Really Delighted...

Antrim Marina - Monday 22nd August 2022

When I arrived at the Marina this morning, it was very cloudy, cool, and just a mild breeze.  As the morning wore on, the cloud broke, offering blue sky and some sunshine.  Today's visit is my fourth weekly visit so far this autumn/winter season, and just 11 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival.  So far, I have recorded 31 of my colour-ringed birds, and during today's visit, two more gulls were added to the list, including one bird that had left me wondering, as I had not seen it for a while.

Just 15 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls were recorded today, which was really surprising as numbers had built up to around 110+ by 11:30.  The first of the two new returnees, was my third ring sighting made at 09:19.   2FHJ , was caught and ringed here on the 6th September 2021, as a juvenile/1st winter bird and was subsequently recorded through to the 14th March 2002.  During random breeding season visits to Antrim Marina,  2FHJ  was recorded on the 18th June 2022, which suggests that it had remained in the local area throughout the summer.  It is now the 8th bird from the 15 that I caught and ringed last winter, to have been recorded back this winter.  The duration since being ringed, is now 11 months and 16 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHJ   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (22 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 8th September 2021, at Antrim Marina)

The return of -  2CSX , was especially pleasing to see.  It was my 12th sighting today, having arrived at 11:44.  I last saw -  2CSX , back on the 19th September 2021, but the gull is known to head away to the former Waterworks in Belfast and would return to Antrim Marina prior to the onset of the new breeding season.  Having said that,  2CSX  failed to show up in the spring of this year, which left me wondering if it was still alive.  For a while last winter, the Waterworks in Belfast was closed to the public due to an outbreak of 'Bird Flu', so there was little chance of it being spotted.   2CSX , was ringed here as a juvenile/1st winter bird, on the 3rd December 2018, and today's sighting takes the duration since being ringed to 3 years, 8 months and 19 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2CSX   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (22 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 3rd December 2018, at Antrim Marina)

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 22nd August 2022

2FIA	2FFF	2FHJ	2FFA	2ABS	2FIH	2FHV	2FHX
2FHP	2CSB	2ABL	2CSX	2AAA	2FHA	2AAB

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

2AAK	2AAN	2ABA	2ABN	2ACV	2BRA	2CJT	2CSA	2CSK
2CSL	2CTC	2FDK	2FFC	2FFP	2FFX	2FHC	2FIF	2FIJ

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On my arrival, the Mute Swan family with their four cygnets, were swimming in from the breakwater at the entrance to Lough Neagh.  Having spent a while on the slipway, they then swam upriver for a time.  At 11:05, three adult Mute Swans swam in from the Lough and settled onto the small Sandy Beach.  Around 20 minutes later, they were chased off by the parents of the cygnets, when the arrived back at the Marina.

8 Mallards were present on my arrival, and numbers slowly built up to around 60 birds by the time of my departure.  As usual, most legs were checked.

3 adult Herring Gulls, plus one juvenile were on the long wooden jetty when I arrived, which included the bird with the injured wing.  It cannot fly, so just walks about.  Offering it some bread, it readily took it from my hand, so was obviously quite hungry.

One adult Common Gull was present throughout my visit, and at midday, a juvenile appeared on the long wooden jetty.  A second adult Common Gull arrived just before I departed.

Although Wood Pigeons are commonly seen flying in or around the Marina, today saw the first time that a bird actually landed on my side of the Marina.

5 Jackdaws, which included a juvenile, and a single Hooded Crow, were the only other species noted today.

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Friday 19th August 2022

The factory where I work at was closed for the day today.  Normally, the only day in the year that they do close is on Christmas Day, otherwise it runs 24/7 for the rest of the year.  Northern Ireland Electricity were cutting off the power due to maintenance work, hence the extra day off.  Those that wanted, could work on Sunday, take Friday as a paid holiday, or off on business reasons unpaid.  I opted for business reasons, so as to protect what holidays I have remaining.

With having this extra day, I decided to head west of Ballymena to check on sites at Toomebridge and then onto Ballyronan.  The lake at Lurgan Park and then back to Antrim Town, would see me driving around the whole of Lough Neagh - Britain's largest inland lake.

