Norwegian Success...

Towards the end of last week, three named storms followed each other across the British Isles.  Where I live in Ballymena, the first two hardly touched us.  I could not get out on Saturday, but by Sunday the third of the storms - Storm Franklin had set in with strong winds and some heavy rain.  I decided to remain at home, as it would have been extremely hard to keep a telescope steady under the conditions.

Having said that, I had plenty of ring sightings to work with.  From Friday evening, through to Saturday evening, a total of 13 ringed gulls were reported to me, these being a mix of new birds and some re-sightings of interest.  This led to several emails having to be replied to, as well as downloading and editing photos, as well as adding the sightings onto my spreadsheet and Black-headed Gull Database.  I was unable to submit sightings onto the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database, as it was down, and the problem was not rectified until Tuesday.

My weekly visit to Antrim Marina, was carried out on Monday morning as usual, but once again I had many absentees.  On my arrival, no gulls were present at all, but eventually their numbers did increase.  Of note, were several birds carrying leg injuries.  A number of gulls were limping, possibly caused by the storms.  The strong winds may have caused the gulls to hit obstacles such as wires. 

____________________________________________________________________

Antrim Marina - Monday 21st February 2022

When I arrived at Antrim Marina this morning, the tail end of Storm Franklin was passing by.  Strong overnight winds and I presume much rain, were now easing off, and by the time of my departure at a slightly later than planned time of 12:30, the wind had died down significantly.  Franklin was the third of three storms having arrived from just before the weekend, though where I live in Ballymena, Storms Dudley and Eunice did not effect the town.  I arrived at 09:15, with a 50/50 blue sky and cloud and no rain fell was I was at the Marina.

Once more, on the lookout for 55 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, 40 of which, have been ringed in previous winters, a further 15 were caught and ringed this winter to further my study.  I'm working with a wintering population, with the hope of birds being re-sighted during the breeding season in foreign countries, though I do have a number of year round individuals.  With each bird, I try to build up a profile of their comings and goings, their site fidelity and longevities if possible.

Not a single gull was present on my arrival, but I knew the gulls would eventually arrive.  Although a few small flocks of Black-headed Gulls wheeled around in the sky above the Marina, the first birds which landed came in at 10:05.  Landing on the low wooden jetty as I've always called it (heightened a number of months ago), the first colour-ring to be read, was that of -  2FFX , at 10:08.  Further birds arrived in 'dribs and drabs', with a total of 35 at 10:35, and my 8th ring, that of -  2ABN , was read at 10:42.

My 2nd colour-ring sighting, was of the juvenile -  2FIC , which I caught here on the 22nd November 2021.  It clearly had a badly injured right leg, and limped around very heavily.  Later in the morning, a second juvenile that I had caught and ringed here on the 18th October 2021,  2FHL , was also limping slightly.  Throughout the morning, a few other un-ringed gulls were also noted with leg injuries.  It would appear that strong winds have seen a few gulls having mishaps.

By 11:15 this morning, a second head count, gave me a total of 51 gulls, with most on the low wooden jetty, or on the car park beside it.  Having read my 9th ring,  2FIA  at 11:24, larger numbers of gulls began arriving, many having mud coated rings, which made for difficult reading.  Codes were often unrecognisable with the use of my binoculars and telescope, so I had to use my camera to really zoom in to read the characters.  By midday, just over a hundred gulls were now present, and by 12:30, I estimated 130 birds altogether.  I decided to stay for a further 15 minutes, and -  2AAN , was the 25th and last ring to be read at 12:39.

With just 25 rings read, this meant I had 30 absentees.  I reckoned that had I stayed for an hour longer, I would probably have added at least another 10 to my overall total.  One again, not the best of visits, but at least the gulls came.  Among today's re-sighting, a few stood out.  Firstly, was the continued presence of -  2FDJ , whose ring was read at 11:46.  In mid February last year, it had been recorded in Motherwell and the Kilmarnock in Scotland.  In Kilmarnock, the ring had easily been read, as -  2FDJ  was spotted standing on a frozen lake at Kay's Park.  Perhaps -  2FDJ  is holding back this year, so as not to see the same conditions.  By the 4th April 2021, it was then reported in eastern Estonia, before arriving back to Antrim Marina in mid October 2021.  

My 21st ring sighting, was that of -  2CTA  at 12:09.  Having returned to the Marina on the 25th October 2021, today's sighting was only the fourth for the gull this autumn/winter, having recorded it on the 1st and 15th November 2021.  I had a chat today with a local Antrim man, who I have spoken to on many occasions.  I asked if he knew any other sites in Antrim where gulls could be found in good numbers.  He named all my usual spots, but came up with nothing new.  Surely the gulls which visit the Marina on an infrequent basis, can be found somewhere else in the town, but where?

One of those infrequent birds to the Marina, is the Latvian -  2AFD .  Although -   2AFD  had been caught and ringed at the Marina, in recent years, he does not visit so often.  Just by chance in March 2019, I discovered that -  2AFD  can now be found at the Castle Way car park in the centre of Antrim Town.  Just last Monday, I spotted -  2AFD  at a new site, the car park at the Junction One Shopping Centre on the northern edge of Antrim Town.  This winter, having tried to record the return of -  2AFD  at Castle Way, he announced his arrival by appearing at Antrim Marina on the 22nd November 2021, a year to the day when I had last seen him.  Today at 12:11,  2AFD  became my 22nd sighting of the day, and this is now his third appearance at the Marina this winter, and the 6th sighting overall for the winter.

My penultimate sighting at 12:27, was that of -  2ABA  for a third week running.  I recorded this gulls return on the 27th September 2021, with my 5th re-sighting having been made on the 1st November 2021.  A long period of absence lasted until the 7th February 2022, and today's sighting was my 8th record for this winter.

Strange how three rarer visitors were all recorded one after another towards the end of my weekly visit.  One thing that struck me today, was the feeling that totally new birds were on the scene.  One very large Black-headed Gull, looked long and slim, which was very eye catching - a really nice looking gull.  A couple of others had very deep scarlet coloured legs, bordering on looking towards being dark brown.  These looked as if they could be quite old gulls, which made me wonder if these were perhaps birds on the move towards their breeding sites.  I'm not overly sure about the answer to that question.  I am not particularly bothered about catching and ringing any new birds, but if I catch some in late March, I could well be ringing summer visitors - perhaps worth a try!!

