close enough to grab my bread offering.  I make use of the swans to assist in capturing the gulls, by throwing bread onto the ground in front of them.  The bird I ringed last Monday, was stood on by a swan, so I had to rescue that one.  I reckoned that there were too many swans about today, and the gulls did not fancy chancing their luck.  

 

We are now slowly creeping towards the end of January, and I would assume that the mild weather, may persuade some of the gulls to depart early on their travels back towards their breeding sites.  Reflecting on this winter overall, my weekly visits have not been anywhere as good as in the past.

 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 17th January 2022

2FIA	2ABS	2FFF	2CJT	2FHL	2ABK	2FFL	2CSA	2ABL
2FHP	2ABN	2FDK	2FHC	2AAK	2BRA	2CSK	2FIH	2FHA
2AAB	2ACV	2AAN	2FDJ	2CSL	2CTC	2FDT

Black-headed Gull Recorded or Ringed at Antrim Marina This Autumn/Winter but Absent Today

2AAA	2AAR	2ABA	2AFD	2BRD	2CSB	2CSJ	2CSR	2CSX	2CTA
2FDV	2FFA	2FFC	2FFJ	2FFN	2FFP	2FFT	2FFX	2FHF	2FHH
2FHJ	2FHK	2FHN	2FHT	2FHV	2FHX	2FIC	2FIF	2FIJ

I have taken a closer look at my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet, focusing on the 18 Black-headed Gulls that I caught and ringed last winter.  5 of those birds have not made it back this winter, these being juveniles when caught and ringed.  I remember reading that two-thirds of juveniles will perish during their first winter, so those five may well be dead.  On the other hand, some juveniles tend to wander in their first winter, so some of the five may well be alive, and I will have to await for re-sightings of them.

 

For comparison, Eoin McGreal's former Black-headed Gull project at Lough Mask in County Mayo, saw first re-sightings of three of his juveniles, turning up in Northern Ireland years after being ringed :-

 

  214H  - Ringed 4th June 2007 - First re-sighting, at Whiteabbey, Co. Antrim on the 18th November 2017 - 10 years, 5 months and 14 days.

 

  290P  - Ringed 16th June 2007 - First re-sighting, at Lurgan Park, Co. Armagh on the 10th March 2017 - 9 years, 8 months and 22 days.

  236S  - Ringed 21st June 2007 - First re-sighting, at Glynn, Co. Antrim on the 22nd March 2016 - 8 years, 9 months and 1 day.

 

So going by this, there is hope not only for last winters juveniles, but also for those that I have caught and ringed this winter - some of which have not been seen since they were ringed.  Of the other 13 gulls caught and ringed last winter, all have been recorded back at the Marina this winter.  11 of these, have been recorded numerous times this winter, but one has since died after breaking it's leg.  The remaining two gulls are -   2FFN  with just the single sighting, and -   2FFT  with two sightings.  Interestingly, both were caught as adults when ringed.  Is it possible, that both gulls were just passing through last winter when caught, and possibly just passing through this winter when re-sighted.

 

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Once again, it was the number of swans that has caught my attention.  Over recent weeks, numbers have been on the up, and on my arrival today, 16 Mute Swans, along with 6 cygnets were already on site.  As there was not too much activity with the gulls, I spent periods in my car keeping warm.  Due to this, I missed comings and goings with the swans, and by 11:10, I had 19 swans and no cygnets.  Did the cygnets head off along with their parents, if so, I missed other birds coming in.  From where I park my car, an Ice Cream hut blocks off my view out towards the breakwater.  Although the swans present frequently came on and off the slipway, I was fairly sure that probably all legs were checked for rings, and I had further re-sightings of -   Z78574  &   Z78580 .  Both birds were ringed as juveniles in November 2020, at Ballyronan and here at the Marina.

 

Not one Mallard was present on my arrival, though numbers slowly built up to around 50 by 11:15.  Again, as with the gulls, overall numbers are half of what the should be for this time of the winter.  Once again, though most legs were checked, still no rings.  I'm still wondering if the Co. Monaghan gun clubs, are still ringing juveniles before their release.  Suzanne Belshaw reported a sighting of a Co. Monaghan Mallard at Lurgan Park Lake recently.  Although that bird was in the water, she did manage to see some of the digits on the metal ring, which formed part of a phone number.  These rings have a phone number above the actual code on the ring.

 

At 10:10, the first two adult Common Gulls arrived together, and a 3rd was recorded at 10:28.  By 11:50, 7 adult Common Gulls, plus a juvenile were counted.  This again roughly equals the highest total recorded so far this winter, but is still only half of the number recorded in past winters.  The Scottish metal-rung female did not appear today.