Last winter, I discovered that a fairly large number of Black-headed Gulls were to be found at the Eel Fishery at Toomebridge, so I decided that this site would be worth checking every now and again over future winter's.  Today, relatively few gulls were about, and the majority of them were actually on the water of the River Bann, which flows northwards from Lough Neagh, and eventually enters the sea at Castlerock on the north coast of Co. Londonderry.  A handful of gulls on the structure of the Eel Fishery were quickly scoped, but no rings.  A count of 18 Grey Herons were made, these all resting on the structure.

I then carried on towards the Marina at Ballyronan.  Here, I was on the lookout for one of my Black-headed Gulls, which had been ringed at my Antrim Marina Study site.  This bird -  2FFH , was ringed at Antrim Marina, as a juvenile/1st winter bird, on the 7th December 2020.  It was then recorded on the 14th & 21st December 2020, with the 'Covid Lockdown' coming into force after my visit to Antrim Marina on the 4th January 2021.  As the Marina was more than 10 miles from my home, I had to cancel all visits, which would have ended at the end of March.  With the end of the 'Lockdown', I visited the Marina, on the 19th April 2021, and -  2FFH , was still present.

This was the last I heard of the bird, until on email arrived with me, sent by David Morrow.  On the 12th October 2021, David spotted -  2FFH  at Ballyronan Marina, which lies 20 kms / 12 miles west of Antrim Marina, in the north-west corner of Lough Neagh.  I had hoped, that it would return to Antrim Marina over the course of the 2021/2022 winter, but it never did.

The number of Black-headed Gulls at Ballyronan Marina on today's visit, was the largest I have ever seen here, and was in excess of 100 birds altogether, though juveniles made up at least a third of the total.  I spent a long time here, but in the end, there was no sign of -  2FFH .  I'm now pondering on the idea, that this gull may be foreign in origin.  If this was to be true, perhaps it is still too early for it to return to either Ballyronan or Antrim.  I would really love to record this bird again at either site, so this will be my target over the coming winter months.

From Ballyronan, it is a long drive south to reach Lurgan Park, but once in the area, I went to Kinnego Marina first.  Here, there was a lot of activity, with loads of people around, so the Black-headed Gulls were keeping their distance.  There are at least three of Adam's former project birds known to be still alive, as Suzanne Belshaw has spotted them over recent weeks.  I had no chance at recording anything here today.

At Lurgan Park lake, there were well over 150 Black-headed Gulls, and having used a full loaf of bread, not a single ring was spotted.  Many gulls remained on the lake itself, therefore a couple of regularly recorded ringed birds were perhaps present but not seen.

Heading on to Antrim, I first stopped by the town's Baptist Church.  Normally a good site for reasonable numbers of Black-headed Gulls, on my previous visit, not a single bird was present.  Today, around 20 birds were standing about the Churches car park, but no rings.

Unbeknown to me, when I drove towards the town's KFC car park, I was in for a big surprise.  When I began throwing out bread from my car, a Common Gull with a Blue Darvic landed right beside me.  This had to be one of my Rathlin Island birds, or a Copeland Island bird belonging to Shane Wolsey's former project.  On taking a couple of photos, I read the code -  2AJP , and could not believe my eyes - this was a gull that was recorded during the breeding season a few years back.

On returning home, and looking at my spreadsheet, the last sighting for the gull was made at Antrim Marina on the 14th July 2018.   2AJP , had been ringed as a chick, on the 29th June 2013, on Big Copeland Island in County Down.  As a juvenile, it was spotted at Poppintree Park in the City of Dublin on three occasions in March 2014 - 149 kms / 92 miles (SSW), from Big Copeland Island.

 2AJP , then went unrecorded until the 13th June 2016, when spotted by Suzanne Belshaw at my Antrim Marina Study Site.   2AJP , was subsequently recorded at Antrim Marina during the breeding seasons of 2016 to 2018, before disappearing altogether.  The bird was obviously breeding in the area, whether on the nearby former 'Torpedo Platform' or on the roof of the Tesco Distribution Centre in the Kilbegs area of Antrim Town.  Having not seen -  2AJP  over recent years, I thought the gull may have died, so this sighting was a bit of a shock.