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 21st February 2022

2FFX	2FIC	2CJT	2ABK	2AAA	2FFF	2AAK	2ABN	2FIA
2BRA	2CTC	2AAB	2FHA	2FHP	2FHL	2FDK	2FDJ	2CSB
2CSK	2FDT	2CTA	2AFD	2CSR	2ABA	2AAN

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

2AAR	2ABL	2ABS	2ACV	2BRD	2CSA	2CSJ	2CSL	2CSX	2FDL
2FDV	2FFA	2FFC	2FFJ	2FFL	2FFN	2FFP	2FFT	2FHC	2FHF
2FHH	2FHJ	2FHK	2FHN	2FHT	2FHV	2FHX	2FIF	2FIH	2FIJ

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As mentioned above, I had to wait quite a while before the first of the Black-headed Gulls began to arrive, but not a single Common Gull or the resident Herring Gull appeared today.  As stated previously, this winter has been the worst for Common Gull numbers overall.  Although numbers are never great, less than half of the expected total have appeared this winter.  If I'm right in thinking, seven was the best so far.

On arrival, with no gulls about, I had plenty of time to work with the Mute Swans.  A total of 16 birds and 6 cygnets were already on site, with no further arrivals.  All legs were checked for rings, with the usual -  Z78574  &  Z78580  being recorded.  In the coming weeks, I will be keeping an eye out for another bird which would normally arrive back here in March, but has on occasions returned during February.  This bird is  W34156 , which was caught and ringed here as an adult male, on the 17th March 2014.  My last sighting of this swan was made on the 23rd March 2020, and last spring, I was unable to visit the Marina due to the second 'Covid Lockdown'.  Would be really fantastic to record that one again.

Around 30 Mallards were also counted on my arrival, with numbers slowly building up to around 55 birds, an overall total still well down from expected.  Again no rings, but Suzanne Belshaw has re-sighted one of those Monaghan Gun Clubs birds at Lurgan Park Lake.  The Gun Club, normally rings farm reared ducklings into the wild, which replaces birds that would be shot.  They use a special metal-ring, which has a telephone number, as well as a alpha/numeric code.  It has been a long time now since I last recorded one of those Mallards here at Antrim Marina.  At present, Suzanne has been unable to nail down the number of her duck at Lurgan Park.  You never know, it could be a bird which was once recorded here at the Marina.

A male Chaffinch was spotted for a second week in a row, which is in itself a rarity these days.  A male Pied Wagtail and just 6 Jackdaws were noted.  A Kingfisher whizzed by the Marina on several occasions.  The trees of the woodland opposite the Marina acted as a windbreak, which left the river flowing past looking like a sheet of glass, when compared to the big waves out on Lough Neagh.  A couple of Cormorants took full advantage of the calmer conditions in which to do a bit of fishing.

*******************************************************

From George Gordon

On the 17th February I received an email from George Gordon with re-sightings of two Black-headed Gulls which he has recorded previously.  The first of these, was now the 7th sighting of -  2CLV .   2CLV , was ringed as a chick, on the 16th June 2017, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve, on Larne Lough in County Antrim.

The then juvenile (Photo), was first spotted by Cameron Moore, at the coastal town of Whitehead in County Antrim, on the 28th August 2017.  Whitehead, is just 10 kms / 6 miles (SE) from Larne Lough.  The second sighting was made by Suzanne Belshaw, when she recorded the gull at Ballyholme Yacht Club, situated at Luke's Point in Ballyholme, Co. Down.  Since then, Luke's Point appears to be the preferred wintering site for -  2CLV .

George reported the next two sightings at Luke's Point, on the 4th & 7th January 2021.  This was followed by a breeding season sighting made by Jim Wells on the 16th June 2021, when he spotted -  2CLV  at Bangor Harbour, just around the coast westwards from Ballyholme.  The nearest known breeding colony for Black-headed Gulls is at Groomsport, to the east of Ballyholme, though the gull may have bred elsewhere, failed, and was returning to Luke's Point when spotted by Jim.

On the 3rd October 2021, George made his third sighting of -  2CLV  at Luke's Point, and this sighting on the 17th February 2022, is the latest record.  The duration since being ringed, is now 4 years, 8 months and 1 day, and the distance from Blue Circle Island, is 19 kms / 11 miles (SE).  

Gulls often return to their natal sites to breed, but in the case of Blue Circle Island, the closest viewing points are too far away from the shore of Larne Lough.  The only possible chance of recording colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls nesting on Blue Circle Island, would be at low tide, when gulls come to the railway station at Glynn, where they can drink and bathe in the Glynn River which flows past the station and into Larne Lough.  A grand total of 242 Black-headed Gull chicks were colour-ringed on Blue Circle Island, but very few have ever been recorded at Glynn during the breeding season.

Black-headed Gull  -    2CLV   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down

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

(Photo Courtesy of George Gordon taken on the 4th January 2021)

George's latest sighting of the Polish Black-headed Gull -  TRX9 , is a welcomed report, and was also recorded at Luke's Point on the 17th February 2022.   TRX9  was ringed as a chick, on the 5th June 2019, at Lake Rynskie in north-east Poland.  It's first re-sighting was made in the autumn of 2019, when spotted at Ringstone Edge Reservoir in West Yorkshire, England.  No further sightings were made until the 12th September 2021, with the gull having been spotted in Northern Ireland for the first time.

John O'Boyle spotted the bird at Luke's Point, at Ballyholme, Co. Down, and I wondered if it would remain there throughout the winter.  George, also fell in with the gull, on the 3rd October 2021 at Luke's Point, and a third sighting there was made by Anthony McGeehan on Christmas Day.  This latest sighting by George, proves that -  TRX9 , has remained in the Ballyholme area.  Would be good to obtain one further record before the gull departs for Poland, and hopefully it will return again next winter.

The duration since being ringed, is 2 years, 8 months and 12 days, and the distance from Lake Rynskie, is 1,760 kms / 1,093 miles (W).  My thanks goes to George for both sightings reports, and I've used the photo taken by Anthony McGeehan, which was taken on Christmas Day 2021. 

Black-headed Gull  -    TRX9   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 5th June 2019, on Ptasia Wyspa Island, Lake Rynskie, Northern Poland)

(Photo Courtesy of Anthony McGeehan taken on the 25th December 2021)

*******************************************************

From Suzanne Belshaw

Another couple of ring sightings have been reported to me by Suzanne Belshaw.  The first of these was a Black-headed Gull, colour-ringed (White) 2BDN.  Suzanne spotted the gull on the 12th February 2022, at Groomsport Harbour in County Down, but this bird is no stranger to Northern Ireland.