 

Just after 11:10, my usual adult Herring Gull arrived, closely followed by a juvenile.  The juvenile soon departed again, but the adult remained.

 

A single Hooded crow, one Magpie and 6 Jackdaws were the only other species noted today.  Even Jackdaw numbers are only half of what would normally be recorded.

 

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From Suzanne Belshaw

Suzanne Belshaw has been in touch having visited Lurgan Park Lake in Lurgan, Co. Armagh.  Whilst at the site on the 11th January, Suzanne made two re-sightings of Black-headed Gulls, recorded on the site over previous winters.

The first, was the colour-ringed Polish Black-headed Gull -   T58T .    T58T , was ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 16th July 2016, at Świnoujście, on the north coast of Poland.  The first re-sighting of the gull, was made at different times, on the 15th December 2016, when both Suzanne and I, recorded the bird here on Lurgan Park Lake.  It has returned to Lurgan Park every winter since, with this being the sixth winter in a row.  Lurgan Park is not frequently visited, so no precise return date can be given, but the earliest record on my spreadsheet, was made on the 26th November 2020.  The latest sighting before -   T58T  returned home, was made on the 27th February 2018, at Lurgan Park Lake.

 

Back at Świnoujście,   T58T , has been re-sighted in most summers, and during the summer of 2021, the gull even strayed over the border with Germany, which is situated very close to the town.  The distance to Lurgan Park Lake, is 1,334 kms / 828 miles (WNW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 5 years, 5 months and 27 days. 

 

Black-headed Gull  -    T58T   -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (12 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 16th July 2016, at Świnoujście, Poland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

 

The second Black-headed Gull to be re-sighted by Suzanne, was the metal-rung -   EZ02451 .  With the bird being the grass, it took Suzanne a while to complete the number, in order to confirm this gulls return. 

 

  EZ02451 , was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2017, at the Elvanfoot colony, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland by the Clyde Ringing Group.  Normally, the gulls there are also colour-ringed, but Iain Livingstone stated that they had ran out of colour-rings on that particular day, as they had not anticipated the presence of so many chicks, therefore -   EZ02451  ended up with just the metal ring.

 

The first ever re-sighting of -   EZ02451 , was made here at Lurgan Park, on the 7th September 2017, just 2 months and 18 days after being ringed.  Since Suzanne's initial sighting,   EZ02451 , has been re-sighted at least once every winter since at Lurgan Park.  This latest sighting, takes the duration since being ringed, to 4 years, 6 months and 23 days.  The distance from Elvanfoot in Scotland, is 202 kms / 125 miles (WSW).  Not surprisingly, due to being ringed with a metal only, this bird has yet to be spotted anywhere else.

Again, my thanks goes to Suzanne, for the sighting reports, along with the photos.  As always, it's great to tick off another couple of winter visitors, which also adds to the birds longevities.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    EZ02451   -  Lurgan Park Lake,  Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (12 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2017, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

 

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From David Galbraith

David Galbraith has been in touch, with another sighting of Great Black-backed Gull - (White) 9H5:C, which has now landed on his fishing boat for a sixth time.  The gull alighted onto the boat's life-raft, on the 11th January 2022, whilst David was a short distance away from Portmuck Island, near Larne in County Antrim.

(White) 9H5:C, was ringed as a chick, on the 26th June 2017, on Horse Isle National Nature Reserve, which lies just off the coast from Ardrossan in Ayrshire, Scotland.  Having yet to be sighted anywhere, other than on David's boat, the previous five sightings were made on :-

 

29th July 2020 - Portmuck Island, Co. Antrim - 3 years, 1 month and 3 days.

7th August 2020 - Portmuck Island - 3 years, 1 month and 12 days.

22nd March 2021 - The Maidens Rocks, near Larne, Co. Antrim - 3 years, 8 months and 24 days.

31st March 2021 - Portmuck Island - 3 years, 9 months and 5 days.

16th July 2021 -  The Maidens Rocks - 4 years and 20 days.

 

David's latest sighting, now takes the duration since being ringed, to 4 years, 6 months and 16 days.  The distance from Horse Isle Nature Reserve, is 103 kms / 64 miles (SSW).  At the moment, David has a monopoly on sightings for this bird - are we going to obtain a life history, all made on a fishing boat?  My thanks to David for sharing his latest sighting of (White) 9H5:C.  At the time, David was too busy to take a photo, but I've added David's previous photo taken on the 16th July 2021.