This is my second surprise re-sighting over the last couple of weeks.  In my previous post, I reported on the re-appearance of Black-headed Gull -  2ANS , another Antrim Marina bird that had simply disappeared for some time.

Again, I'm really delighted with this latest sighting of -  2AJP .  This distance from Big Copeland Island to the KFC car park in Antrim Town, is 43 kms / 26 miles (W), and the duration since being ringed, is now 9 years, 1 month and 21 days.

Common Gull  -   2AJP   -  Antrim KFC Car Park, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (19 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 29th June 2013, on Big Copeland Island, The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)

Having sorted my Common Gull, scanning through the rest of the birds, I spotted a second year Black-headed Gull with a metal ring.  Surely, this had to be -  EA65722 , a bird that I first spotted here on the 14th August 2022.  I took a few photos of the ring only, as this is a quite nervy bird which cannot stay still.  Having captured - ' EA ' and ' 722 ', this was the very same bird.   EA65722 , was ringed as a chick, on the 26th June 2021, at Marlingford Hall, just west of Norwich in Norfolk, England (read my previous post).

Leaving KFC, I then drove to the Castle Way car park in Antrim's town centre.  This is where I had recently came across -  2ANS , but it was not among the two dozen Black-headed Gulls here today.  No rings were recorded, though it is still a bit too early to record the return of a metal-rung Black-headed Gull from Germany, or the return of -  2AFD  from Latvia - one of my Antrim Marina Study birds.

The car park at the Junction One Shopping Centre, was my final stop before heading back home to Ballymena.  Throwing out bread from my car, attracted the most gulls that I have ever seen here - Herring, Lesser Black-backed, Common and Black-headed Gulls.  Eventually, one distant colour-ringed bird was spotted, and this turned out to be - Black-headed Gull -  2CSK  from my Antrim Marina site.   2CSK , was not recorded at Antrim Marina on the following day, during my weekly visit.

Black-headed Gull  -   2CSK   -  Junction One Car Park, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (19 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 17th December 2017, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

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Saturday 20th August 2022

On completion of a few Saturday chores, I departed from Ballymena in the early afternoon to visit sites in and around Belfast.  It turned out to be a frustrating afternoon, as not a single ring was spotted, despite scoping hundreds of legs.  Out of all these, I had expected to get one ring at least.

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Sunday 21st August 2022

After my disappointing visit to Belfast yesterday, I decided to re-visit many of the same sites again today, and surely I had to get something this time.  The result was more or less the same as yesterday until I reached the mudflats at Dargan late into the afternoon.  Before reaching Dargan, Kinnegar Beach really had me scratching my head.  For being such a nice day, for once, very few people ventured onto the beach which was swarming with gulls and waders.  Despite the excellent numbers, I could not believe it, as not a single ring was to be seen.

When I got to the mudflats at Dargan, the tide was well up and Black-tailed Godwits were the most numerous species by far, with at least 150 to 200 birds in all.  Gulls and other waders, were also present in small numbers.  I spent quite a while scoping through the Godwits, as many birds were so far from the waters edge, that their legs could not be seen.  Eventually, I recorded two with colour-rings that had been ringed locally.

The first bird - Blue/Red - Orange (=), was a new sighting to me, although I have two previous re-sightings on my spreadsheet.  It is from a catch of 24 birds, caught and ringed on the 21st April 2021, at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve, just 2kms to the east from Dargan.  The previous sightings were reported to me by Brian Douglas on the 17th February 2022, and Derek Polley on the 24th March 2022, at the WoW Reserve.

The second bird - Green/Green - Orange (=), was one of two that I recorded here on the Dargan mudflats last weekend.  The duration for both birds, is now 1 year and 4 months. 