(White) 2BDN, was ringed as a chick, on the 3rd June 2018, at a colony on Broad Law, in the Borders Region of Scotland.  The first ever re-sighting, was also made by Suzanne, when she spotted the gull at the Sprucefield Shopping Centre car park in County Antrim, on the 23rd July 2019.  I then recorded - (White) 2BDN, on the 2nd February 2020, at Whitehouse Lagoon, on the outskirts of Belfast.  In 2021, Tom Dougall (ringing coordinator) emailed me, to say that - (White) 2BDN had been spotted on the 16th July 2021, at Seton Burn, in the East Lothian area in Scotland.

On the 11th September 2021, (White) 2BDN, had returned to Northern Ireland. I spotted the gull on the mudflats beside Belfast's Dargan Industrial Estate, which is situated very close to Whitehouse Lagoon where I had seen the bird previously.  

This latest sighting made by Suzanne, is fairly interesting, as unlike most gulls, (White) 2BDN, does not seem to have a preferred wintering site, but appears to roam quite wildly.  The duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 8 months and 9 days.  The distance from Broad Law to Groomsport, is roughly 203 kms / 126 miles (SW).

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  2BDN  -  Groomsport Harbour, Groomsport, Co. Down  (12 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 3rd June 2018, at Broad Law, Moorfoot Hills, Borders Region, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

On the 17th February 2022, Suzanne paid another visit to Lurgan Park Lake in County Armagh, and whilst there she spotted Black-headed Gull -   2BRD .  This sighting came three days after I had recorded the gull at my study site at Antrim Marina, which I visit every Monday throughout the winter.  That sighting of -   2BRD , was actually the second sighting of the gull at the Marina all winter, having first recorded the bird there on the 23rd October 2021.  As stated in my previous blog post,   2BRD  usually visits Lurgan Park Lake shortly before the commencement of the breeding season.

Previously, the earliest date that -   2BRD  had been spotted at Lurgan Park, occurred on the 23rd February 2018, but most returns are usually recorded in early to mid March.    2BRD , was ringed as an adult male, on the 1st February 2015, at Antrim Marina in County Antrim.  This latest sighting made by Suzanne is now the 38th record since the bird was ringed, with all sightings having been made either at Antrim Marina or Lurgan Park.  The duration since ringing, is now 7 years and 16 days, and the distance from the Marina to Lurgan Park, is 28 kms / 17 miles (SSW).

Again, my thanks goes to Suzanne for her latest sightings along with the photos.

Black-headed Gull  -    2BRD   -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (17 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 1st February 2015, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

*******************************************************

From David Nixon

On Thursday 17th February 2022, David Nixon and Graham McElwaine, both visited the high tide roost at the South Inner Bay at Dundrum.  Both spotted colour-ringed gulls, though they only met up after having recorded their sightings.  David had a Herring Gull, whilst Graham scoped two Black-headed Gulls (Report Below).

David's Herring Gull -   U59:M , turned out to be a first sighting of the gull since being ringed.  Having emailed Mark Fitzpatrick (ringing coordinator for the Isle of Man), a reply was very quickly returned.  The gull was ringed as an un-sexed 3rd Calendar Year bird, on the 1st November 2021, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man.  As gulls often re-visit favoured sites, it could have been possible, that this bird had visited the South Inner Bay at Dundrum in the earlier years of it's life, before being caught and ringed.  Any future re-sightings would add strength to this idea.

The duration since being ringed, is a mere 3 months and 16 days, and the distance from the Calf of Man, is 71 kms / 44 miles (WNW).  My thanks goes again to David for sharing his sighting, along with the photograph.

Herring Gull  -    U59:M   -  Dundrum South Inner Bay, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (17 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 3rd Calendar Year Bird, on the 1st November 2021, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

On Saturday evening of the 19th February 2022, another email arrived with me from David Nixon.  Earlier that day, David led a RSPB Members Group outing to East Antrim, and afterwards, on his way back home, stopped by Whiteabbey situated on Belfast Lough.  Although it was late in the afternoon, hundreds of gulls were present on the river outlet which flows over Whiteabbey Beach.  Scoping through the birds, David had 5 colour-ringed gulls, one a first sighting, four re-sightings, and missed out on a possible second new sighting.  The four re-sightings, were especially good to receive, as they all added more time to the longevities of those gulls.  As by the time of David's visit, the light was beginning to go, so all credit to him for capturing the codes on these rings.

The sighting of a juvenile Mediterranean Gull, was by far the best of the bunch, as looking at it's colour-ring, I immediately knew the bird was from Germany.  I copied in Andreas Zours into my reply to David, and I said to David, if Andreas does not reply on Sunday morning, he would definitely receive a reply early on Monday morning.  Early on Monday morning, the reply from Andreas arrived.

 AS.JL , was ringed as a chick, on the 15th June 2021, at the Rehback Gravel Pits, just outside of Leipzig in eastern Germany.  David's sighting was the first since the youngster was ringed, having travelled 1,270 kms / 789 miles (WNW) to get to Whiteabbey.  The duration since ringing, is 8 months and 4 days.

This is not the first Med Gull from the Rehback Gravel Pits to be recorded in Northern Ireland.  Back in the autumn of 2018, three colour-ringed juveniles were recorded here.  Knowing Andreas, if there are any further sighting of   AS.JL , he will keep me informed to where the gull turns up next.

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull  -    AS.JL   -  Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (19 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 15th June 2021, at Rehback Gravel Pits, Leipzig, Germany)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

As well as the juvenile -   AS.JL , there were also four adult Mediterranean Gulls on Whiteabbey Beach, and one of them was also colour-ringed.  David was unsure of the full code, having noted -  PPN* , he reckoned the final character was a ' 5 '.  The code -  PPN5 , was easily recognisable, as this gull is now a regular on the east County Antrim coast.

 PPN5 , was ringed as a chick, on the 20th May 2014, on Lake Rynskie in northern Poland.  Since 2018, all recent sightings of this bird has been recorded here in Northern Ireland :-

18th July 2018 - Millquarter Bay, Strangford Lough, Co. Down by Graham McElwaine

11th August 2019 - Kilclief Bay, Strangford Lough, Co. Down by Graham McElwaine

14th December 2019 - Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough by Suzanne Belshaw

3rd August 2021 - Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim by Cameron Moore

19th September 2021 - Whitehead by Cameron Moore

13th October 2021 - Loughshore Park, Belfast Lough by Suzanne Belshaw

19th February 2022 - Whiteabbey Beach by David Nixon

Before 2018,  PPN5  was spotted in the following locations :-

July 2014 - Suffolk, England

September and October 2015 - Argyll & Bute, Scotland

March 2016 - Beauport, France

May 2016 - Polder Sątopy-Samulewo, Poland

Overall,  PPN5  has gathered a nice list of re-sightings and has travelled quite extensively.  The duration since being ringed, is now 7 years, 8 months and 30 days, and the distance to Whiteabbey Beach, is 1,767 kms / 1,097 miles (W).  I have no doubts, PPN5 will be recorded again in the future.  As David was not able to photograph this one, I've added a photo taken by Suzanne Belshaw (Dec 2019).