 

Great Black-backed Gull  -  (White)  9H5:C  -  The Maiden's Rocks, Co. Antrim  (16 Jul 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 26th June 2017, on Horse Isle NNR, Ayrshire, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of David Galbraith)

 

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Sunday 16th January 2020

Today I started off by visiting the town of Antrim, before hitting the coast, beginning at Carrickfergus and then moving south to Kinnegar Beach on the southern shore of Belfast Lough.  I timed my coastal visit to coincide with the tide beginning to recede.

At Antrim, I went to Bridge Street car park, the Castle Way car park, and finishing at the town's KFC outlet.  My main hope, was for another sighting of a German-rung Black-headed Gull with a metal ring, as well as a second sighting of a Scottish colour-ringed Black-headed Gull.  With gulls at all three car parks, no a single ring was spotted.

 

I now made the long drive towards Carrickfergus, and stopped by the Mill Ponds at the town's Leisure Centre.  Up to 200 Black-headed Gulls were present, but a large number of these remained perched on the rooftop of the Centre.  At the Ponds, many of the gulls came to hand for a feed of bread, and I was looking out for two colour-ringed birds in particular - a Northern Ireland bird -   2CPS , and a Norwegian bird -   JZ01 , plus any new rings.

 

There was no sign of the Norwegian bird, which may have been at the shore beside Kilroot Power Station, situated slightly to the north of Carrickfergus, but heading in that direction was not in my plans.  I did get -   2CPS  though.

 

This sighting of -   2CPS , was now the 12th to be entered onto my main Ring Reading Spreadsheet.  The bird was ringed as a chick, on the 16th June 2017, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Nature Reserve, on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  All 12 sightings of -   2CPS , have been made here on the Mill Ponds, with the first being made by Paul McCullough, on the 27th November 2017.  This is the fifth winter running, that -   2CPS , has been recorded wintering here.  The distance from Blue Circle Island, is just 12 kms / 7 miles (S), and the duration since being ringed is 4 years and 7 months.  This sighting adds a few more days to the birds longevity.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2CPS   -  Mill Ponds, Carrickfergus Leisure Centre, Co. Antrim  (16 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 16th June 2017, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island NR, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

 

On leaving the Leisure Centre, I drove the short distance to the harbour in Carrickfergus.  In the early day's of Adam's former colour-ringing project, six wintering Black-headed Gulls were caught and ringed at the harbour, but as of last winter (2019/2020), only two of those were recorded, with the other four having likely perished.  The two surviving birds were -   2ADB  and   2ADD .

 

Parking in a quite spot at the harbour, my bread offerings saw no sign of either of the two gulls.  I have tried for these two in previous visits this winter, but with another 'no show', I'm beginning to think we have lost them too.

 

  2ADB , was ringed as an adult male, on the 25th November 2013, and all 59 re-sightings bar two, were recorded at the harbour.  The other two sightings were made at the town's Leisure Centre, and on the shore of the nearby Kilroot Power Station.  The last sighting of   2ADB , was made by Paul McCullough, here at the harbour, on the 22nd December 2020.  The duration was then 7 years and 27 days.

 

  2ADD , was ringed as an adult male, on the 29th November 2013.  Although a winter visitor to Carrickfergus Harbour, through my own Black-headed Gull project at Antrim Marina, the bird was a regular summer visitor and likely nested on the nearby former 'Torpedo Platform' on Lough Neagh.  In the weeks prior to the nesting season, or just after the breeding season,   2ADD  would stop by for a time at Antrim's KFC Outlet.  A total of 101 re-sightings are entered onto my Ring Reading Spreadsheet, and -   2ADD  was last recorded on the 12th April 2021, at Antrim Marina.  The duration, was then 7 years, 4 months and 14 days.

Disappointed, and having the thoughts that another two birds are now lost, I made my way towards the beach at Whiteabbey.  I could not have timed my visit better than this, with the tide receding, the gulls were arriving in their droves to bathe and drink in the river that flows into Belfast Lough.  Here, I was especially on the lookout for two regular colour-ringed gulls, and eventually got both of them.

 

Using both my binoculars and telescope, my first ring sighting was a new bird to me, though I suspected that this may have been the same gull reported to me by Suzanne Belshaw a couple of months ago, on this same beach.  The Black-headed Gull, rung -   2HP4 , I knew was a Scottish bird, as was the one that Suzanne had reported.