Black-tailed Godwit  -  Blue/Red - Orange (=)  -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (21 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 21st April 2021, at RSPB Window on Wildlife Reserve, Belfast Harbour Estate)

Black-tailed Godwit  -  Green/Green - Orange (=)  -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (21 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 21st April 2021, at RSPB Window on Wildlife Reserve, Belfast Harbour Estate)

After leaving the Dargan Mudflats, I drove the short distance to Whitehouse Lagoon.  Although the tide was now well up on Belfast Lough, at this point, it had not reached the pipes which run underneath the motorway, which would eventually flood the Lagoon.  There were hundreds of gulls of various species, along with good numbers of waders, especially Oystercatchers.  Having spent far longer here than I had intended, not even one metal ring was seen.

I had intended to visit the shore at nearby Whiteabbey, but when I got there, the beach had all but disappeared.  With it now being high tide on the coast, I needed an inland site to work with, and none better than the leisure centre at Carrickfergus.  My aim here, would be to see if I can find Black-headed Gull -  2CPS .  Parking at the leisure centre, I made my way to the 'Mill Ponds', which is a quite large lake rather than a pond.  Walking over the small footbridge onto the island in the centre of the pond, there on the ground at the other end of the footbridge was -  2CPS .

There is no doubting that -  2CPS , is a regular wintering bird here at the Mill Ponds, but surprisingly, today's sighting is only the 13th record for the gull here.  The is due to the lack of visits made by 'Ring Readers', meaning the gull is under-recorded at this site.   2CPS , was ringed as a chick, on the 16th June 2017, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  Carrickfergus Leisure Centre lies just 12 kms / 7 miles south from Blue Circle Island.  Over the years since being ringed,  2CPS  has been recorded here at least once every winter, the duration now being 5 years, 2 months and 5 days.  The last sighting had been made here on the 16th January 2022, so if nothing else, a good few months has been added to the birds longevity.

Black-headed Gull  -   2CPS   -  Carrickfergus Leisure Centre, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim  (21 Aug 2022)

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

There has been a pair of Mute Swans at the Mill Ponds for years now, and while I was on the island in the middle of the pond, the pair along with 5 large downy cygnets came ashore to get their share of the bread that I was using to attract the gulls to me.  At first, I paid little attention to the adults, but after a while I noticed that the male had a metal-ring.  He must be a new bird here, as in the past, none of the swans were ringed.  The two of us walked around in circles, as I tried to obtain a photo of the ring, though eventually he stood long enough that I could obtain the number -  Z90262 .

Thinking that this was a new sighting for me, on returning home, I entered it's number onto the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database.  The Database reveals ringing and re-sighting details, but not the locations.   Z90262 , had been ringed as a second calendar year male, on the 12th February 2016, and two re-sighting dates were listed.  The first of these was on Christmas Day 2020, which left me wondering, as I think I'm the only 'Ring Reader' in Northern Ireland, that actively goes out looking for rings on Christmas Day. 

I made a search of the number on my 'Main Ring Reading Spreadsheet', and low and behold, I had recorded the bird on Christmas Day.  Back in 2016, the swan had been ringed at Belfast's Victoria Park, and my sighting on Christmas Day 2020, was at Belfast's former Waterworks at Cliftonville.  The date of the second sighting on DemOn, was given as being on the 27th April 2022.  Surely, this second sighting must have been made here at the leisure centre, so sent a request to the BTO for the location of that sighting.  The location, was simply given as Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, but in all likelihood, it had to be here on the Mill Ponds.

The distance from Victoria Park, is 15 kms / 9 miles (NNE), and the duration since being ringed, is now 6 years, 6 months and 9 days.  I really felt quite chuffed, at having recorded another bird from the past.  Ring Reading, will always throw up some interesting re-sightings, and at present, I've been obtaining a few of these of late.

Mute Swan  -   Z90262   -  Carrickfergus Leisure Centre, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim  (21 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a 2nd Calendar Year Male, on the 12th February 2016, at Victoria Park, Belfast)

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From Suzanne Belshaw

Suzanne Belshaw has been in touch again, concerning the re-sighting of a Herring Gull at Tyrella Beach in County Down.   T7VE , was ringed as a chick on the 3rd July 2019, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man.  This latest sighting, is now the fourth since the gull was ringed.  The first was made by Declan Clarke, on the 26th January 2020 at Ardglass Harbour in County Down.  On the 21st July 2020, Graham McElwaine recorded the gull at the high tide roost on the South Inner Bay at Dundrum in County Down.  Tyrella Beach, was the scene of the third sighting, made by Suzanne herself, on the 9th September 2020.  This latest sighting takes the duration to 3 years, 1 month and 1 day since being ringed, and Tyrella Beach is situated 64 kms / 39 miles (WNW) from the Calf of Man.