Mediterranean Gull  -    PPN5   -  Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw taken on the 14th December 2019)

A colour-ringed Herring Gull -  298:D , is also no stranger to Northern Ireland, and is another bird gathering a good list of re-sightings.

 298:D , was ringed as a chick, on the 22nd June 2018, on the roof of the Mater Hospital in the City of Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland.  So far as I know, all sightings of the gull have been recorded here in Northern Ireland, though I'm waiting on an updated PDF File from Graham Prole who is the ringing coordinator for the Irish Midlands Ringing Group.

Northern Ireland sightings are as follows :-

4th April 2019 - Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim by Suzanne Belshaw

23rd November 2019 - Whitehouse Lagoon, Belfast Lough by myself

13th July 2020 - Cloughey Bay, Co. Down by Nigel Ireland

13th July 2020 - Millquarter Bay, Strangford Lough, Co. Down by Graham McElwaine

(Both these sites are fairly near to each other)

9th September 2020 - Tyrella Beach, Co. Down by Suzanne Belshaw

3rd October 2021 - Whitehouse Lagoon by myself

19th February 2022 - Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim by David Nixon

Whiteabbey Beach just pips Whitehouse Lagoon, as the most northerly site that -  298:D  has been recorded at, and again, I do not think we've seen the last of this gull yet.  Whiteabbey Beach, is 147 kms / 91 miles (N), from the City of Dublin, and the duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 7 months and 28 days.

Herring Gull  -    298:D   -  Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (19 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 22nd June 2018, at the City of Dublin's Mater Hospital, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo taken by David Nixon, and he assures me that the gull does have a head)

Two colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls from Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Study, were also recorded by David on Whiteabbey Beach.  Now that I respond to sightings from Adam's former study, I was really pleased about the sighting of -  2BHB .

 2BHB , was ringed as a chick, on the 2nd June 2014, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Nature Reserve, on Larne Lough in County Antrim.  David's sighting is now the 13th record for this gull, with all sightings having been made on or close to Belfast Lough.  Six of the sightings, have been made at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve, on the Belfast Harbour Industrial Estate, where -  2BHB  has nested on one of the breeding platforms (2017, 2018 & 2020).  

The other sightings have been made at sites along the shore of Belfast Lough (Kinnegar Beach, Whitehouse Lagoon and Whiteabbey Beach).  The last sighting of -  2BHB , was made by myself on the 20th November 2020, at Whitehouse Lagoon, so David's sighting was welcomed news.  Although 'Covid Restrictions' were lifted in April 2021, the RSPB kept their viewing hides on their Window on Wildlife Reserve locked during the breeding season, therefore, whether -  2BHB  bred there or not is unknown.

It is now 7 years, 8 months and 17 days since the gull was ringed as a chick, and the distance to Whiteabbey Beach from Larne Lough, is 19 kms / 11 miles (SSW).  I've added my photo of -  2BHB , which I took in November 2016, at Whitehouse Lagoon.

Black-headed Gull  -    2BHB   -  Whitehouse Lagoon, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim)

(Photo I took on the 27th November 2016)

The second Black-headed Gull with an Orange Darvic, was a bird that David was unable to capture the full code, though he did read -  2C** .  For me, this was a 'nailed on' sighting of -  2CPN .  All sixteen previous sightings of -  2CPN , have all been made at Whiteabbey Beach.  The gull was ringed as a chick, on the 16th June 2017, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Nature Reserve on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  Whiteabbey Beach lies 19 kms / 11 miles (SSW), from Larne Lough, and the duration since being ringed, is now 4 years, 8 months and 3 days.  I'm hoping that a breeding season sighting will be made at some point in the future.  

Black-headed Gull  -    2CPN   -  Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim

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

(Photo I took on the 16th August 2020)

A Black-headed Gull with a Blue Darvic was also spotted by David.  Standing in water, David could only see the top two letters, which he thinks read ' EN '.  The light was very poor, as it was very late into the afternoon, which did not aid good observation.  While David checked for other ringed gulls, this bird slipped away and could not be found again.  I use Blue Darvics on my Black-headed Gulls, but the letter ' E ', is not among the character set for my rings.  I checked the cr-birding site for British rung Black-headed Gulls using Blue Darvics, and the only match that I could find, would belong to Lloyd Park, who uses Blue 2 followed by three letters.  

Since communicating with David, I had a look at my own Blue Darvics.  Should David had been mistaken, with the ring actually reading ' FN ', then this could have been one of my gulls -  2FFN .  I caught and ringed -  2FFN , as an adult bird at Antrim Marina, on the 14th December 2020.  Since being ringed, -  2FFN  has only been re-sighted on one occasion, and that was at Antrim Marina on the 11th October 2021.  Pity that this gull got away, whether the bird belonged to Lloyd or myself, this would have been a good sighting record.

My thanks goes to David for these sightings - an impressive and very useful haul.

*******************************************************

From Graham McElwaine

The first of two Black-headed Gull sighting made by Graham McElwaine at the South Inner Bay at Dundrum, was for me, of great interest.    2CAV , had been ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2016, at the WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre in County Down.  The first re-sighting of the bird was made by me on the 10th March 2019, when I spotted the gull on the pier at Strangford village, also in County Down.  A small car ferry operates from the pier, making the short crossing over to the village of Portaferry.  A small island, known as Swan Island is situated very close to the pier, and has a large colony of nesting Black-headed Gulls, plus smaller numbers of nesting Sandwich Terns, Common Terns, and a few pairs of Common Gulls.

In the years since I first spotted -   2CAV , I have tried on a couple of occasions, to try and obtain further re-sightings in both the summer and winter without any luck.  Therefore, I was really delighted by this sighting report from Graham, as I now know the gull is still with us.  The duration since being ringed, is now 5 years, 7 months and 24 days, and the distance from the Castle Espie Wetland Centre, is 33 kms / 20 miles (SSW).