 

On returning home and checking my spreadsheet, this was indeed the same gull.    2HP4 , had been ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2020, at the Elvanfoot colony, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.  Suzanne's sighting on the 23rd November 2021, was the first re-sighting of the bird since it was ringed.  With today's second sighting, I'm now wondering if this bird wintered here last winter, but somehow was overlooked.  As it appears to be staying 'put', it will be interesting to see if it returns next winter, especially that it seems to like Whiteabbey.  The distance from Elvanfoot, is 166 kms / 103 miles (WSW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 6 months and 23 days.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2HP4   -  Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (16 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2020, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)

 

My next ring sighting, was another new bird - a juvenile Herring Gull with a metal ring.  Zooming out with my camera, the gull was just bordering on whether I could capture any details on the ring.  It did not matter really, as the gull flew off moments later.  Back at home, I looked through the photos, and one just about revealed the last two digits '  88 ', on what appeared to be a BTO ring.  If that was the case, I needed two letters followed by five numbers.

Continuing to scope through the gulls, I spotted a distant Common Gull with a Blue Darvic, which was likely to be the first of the two regulars on this beach.  I knew the ring was in poor condition, so trying to capture details at that distance was not possible.  All I could do, was wait until it got closer.  Having managed to loose sight of the gull, I eventually relocated it, standing on a rock fairly close to me.  A few photos later, I had captured the code that I was looking for -   2AIP .

 

  2AIP , was ringed as a chick, on the 11th June 2012, on Big Copeland Island in County Down.  During the early years of it's life, it went unrecorded until I discovered it here at Whiteabbey Beach, on the 10th October 2015.  The duration at that point, was 3 years, 3 months and 29 days.

 

Today's sighting, is now the 22nd record for the gull on my spreadsheet, with all sightings having been made on this same stretch of beach.  The duration since being ringed, is now 9 years, 7 months and 5 days, and the distance from Big Copeland Island, is 23 kms / 14 miles (W).  This is now the seventh winter running that -   2AIP  has been re-sighted at Whiteabbey.  Over the last couple of years, I have made a few visits to Big Copeland Island during the breeding season, but sadly -   2AIP  has not been recorded back at it's natal colony. 

 

Common Gull  -    2AIP   -  Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (16 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 11th June 2012, on Big Copeland Island, Co. Down)

 

I spent a long time at Whiteabbey, and was about to give up on spotting the second regular to the beach, when, way into the distance, there it was - Black-headed Gull -   2CPN .    2CPN , was ringed on the same date, at the same colony as -   2CPS , which I recorded at Carrickfergus Leisure Centre, earlier today.

Having been ringed as a chick in June 2017, I made the first re-sighting of the then juvenile, on this very same beach, on the 24th September 2017.  Today's sighting is now the 16th to go onto my spreadsheet, with all sightings have been made on Whiteabbey Beach.  It is always good to have re-sightings of regulars, as more time is added to their longevities.  The duration is now 4 years and 7 months since being ringed, and the distance from Blue Circle Island, is 19 kms / 11 miles (SSW).

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2CPN   -  Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (16 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 16th June 2017, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island NR, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

 

On leaving Whiteabbey, it is only a five minute drive to get to Whitehouse Lagoon.  Here, I've been trying to re-sight a Polish colour-ringed Black-headed Gull, but so far this winter, there has been no sign of it.  (White) T56W, was ringed on the Odra Reservoir in 2012, and was first recorded here on Whitehouse Lagoon in January 2015.  Since then, it has returned to the Lagoon every winter, and the last time that I recorded the gull here, was on the 25th October 2020.  The duration at that time, was 8 years, 4 months and 9 days.  With no sightings this winter, it is beginning to look as if (White) T56W has possibly died.

 

The tide was well out on the mudflats at Whitehouse Lagoon, but there were surprisingly few birds on the now exposed mudflats.  I did not take too long to scope through all of the birds.  A nice group of Oystercatchers were resting together, but I could not see an Icelandic colour-ringed bird, whose return was recorded on the 29th August 2021.  Ringed in June 2015, as a breeding adult, it has been recorded every winter here since September 2015.  A second sighting of this bird, this winter, is still eluding me.

 

Next stop, was the Connswater mudflats on the Belfast Harbour Industrial Estate.  Several colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls from several countries, plus three colour-ringed Oystercatchers from Scotland, were recorded here last winter.  So far this winter, just one colour-ringed Black-headed Gull has been seen here, and that was -   2AJV , from Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Study.  Despite a fair number of Oystercatchers, and around 80 Black-headed Gulls, not a single ringed bird was spotted.  On my last visit here, I did spot a BHG with a White Darvic, but very poor lighting conditions, meant that I could not capture the code on the ring.  By far, the highest number of Lapwings of this winter were noted, numbering perhaps as many as 200.  Scoping through them, just one metal-rung bird was seen, perhaps the same bird seen on earlier visits.