My thanks again goes to Suzanne for the sighting report, along with the photos.

Herring Gull  -   T7VE   -  Tyrella Beach, Co. Down  (04 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 3rd July 2019, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man)

Ringing Recovery

In my previous post, we were waiting on the recovery details of another Herring Gull spotted by Suzanne at Kilkeel Harbour in County Down, this one being a juvenile/2nd year bird.  The recovery has now arrived, and  J64:M , was ringed as a chick, on the 27th June 2021, also on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man.  Suzanne's sighting, was a first for this bird, and came 1 year, 1 month and 18 days after being ringed.  The distance to Kilkeel Harbour, was given as 79 kms / 49 miles (W) from the Calf of Man.

The sighting of  J64:M , along with another couple of Isle of Man gulls, has been reported to ringing coordinator Mark Fitzpatrick, who last responded back in early June.  It is very unusual for Mark not to have responded by now - I'm hoping that everything at his end is ok.  He might still be busy with the gulls on the Calf of Man, especially as they have not had their ringing suspended due to 'Bird Flu'.  The other two gulls were submitted to the BTO by their colour-codes only, but these were not on their system, so we are now waiting on a reply from Mark.

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Gobsmacked...

 

Antrim Marina - Monday 15th August 2022

Today's visit to Antrim Marina was undertaken in cooler, cloudier conditions, with a light wind and occasional light showers.  Just 19 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, with a high of around 60 gulls being recorded around 11am.  On a couple of occasions, there were no Black-headed Gulls present at all.  I arrived just after 9am, and departed at 1pm.

Having read the colour-rings of 30 Black-headed Gulls during my first two visits, there was only the single addition today, with the appearance of -  2BRA  at 10:12.  Altogether, in the region of 50 colour-ringed gulls should be recorded over the coming weeks.  While I was out and about yesterday, I came across -  2ANS  in the centre of Antrim Town.  This bird was ringed here at the Marina as a juvenile back in the Autumn/Winter of 2015/2016, and was last seen here on the 11th November 2019.  Now that I know it is still alive and well, I'm hoping that it will visit the Marina soon.  An account for my sighting of -  2ANS  can be read below.

 2BRA , was one of four gulls ringed at Antrim Marina, on the 1st February 2015, which was the first time I met up with Adam McClure.  Over the year's since being ringed,  2BRA  is known to be a year round resident to Antrim Marina, so it breeds locally, possibly on the nearby former 'Torpedo Platform'.  Today's sighting of -  2BRA , is the 241st record sighting here at the Marina, and the duration since being ringed, is now 7 years, 6 months and 14 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2BRA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (15 Aug 2022)

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

 2FFX , was absent last week, but was recorded the previous week when I began this winter's weekly visits.  It was ringed here at Antrim Marina as a juvenile/1st winter bird, on the 21st December 2020.  My last sighting for the 2020/2021 winter occurred on the 12th April 2021, when I made a visit to the Marina after the 'Covid Lockdown' restrictions had been lifted.  The lockdown came into affect after my visit on the 4th January 2021, so I missed the departure dates for many of the gulls.

 2FFX  was not seen again during the 2021 breeding season, but returned to the Marina for it's second winter, on the 9th August 2021, and was recorded throughout the 2021/2022 winter, with the last sighting being recorded on the 14th March 2022.  Although it was still an immature bird, I discovered -  2FFX  at a breeding colony at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, on the 26th June 2022.  I was there trying to read the colour-ring of a Mediterranean Gull that I discovered breeding on nesting platform one on the reserve.  Next year,  2FFX  will be of breeding age, so it will be interesting to see if I can discover it breeding for the first time on the WoW Reserve.  The duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 7 months and 25 days. 