Graham rarely takes photographs, but uses a Questar Astronomical Telescope when searching for ringed birds.  Below is my photo of -   2CAV , taken at Strangford Pier in 2019.

Black-headed Gull  -    2CAV   -  Strangford Pier, Strangford Village, Co. Down  (10 Mar 2019)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2016, at WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Co. Down)

Graham's sighting of Black-headed Gull -   2P91 , is now the third record of the bird, having been spotted at the South Inner Bay at Dundrum.  The previous two sightings were made by David Nixon, on the 5th March 2021, and on the 25th November 2021.  The gull was ringed as a chick, on the 18th June 2019, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire in Scotland.  In my reply to Graham, I also copied in Iain Livingstone who has yet to reply.  It's more than likely, that these three sightings here, are still the only records since the bird was ringed.  The distance from Elvanfoot, is 192 kms / 119 miles (SW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 7 months and 30 days.

My thanks to Graham for both of his sightings, and I have added David Nixon's photo which was taken here on the 5th March 2021.  It now looks likely that -   2P91  will become a regular visitor to the area every winter.

Black-headed Gull  -    2P91   -  Dundrum South Inner Bay, Strangford Lough, Co. Down

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2019, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon taken on the 5th March 2021)

*******************************************************

From Anthony McGeehan

Back in December 2021, I received an email from a relatively new contact - Anthony McGeehan.  During the winter months, Anthony regularly leaves out food in his garden, which attracts large numbers of Blackbirds.  Some of these birds can be looked at as individuals, as some have white in their plumage.  This winter, one bird appeared with a metal ring.  Having painstakingly tried to read the number, Anthony finally read the seven numbers, but the address on the ring could not be identified.  Anthony's Blackbird was a juvenile female.

Anthony sent me the number, hoping I could find from where the bird had come from.  The number read -  7393163 , so I knew this was not a British ring, as our rings start with two letters followed by five numbers.  I immediately suggested that the bird may have come from Norway, but on doing some research, I found that German and Danish Blackbirds, also had rings with seven numbers.  I stuck to my guns and reported Anthony's Blackbird to Norway, while Anthony himself contacted a know birdwatcher in Germany.

We received a reply from Stavanger, to say the number would belong to an old series, and they would have to contact the ringer who was holding the rings.  Recently, the Norwegians got back to Anthony, and his sighting was accepted, as the ringer concerned, had ringed a juvenile female Blackbird on the 22nd October 2021, using number -  7393163  (PDF).

I was really pleased for Anthony, as metals at the best of times can be difficult to read, never mind the size of rings on Blackbirds and the like.  The bird had travelled 1,054 kms / 654 miles (SW), to reach Anthony's home in Bangor, Co. Down, and the duration since being ringed was 1 month and 20 days.  I'm fairly sure that Anthony sent me an email with photos of the ring, and if he did, I have seemingly deleted these by mistake.

In February 2020, Suzanne Belshaw, also read the metal of a Norwegian Blackbird at Dundrod in Co. Antrim.  That bird had been ringed as a juvenile male in October 2018.

Anthony has produced this nice graphic outlining the sighting - a great result.

*******************************************************

Scottish Oystercatcher...

It is now Friday evening (18th February), and I'm now publishing this weeks post.  A slight accident at work last night sees me taking tonight off as a holiday.  Nothing serious I'm happy to report, just a slight strain after slipping last night.  Between yesterday evening and this morning, seven ring sightings have been reported to me.  Therefore, I spent today replying to emails and processing the sightings and photos.  I tried to submit all the sightings to the BTO, but they are experiencing difficulties due to a technical issue which cannot be resolved until Monday at the earliest.  I will report on these sighting on my next post, and hopefully I will have recovery data by the time I publish my next post.

The sighting of a metal-rung Blackbird back in December has been accepted by the Norwegians, and to the delight of Anthony McGeehan, he now has the recovery details.  A bit of a story behind this one, so I'm delighted that Anthony's efforts have been rewarded.  Metal rings can be hard to read at the best of times, but to get a result from such a small ring is really superb.  More on this one in my next post as well.

____________________________________________________________________________

Antrim Marina - Monday 14th February 2022

As my wife was off work today, I decided to have a lie in, and aimed for my weekly visit to Antrim Marina to begin at 11am.  Having the lie-in is useful, as I do not have to grab a couple of hours sleep before I start my work on the evening shift beginning at 7pm.  Having reached Antrim at 10:45, I decided to make a quick visit to the car park at the Junction One Shopping Centre.  I have previously visited the car park on numerous occasions, which can have varying numbers of Black-headed Gulls, I had yet to record a ring at the site.

My main reason for these particular visits, is to try and re-sight one of my Antrim Marina BHGs - which was ringed as a 1st winter bird in January 2018 -   2CSS .    2CSS , had been recorded at the Marina until the 23rd March 2020, and then went off the 'radar' for a while.  On the 13th November 2020, I was informed by Debbie Nelson, that -   2CSS , had been recovered ill and was taken into her care.  Debbie, known as Debbie 'Doolittle' Nelson, runs a sanctuary in Northern Ireland, looking after sick and injured wildlife (Facebook).    2CSS , was picked up in the Massereene area of Antrim Town, and was diagnosed as having a bad case of 'Botulism'.  Following a period of medication and rest,   2CSS  was released by Debbie at Antrim Marina, on the 3rd December 2020.  As Massereene is very close to the car park at Junction One, I have always hoped to record the gull there.

On swinging into the car park today, just a handful, probably around two dozen Black-headed Gulls were standing about.  Parking well away from them, I used my binoculars to scan through them and then spotted an Orange Darvic.  My heart jumped, was this -   2CSS ?  Grabbing my camera, the bird was actually one of my regulars at Antrim Marina -   2CTC .  Again, looking through the rest of the gulls, which were widely dotted about, I then spotted a second Orange Darvic, but this one turned out to be -   2AFD , which we presume breeds in Latvia.  These day's,   2AFD  rarely visits the Marina, and is now normally found at the Castle Way car park in the centre of Antrim Town.  'Sugar', my first ever ringed birds at Junction One, but not the bird that I was after.

Black-headed Gull  -    2CTC   -  Junction One Shopping Centre, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 1st Winter Bird, on the 24th December 2018, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

Black-headed Gull  -    2AFD   -  Junction One Shopping Centre, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 12th February 2014, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

I then carried on to Antrim Marina, arriving at 11am, on the dot.  On arrival, I was surprised to find no gulls at all.  Weather-wise, there was a mixture of drizzle, sun, heavier showers, and quite a strong wind.  The conditions were ideal to find hungry gulls, but where were they.  A total of 15 Mute Swans and 7 cygnets, were either on the slipway or on the small sandy beach.  Around 30 Mallard, were also out of the water on the slipway.  Several of the ducks were calling in a low 'quack quack' call, which resembled an alarm call.  Not a single bird was on the river, which was running by at quite a speed, due to the heavy overnight rain.