 

My final stop of the afternoon, was at Kinnegar Beach on the southern shore of Belfast Lough.  By now, the tide was so far out, that the numerous gulls and waders, were just dots in the distance.  Scoping from the edge of the car park, I was amazed by the number of Common Gulls, which easily numbered as many as 200 plus.  Actually there were gulls all over the place, being the highest total that I've seen here this winter.

 

I walked out onto the beach, and began scoping from two-thirds out, and now had a clear view of the multitude of legs.  The Common Gulls were my main target species, hoping to record colour-ringed birds from Scotland, Norway, or even my own Northern Ireland Project birds.  Among one group of Common Gulls, I spotted a Green Darvic, but it was on a Mediterranean Gull.  I instantly knew who this one would be, and zooming in with my camera, it was who I thought it would be - the German -   AETC .  As I was taking a photo, it walked forwards, and the code on the photo was a blur.  I had to relocate the bird again, but this time, I could only get -   *ETC .

 

This was easily the my best sighting of the day, and it was now the second sighting of -   AETC  this winter.  On the 23rd November 2021, Anthony McGeehan spotted this Med Gull at Groomsport Harbour, which is further round the County Down coast from Kinnegar.

 

  AETC , was ringed as an un-sexed 3rd Calendar bird, on the 24th May 2008, near Stade in northern Germany.  Since 2008,   AETC  has been recorded here in Northern Ireland on numerous occasions :-

 

10th October 2008 - Carnlough Bay, Co. Antrim - Neal Warnock

26th February 2010 - Whitehead, Co. Antrim - Cameron Moore

26th February 2010 - Whitehead - George Gordon

13th February 2014 - Kinnegar Beach, County Down - George Gordon

15th October 2016 - Whitehead - Cameron Moore

30th January 2017 - Donaghadee, County Down - Stephen Foster

18th November 2018 - Kinnegar Beach - myself

22nd September 2019 - Kinnegar Beach - myself

23rd November 2021 - Groomsport Harbour - Anthony McGeehan

16th January 2022 - Kinnegar Beach - myself

 

Back in September 2019, I was concerned about this gulls welfare, as a very large 'debris ball' was attached onto its middle toe on the birds left foot.

 

Mediterranean Gull  -    AETC   -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (22 Sep 2019)

(Note the Debris Hanging on the Middle Toe)

 

Obviously, the gull has managed to discard the ball, and now looks completely healthy.  The duration since being ringed, is now a nice 13 years, 7 months and 23 days.  The distance from Stade, is 1,015 kms / 630 miles (W).    AETC , has been recorded back in Germany, though it's last re-sighting there, was back in March 2017, in the Stade area.

 

Mediterranean Gull  -    AETC   -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (16 Jan 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 3rd Calendar Year Bird, on the 24th May 2008, near Stade, N. Germany)

 

After scoping through everything that I could, not another colour-ring was spotted, which was pretty amazing seeing as up to 1,000 birds were on the beach.  Two metal-rung Common Gulls were spotted, though I had no chance capturing the numbers on those birds.  By now, the hazy sun was about to disappear so it was time for home.

 

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From Jan Rod

Just as I was about to head out to work on Monday evening on the 17th January 2022, I received an email from Jan Rod.  Earlier that day, Jan spotted Common Gull -   2BJX , which belonged to my project on Rathlin Island, situated just off the County Antrim coast,  The bird was spotted on Gormanston Strand in County Meath, in the Republic of Ireland.

  2BJX , was ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2019, at Arkill Bay, on Rathlin Island.  Jan's sighting was a first for the bird, and the duration since being ringed, was 2 years, 6 months and 24 days.  I submitted the sighting to the BTO on Tuesday morning, in during the afternoon, the recovery was received.  The offical distance from Rathlin to Gormanston Strand, is 184 kms / 114 miles (S).

 

I was delighted with this sighting, as practically none of my Rathlin Common Gulls have been spotted this winter.  To know, this bird is alive, gives me hope that it will return to Rathlin Island this summer, to either prospect a nest site, or possibly breed for the first time.  With around 100 pairs of Common Gulls nesting on the island each year, my aim is to see how many of the chicks which have been colour-ringed, return to integrate into the overall breeding population.

 

Unfortunately, the gull flew off before Jan could get a photo, but even so, I was really pleased with this sighting report.  My thanks again goes to Jan, who has reported several Northern Ireland birds now.

 

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