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFX   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (15 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 21st December 2020, at Antrim Marina)

Today also saw the return of an un-ringed Black-headed Gull which appeared here last winter.  This gull introduced itself by hovering right in front of me, looking for a share of the bread that I had in my hand.  This bird only had one leg (left leg), reminiscent to another one-legged - left-legged Black-headed Gull which was here years ago, though it had obviously died due to it's failure to return one winter.  As with last winter, the gull return announced it's return by once again hovering in front of me.  Having just the one leg, places the bird at a disadvantage when people throw bread onto the ground for the ducks.  My new 'One-Leg', would fly in circles to grab bread that I throw into the air for it a piece at a time.  When it has had it's fill, the bird would land having enjoyed the feast.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 15th August 2022

2FFA	2CSB	2AAK	2ACV	2FIJ	2BRA	2FFX
2ABS	2FHV	2FFF	2AAB	2FFC	2ABL	2CJT
2FHX	2FHP	2AAA	2AAN	2CSA

Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina this Autumn/Winter but Absent Today

2ABA	2ABN	2CSK	2CSL	2CTC	2FDK
2FFP	2FHA	2FHC	2FIA	2FIF	2FIH

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On my arrival this morning, no ducks or swans were present.  The usual pair of Mute Swans along with their four cygnets, swam in from the Lough at 09:50, and spent most of their time on the slipway through to my departure.  The first two Mallards flew in around 10:10, and a count around 12:50 numbered 31 ducks altogether - I departed from the Marina at 1pm.

On my arrival, a number of other gull species were already on site.  3 were adult Herring Gulls, which also included the bird with the injured wing.  It was still on the long wooden jetty, and was also there during my two previous visits.  Two juvenile Herring Gulls, included one bird with an injured foot.  An adult Common Gull and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull were also present.  A very small juvenile Common Gull appeared at 9:44, and was similar in size to Common Gull -  EY64036 , which spends each winter around Lough Neagh and the Marina.  Another two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived at 11:11.

The only other species noted today, were 6 Jackdaws, 2 of which were juveniles and one adult Hooded Crow.

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Sunday 14th August 2022

With high tide forecasted for around 1:30pm, I waited at home until that time before leaving to head to Belfast.  On my way, I planned to stop by the town of Antrim, to check on a couple of sites, especially as most car parks would be fairly quiet.

My first stop in Antrim, was at the Junction One shopping centre, where a handful of Black-headed Gulls revealed no rings.  I then drove to the Castle Way car park in the centre of the town, to see if there was any sign of two particular birds -  2AFD , which belongs to my Antrim Marina Study, and a German metal-rung bird.  On throwing out bits of bread, a Black-headed Gull with an Orange Darvic landed - was this -  2AFD  back from Latvia already?

Zooming in to take a couple of photos, I was really and truly gobsmacked when I read the code -  2ANS .  This gull also belongs to my Antrim Marina Study, but I had not seen it at Antrim Marina since the 11th November 2019.  I did however, recorded -  2ANS , on the 22nd March 2020, on the foreshore at Glynn on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim, where the bird likely nested on the nearby RSPB Blue Circle Island Reserve.  That was the last sighting until now.  On my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet, I had thought of declaring the bird as deceased, but decided to leave it's column open.  I'm hoping now, seeing as the bird is alive, it will make an appearance at the Marina at some time over the coming weeks.

Adam McClure, ringed -  2ANS  at Antrim Marina, as a juvenile/1st winter bird, on the 12th November 2015.  After being ringed, it had been recorded on 50 occasions at the Marina, and would often go AWOL for periods at a time.

I was really pleased to see that it is still alive, and the sighting highlights the efforts that goes into 'Ring Reading' - as you never know what you'll turn up.  The duration since being ringed, is now 6 years, 9 months and 2 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2ANS   -  Castle Way Car Park, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 12th November 2015, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

My next stop in search of the German Black-headed Gull, was at Antrim's KFC outlet, where I have also seen it at before.  There was no sign of it, but another metal-rung Black-headed Gull was spotted.  I could tell by the colour of it's legs, that this was a second calendar year bird, so it would have hatched during 2021.  The bird was quite nervy, and moving about, so it was difficult to follow it with my camera.  Having took several photos of the ring, I paused to check what I had captured and quickly found that I had the whole ring number -  EA65722 .