Standing about waiting, some small flocks of Black-headed Gulls came in and flew overhead, but seemingly had no intention of landing.  This continued on several occasions, and I could not understand or figure out any reason for them not to come down.  Further Mallards arrived, with most landing directly onto the slipway.  A few others swam in, and at one point, I heard a commotion in front of where I had parked my car.  The ducks took off, but in the middle of the river, a load of bubbles surfaced - had a duck been taken from below?

Nothing looked or seemed right, and then the problem was spotted.  At the end of the low wooden jetty, right beside the slipway, I spotted the head of an Otter.  As I went to get my camera, the Otter disappeared underneath the jetty.  I walked out onto the short concrete jetty and waited.  Every now and again, I could see ripples of water coming out from underneath the jetty, and could tell the animal was moving further away.  I then saw the Otter amongst the vegetation by the Crack Willow tree, which marks the furthest end of the jetty.  I walked around to the jetty, and the spotted the Otter making it's way back up the river.  Ever since I began coming to Antrim Marina, people have always informed me of Otters upriver, but this was only the second time that I've seen one here.  

An Otter at Antrim Marina  (14 Feb 2022)

As all this was happening, one small group of Black-headed Gulls landed briefly onto the small sandy beach at 11:25.  They had been drawn down by people feeding the swans with bread, so tried to get their share.  Four colour-rings were read at 11:28/11:29, being -   2CJT ,   2FFL ,   2ABA  and   2FFF , and soon afterwards they were gone.    2ABA , was the most interesting of the four gulls, in that sightings these days can be few and far between.  Today's sighting, is the 8th record of the gull here this winter.  I recorded it last Monday, having not been seen the 6th November 2021, when recorded by Kate McAllister at the Marina.

With the Otter having moved up-river, life began to return to normal again at the Marina.  Both the swans and the ducks began to swim out onto the river, and then at 12:30, the Black-headed Gulls finally touched down.  The first ring to be read, was that of -   2CTC , which I had read earlier at Junction One.

I was on the lookout for 55 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, which have either been recorded or ringed this autumn/winter.  My 23rd ring sighting at 1:42, was only the second sighting this winter of -   2BRD , with the previous sighting having been made on the 23rd October 2021.

  2BRD , was caught and ringed at Antrim Marina, when I first met Adam McClure, on the 1st February 2015.  It was Adam, who started the Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study in 2012, but had to give up on the project in the summer of 2018.  Not only did I decide to carry on with my project at Antrim Marina, but I now respond to sightings of Adam's study birds.

Initially after being ringed,   2BRD , was fairly regularly recorded at Antrim Marina until after the winter of 2016, when visits became more infrequent.  We learnt very quickly, that -   2BRD , would visit the lake at Lurgan Park in County Armagh, prior to the onset of the breeding season, though we still do not know where exactly it nests..

Anyway, it was great to get another sighting, and the duration since the gull was ringed, is now 6 years, 8 months and 22 days. 

Black-headed Gull  -    2BRD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 1st February 2015, at Antrim Marina)

One gull which I've been keeping my eye's on over the last couple of weeks is -   2FDJ .  I had planned to depart at 2:30pm, but time was running out, and at 2:23 I spotted -   2FDJ  on the long wooden jetty.  By this time last year, it had been spotted in Motherwell in Scotland (5th February), before three sightings in Kilmarnock, Scotland (11th, 13th and 14th February).  The next sighting came in April 2021, when -   2FDJ  was spotted in eastern Estonia, and returned to Antrim Marina, on the 16th October 2021, when spotted by Suzanne Belshaw.  Just to think, it is exactly one year to the day, since the final Scottish sighting.  Surely,   2FDJ  is about to go, though perhaps our weather conditions maybe holding it back.

I was about to pack up, when I spotted a metal-rung BHG.  I thought it would be -   2ABL , who lost it's colour-ring some time back, but I had to make sure in case it was another gull.  I had to chase after the gull, as there were so many people about, but it turned out to be -   2ABL , which became my 27th and final ring sighting at 2:29.  Today, I had 28 absentees, 13 of which were among the 15 that I caught and ringed this winter.  Overall numbers managed to hit the one hundred mark, but still well down on numbers recorded over previous winters.

On leaving the Marina, I drove into Antrim Town to check out three sites.  At the Elim Church on the Parkhall housing estate, no rings were seen on any of the Black-headed Gulls there, which further answers my belief that we have now lost -   2AAV .  This gull had been ringed at Antrim Marina, and if not recorded there, would often been seen at this Church.

Not a single gull was present at the car park of the nearby KFC outlet, and this was also the case at Antrim's Baptist Church, where I have failed to record the Polish Black-headed Gull - (White) TY43, since it's return to Antrim, on the 30th October 2021.  It was now time to head home, write up a few notes, get my dinner and head to work.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 14th February 2022

2CJT	2FFL	2ABA	2FFF	2CTC	2FHA	2ABK	2ABN	2AAK
2BRA	2CSJ	2AAA	2ABS	2CSK	2FHP	2FDT	2FFA	2AAN
2FFP	2FDK	2FIF	2FFX	2BRD	2FHC	2CSR	2FDJ	2ABL

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

2AAB	2AAR	2ACV	2AFD	2CSA	2CSB	2CSL	2CSX	2CTA	2FDL
2FDV	2FFC	2FFJ	2FFN	2FFT	2FHF	2FHH	2FHJ	2FHK	2FHL
2FHN	2FHT	2FHV	2FHX	2FIA	2FIC	2FIH	2FIJ

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As mentioned above, 15 Mute Swans and 7 cygnets were already present on my arrival today.  No further swans arrived, and two metals were read on the birds that were present.  These were -   Z78574   and   Z78580 , which have now been recorded over several weeks.  The cygnets, belonged to a family group of four plus two adults, and a family group of two plus two adults.  The single cygnet was on it's own, and was not tied to another other swans.  It was a little bit vary, indicating that it was not a regular to the Marina.

Mallard numbers increased from an estimated 30 birds, to around 60 by the time of my departure.  Most legs were again checked for rings, with none being recorded.

Once the Black-headed Gulls began arriving in their numbers around 12:30, the resident adult Herring Gull appeared soon afterwards.  At 1:55pm, a second adult arrived, which was the slim headed bird that appeared here last week.  The two of them stood together just like last week, which means this second bird is a female.

Only the one adult Common Gull arrived today, shortly after 2pm.  This has easily been the worst winter yet for sightings of this species at the Marina.

Whilst the Otter was still present, a Kingfisher helped to keep me amused by buzzing backwards and forwards.  A Raven flew low over the Marina mid morning, heading towards the trees directly opposite the Marina.  This left me slightly puzzled, as last week I could hear them in the trees further up-river.  At this time of the year, their nests should be well built up, so are they nesting opposite the Marina or further on up.  Antrim Boat Club, is situated opposite the Marina, and I have never walked that area.  I'm interested in Ravens, so perhaps some time next month when they should be on eggs, I'll attempt to track down the nest.

A male Chaffinch was spotted here today, the first for a long, long, time.  In my early years coming to the Marina, Chaffinches were quite regular visitors, albeit in small numbers.  I still have not seen a Moorhen here this winter, whilst I would normally record one or two over previous winters.

Just 6 Jackdaws and a pair of Pied Wagtails, were the only other species noted today.  With the winter drawing to a close, for some reason, the overall numbers of every species of bird has been well down.  I cannot put my finger onto the reason why.  Other than the building of the new 'Gateway Centre', everything else seems to be normal.

*******************************************************

Sunday 13th February 2022

As my wife was away from home yesterday, I had to remain to babysit her two cats.  This morning when I got up, it was raining, but the forecast was for drier weather to come in around 11am.  With the tides beginning to recede around that time, I decided to make my way towards Kinnegar Beach, on the southern shore of Belfast Lough.  At least I would be afforded the shelter of my car, because I can park directly beside the beach should it still be raining. 

Driving downhill on the motorway with Belfast in sight, the sky looked much brighter, and the rain changed to a light drizzle.  By the time that I had reached Belfast's Harbour Estate, the rain had stopped and the sun poked it's face out from behind the clouds.  On reaching Kinnegar, I parked beside the pond, which lies just over the road from the beach.  There were hundreds of gulls and waders, just waiting for the tide to begin to go out.  I scoped through lots of Black-headed Gulls, Oystercatchers, Godwits and Knots, plus lesser numbers of other species.  The only rings that could be seen were on two Oystercatchers.  Their colour-rings were of no use to me, as they stood on one leg, so the colour-marks on their other leg could not be seen.

I drove into the main car park, parking sideways overlooking the beach.  The tide was clearly beginning to ebb, and now it was a waiting game.  Every so often, light showers of drizzle fell again, so my decision to come here was a good call.  I remained here for the best part of two hours, and despite scoping through hundreds and hundreds of legs, just three metal-rung birds, and three colour-ringed Oystercatchers were spotted.  The metals were on an Oystercatcher, a Black-headed Gull and a Bar-tailed Godwit.  Due to the distance involved, the metals were of no use to me, but I'd be pretty sure that the Godwit was the same bird that I spotted on the pond on my previous visit here.  I was very close to capturing details on the ring on that occasion, if only the bird had been 20 to 30 feet closer.  With so many Black-headed Gulls on the beach, I was really surprised that not one bore a colour-ring.

The first of the three colour-ringed Oystercatchers to be spotted, was standing on one leg, but showed Yellow over Green on it's left leg.  I recognised this bird from the past at Kinnegar, and if I was right, there should be a White ring on the right leg with the characters 'UA'.  It took a while, but eventually 'UA' was spotted, and as can be seen in the photo, the code is in poor condition.

Yellow/Lime - White (UA) - (YL-W(UA)), was ringed as an un-sexed breeding adult, on the 23rd May 2018, in the Stokkseyri area of SW Iceland.  The first re-sighting was made by me, when I spotted the bird here on Kinnegar Beach, on the 26th August 2018.  The bird returned to Kinnegar during the winters of 2019 and 2020, but was not recorded here in 2021.  YL-W(UA), is one of several Icelandic Oystercatchers, where I had remarked about their absence for some time.  The duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 8 months and 21 days, and the distance from Stokkseyri, is 1,335 kms / 829 miles (SE).

I emailed Boddi in Iceland, and he has since sent me updated PDF Files for all three of my Icelandic Oystercatchers.  YL-W(UA), has not been recorded anywhere, since I last recorded the bird here at Kinnegar, on the 12th September 2020.  My thanks to Boddi for supplying the updates.

Oystercatcher  -  Yellow/Lime - White UA  -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (13 Feb 2022)

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

The next two colour-ringed Oystercatchers, again from Iceland, now bear a newer type coded ring which was purchased from a company in Canada prior to last summers breeding season.  As can be seen from the photos, the characters are finer looking, and it is hoped that the black dye will not smudge on these rings.  These were both second sightings of the Oystercatchers here this winter.

The first bird, Green over Red - White (JK) - (GR-W(JK)), was ringed as an un-sexed breeding adult, on the 17th May 2021, in the Réttarholt area of SW Iceland.  My previous sighting here on Kinnegar Beach, was made on the 5th December 2021, which turned out to be a first re-sighting.  The duration since being ringed, is now 8 months and 27 days, and the distance from Réttarholt, is 1,406 kms / 874 miles (SE).

Oystercatcher  -  Green/Red - White JK  -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (13 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Breeding Adult, on the 17th May 2021, at Réttarholt, SW Iceland)

The second bird, Black over Green - White XE - (NG-W(XE), was ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 18th May 2021, in the Auðsholtshjáleiga area, in SW Iceland.  Two sightings in the latter part of May, saw the bird incubating, and then feeding one chick.  It's first re-sighting outside of Iceland, was recorded by myself on the 30th October 2021, here at Kinnegar Beach.  It was great to record a second sighting, which means the bird has remained on the site, and will potentially be recorded in future winters.  The distance from Auðsholtshjáleiga. is 1,344 kms / 835 miles (SE), and the duration since being ringed, is now 8 months and 21 days. 

Oystercatcher  -  Black/Green - White XE  -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (13 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Breeding Adult, on the 18th May 2021, at Auðsholtshjáleiga, SW. Iceland)

Barring a couple of colour-ringed Brent Geese, which I now ignore, no further sightings were made, so I made my way to the nearby Connswater Mudflats.  The first colour-ring to be spotted, was on an Oystercatcher resting on one leg.  With a plain Red ring, over the metal ring, I knew straight away, this bird was one of two Scottish-rung birds, one of which is quite special.  As the bird was resting, I had to play a waiting game, and the bird would have had a Red coded ring on the other leg, which was tucked underneath the it.