I submitted the bird to the BTO, along with the other seven sightings that I recorded today.  Just before I went to work on Monday evening, I received a list of recoveries from the BTO, including that of this new sighting.

 EA65722 , was ringed as a chick, on the 26th June 2021, at Marlingford Hall, which is just west of Norwich in Norfolk, England.  The distance was given as 536 kms / 333 miles (WNW) to reach Antrim, and the duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 1 month and 19 days.  I think I'm correct in saying, that this is the most easterly ringed British Black-headed Gull that I have recorded here in Northern Ireland.

Black-headed Gull  -   EA65722   -  Antrim KFC Car Park, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 26th June 2021, at Marlingford Hall, Norfolk, England)

Leaving the KFC car park, I then drove to Antrim's Baptist Church.  Not a single gull was to be seen, so I then headed on to Belfast.  Stopping at Kinnegar Beach on the Co. Down shore of Belfast Lough, the tide was only beginning to go out, so I went to the nearby RSPB Window on Wildlife Reserve.  

From 'Hide One', I could see plenty of Terns resting on the wooden perches in front of 'Hide Two', so I walked around to that hide.  Here, I spotted four colour-ringed birds, but only managed to confirm two of those.  An Oystercatcher and a Black-tailed Godwit, were standing on one leg, so the colour-rings on the other leg could not be seen.  The Oystercatcher, was rung Orange over Orange on it's left leg, which indicated to me, that this was likely to be a bird from Iceland, and should have a coded 'Two Letter' White Darvic on it's right leg.  On the Black-tailed Godwit, I could see a red ring on it's left leg, but in all likelihood, there should have been another coloured ring above it, which could not be seen.  I reckon this is one of two possibilities of Godwits which were caught and ringed here on the reserve.  The hidden right leg, should have had a solid Orange Ring with two Black Stripes.  The birds would be either Green/Red - Orange (=), or Blue/Red - Orange (=).

On the 21st April 2021, Kendrew Colhoun, along with Kerry Mackie, caught 24 Black-tailed Godwits on the WoW Reserve, including the above mentioned birds.  On my spreadsheet - Blue/Red - Orange (=), has been re-sighted here on two occasions since being ringed, whilst I do not have any re-sightings for Green/Red - Orange (=).  I eventually lost sight of both the Godwit and the Oystercatcher, which was a pity.

The two colour rings that were confirmed, belonged to Common Terns.  First to be spotted was -  P7C , followed by -  PCF .  On returning home, and having made a search on my spreadsheet, both birds have been recorded in Northern Ireland before.

 P7C , was ringed as a chick, at the Port of Dublin, on the 19th June 2020.  The first re-sighting of this bird occurred last month, when spotted by Cameron Moore at Whitehead in County Antrim, situated slightly north of Belfast (20th July 2022).  The distance from Dublin to the WoW Reserve, is 145 kms / 90 miles (N), and the duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 1 month and 26 days.

Common Tern  -   P7C   -  RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast Harbour Estate  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 19th June 2020, at the Port of Dublin, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

 PCF  was ringed as a chick, on the 23rd June 2015, at the Port of Dublin.  One previous re-sighting, was again made by Cameron Moore at Whitehead, on the 10th August 2021.  The distance to the WoW Reserve, is again, 145 kms / 90 miles (N), and the duration since being ringed, is 7 years, 1 month and 22 days.

My thanks goes to Tara Adcock at Birdwatch Ireland, for confirming that these are the only sightings of both birds to date.

Common Tern  -   PCF   -  RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast Harbour Estate  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 23rd June 2015, at the Port of Dublin, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

After spending far longer at the WoW Reserve than I had intended, I went back to Kinnegar Beach, to find that the tide was now well out.  There was nowhere near as many gulls or waders around as I had expected there to be, but this may have been the result of people having walked out onto the shore.