In the meantime, I scoped other gulls and waders which were coming and going.  Eventually, a Black-headed Gull with an Orange Darvic was spotted.  Zooming in with my camera, the code -   2AJV  was read - a bird which regularly winter's here, and can also be found at  the nearby Victoria Park.  This was now my 12th record for the gull, which had been ringed as a chick, on the 19th June 2014, at the WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre in County Down.  The only sighting of -   2AJV  away from it's wintering site, was made on the 25th May 2019, when spotted in a breeding colony back at Castle Espie.  Today's sighting was my second here this winter, having spotted the bird on the 3rd October 2021.  The distance from Castle Espie to these mudflats, is 16 kms / 9 miles (NW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 7 years, 7 months and 25 days.  Well pleased to see this gull is still going strong.

Black-headed Gull  -    2AJV   -  Connswater Mudflats, Belfast Harbour Estate  (13 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 13th June 2014, at WWT Castle Espie, Strangford Lough, Co. Down)

With no other rings spotted, the waiting game with my Oystercatcher continued.  After a while, I managed to loose the bird, as it had moved away whilst I was scoping through other birds.  You can imagine my relief when I found it again.  Now zooming in with my camera, I captured the coded second ring - Y1.  My problem on site, was that I did not know whether it was the bird I was hoping especially to spot again.

Back at home, I ran the code R-R(Y1), through my spreadsheet, and 'happy days', this was the bird I wanted to get.  Originally, this Oystercatcher had been ringed with a metal ring only, on the 29th March 1996, on the River Spey at Newtonmore, in the Highlands Region of Scotland.  At the time of being ringed, the bird was an adult.  In March 2018, the Oystercatcher was re-captured at the original ringing site, and was then fitted with it's colour-ring, and the worn metal ring was also replaced.

Since being recaptured, the only sightings of the bird has been made by myself.  The first sighting was made on the 11th August 2019, at the nearby Kinnegar Beach.  On that occasion, not only did I photographed the bird and it's colour-ring, but I also manged to piece together it's metal number -   FP48164  (Photo).  As at the time, I could not find a 'Project Lead', I had to submit my sighting via the birds metal number to the BTO.

My second and third sightings were made here on the Connswater Mudflats, on the 23rd February 2020, and then on the 14th November 2020.  I had tried on several occasions to re-sight this bird before Christmas, but ended up with no sightings during 2021.  The duration since this bird was ringed in 1996, is now 25 years, 10 months and 15 days.  Although impressive, it still falls a long way short for a British rung Oystercatcher, with the record being over 41 years.  The distance from Newtonmore, is 295 kms / 183 miles (SSW).

Oystercatcher  -  Red - Red Y1  -  Connswater Mudflats, Belfast Harbour Estate  (13 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 29th March 1996, at Newtonmore, Highlands Region, Scotland)

Making my way back to the car, I had to walk over the footbridge which spans the tidal river leading to the Connswater Mudflats.  A small number of Black-headed Gulls were feeding on the mud, and looking through these with my binoculars, I spotted a White Darvic.  Quickly taking a few photos, the bird was the Dutch-rung (White) EAK9.  This was my second sighting of the gull this winter.  On Christmas Day, I was on the hunt for my 'Xmas Day' gull, the Norwegian Black-headed Gull - (White) J4TJ, at the Connswater Shopping Centre car park, when (White) EAK9 also appeared. 

(White) EAK9, was ringed as a third calendar year male bird, on the 13th June 2012, at Benthuizerplas in Holland.  The bird has a long history of re-sightings over the years, and today's re-sighting is the 58th record to go onto my spreadsheet.  Here in Northern Ireland, it was first spotted by Adam McClure, at the Connswater Shopping Centre, on the 10th January 2014.  Since then, it has been re-sighted here every winter with the exception of 2017.  It has also been recorded back in Holland during the breeding season over several years, and was once spotted in northern France in January 2019.  The duration since being ringed, is now 9 years and 8 months, and the distance from Benthuizerplas, is 746 kms / 463 miles (WNW).

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  EAK9  -  Connswater Mudflats, Belfast Harbour Estate  (13 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as a 3rd Calendar Year Male, on the 13th June 2012, at Benthuizerplas, Holland) 

On leaving Connswater, I made my way over to Whitehouse Lagoon, before finishing the afternoon off at the Dargan Mudflats.  With the tide being out, not many gulls or waders remained on Whitehouse Lagoon.  I scoped the birds for about 20 minutes, with one metal-rung Black-headed Gull being spotted.

Moving on to Dargan, there were several hundred Black-headed Gulls, with smaller numbers of waders and other gull species.  One distant Black-headed Gull was spotted with an Orange Darvic, but they photos I took were of no use, as the code could not be read.  Again, there were a couple of colour-ringed Brent Geese, but as I've received nothing back about my last Goose sightings, I give these birds a 'bye ball' now.  I headed off for home, disappointed by not recording any other colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls.  I must easily have checked the legs of over 500 birds, but it was not going to be my day.  The re-sighting of the Scottish Oystercatcher was cherished though.

*******************************************************

From Cameron Moore

Whilst I was at work on Monday evening of the 14th February, an email came in from Cameron Moore.  Earlier that afternoon, he had a second sighting of a juvenile Black-headed Gull from the Republic of Ireland - (White) 2503.  He had originally spotted the youngster, on the 18th November 2021, on the shore at Rhanbouy Park in Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, and today, it was spotted again at that same site.

This is now the fourth sighting of (White) 2503, since it was ringed as a chick, on the 17th June 2021, on Lough Ree in County Longford, in the Republic Of Ireland.  The first re-sighting was made by myself, on the 28th August 2021, when I recorded the juvenile at the Mill Ponds at Carrickfergus Leisure Centre.  By the 20th October 2021, it had moved 66 kms / 41 miles (SW), when David Morrow then spotted the bird at Dungannon Park in County Tyrone, before returning to Carrickfergus in November.

Having survived the depths of winter, the future looks bright for this gull.  The distance from Lough Ree to Rhanbouy Park, is 188 kms / 116 miles (NE), and the duration since being ringed, is now 7 months and 28 days.

My thanks to Cameron once again, for the sighting report and the photos.

Juvenile Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  2503  -  Rhanbouy Park, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim  (14 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 17th June 2021, at Lough Ree, Co. Longford, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)

*******************************************************