Scoping at long distance, I eventually spotted a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull.  Zooming out with my camera, I was able to capture the code -  2HFH .  My first thoughts, was that this may well have been the same bird spotted by Suzanne Belshaw last year.  Checking my spreadsheet at home, my thoughts were correct, and there was also a sighting before Suzanne's.

 2HFH , was ringed as a chick, on the 15th June 2021, at Marsh Lane Nature Reserve in the West Midlands area of England.  The first re-sighting was made here on Kinnegar Beach, on the 1st September 2021, made by David Stirling.  At that point, it had been only 2 months and 17 days since the young gull was ringed.  Suzanne's sighting was made on the 29th September 2021, at the McDonalds Fast Food Outlet at Knocknagoney, a short distance away from Kinnegar Beach.  The duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 1 month and 30 days, and the distance from Marsh Lane NR, is 371 kms / 230 miles (NW).

Black-headed Gull  -   2HFH   -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 15th June 2021, at Marsh Lane Nature Reserve, West Midlands, England)

Next stop, was at the Connswater Mudflats, also on the Belfast Harbour Estate.  There were very few gulls or waders here, but this has been a 'hotspot' for ring sightings in the past.  I did not take too long to scope every bird, and I drew a blank for rings.

I then drove round to the Dargan Mudflats on Belfast Lough, where I recorded two colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwits, both from the same catch as mentioned above.  The first bird - Green/Green - Orange (=), has three previous re-sightings on my spreadsheet.  The first was made by myself, on the 29th August 2021, at the nearby Whitehouse Lagoon, which is situated just over the Motorway from the Dargan Mudflats.  Derek Polley recorded the bird back at the WoW Reserve, on the 21st October 2021, and on the 24th March 2022.

Black-tailed Godwit -  GG-O(=)  -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 21st April 2021, at the RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast Harbour Industrial Estate)

The second bird, ringed Yellow/Green - Orange (=), has two previous re-sightings.  It was also recorded by me at Whitehouse Lagoon, on the 29th August 2021, and then spotted back at the WoW Reserve on the 31st March 2022, when recorded by Derek Polley.

Black-tailed Godwit  -  YG-O(=)  -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 21st April 2021, at the RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast Harbour Industrial Estate)

The Dargan Mudflats, are situated just 2 kms / 1 mile (W) from the RSPB WoW Reserve, and the duration for both birds, is now 1 year, 3 months and 24 days.

By now, the afternoon was quickly disappearing, so my last stop of the day was at Whitehouse Lagoon.  This time, there were plenty of gulls to search through, and eventually I spotted a Black-headed Gull in the distance with an Orange Darvic.  This one turned out to be -  2BHB , a bird belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study.

 2BHB , was ringed as a chick, on the 2nd June 2014, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve, on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  Since then, today's and thirteen previous re-sightings have been recorded in and around Belfast Lough.  The first two re-sightings were made on the 11th September 2016, when I spotted -  2BHB  here at Whitehouse Lagoon, on the County Antrim side of Belfast Lough, then a few hours later, Robin Vage recorded the gull on Kinnegar Beach, on the County Down side of Belfast Lough.  I then recorded -  2BHB  for a second time at Whitehouse Lagoon on the 27th November 2016.

The next five sightings were made at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in 2017 and 2018.  These sightings in March 2017, April 2017, May 2017, and twice in March 2018, indicated that this gull was breeding on nest platform two on the reserve.  The next two sightings were made in October 2018 (Whitehouse Lagoon) and the north shore of Belfast Lough, on the 27th October 2019.

On the 29th June 2020,  2BHB  was once again spotted on nest platform two at the WoW Reserve, and in November 2020, it was back on Whitehouse Lagoon.  Likely due to 'Covid Lockdowns', the bird went unrecorded for a period of time, but in February 2022, it was spotted by David Nixon on the shore at Whiteabbey, just a short distance along the coast from Whitehouse Lagoon.

This summer, I made several visits to the WoW Reserve, in search for -  2BHB ,  2BAL , and  2AFF , each known to have bred at the Reserve in the past, but had no joy in finding any of them.  I last saw -  2BAL  at it's wintering site at Donaghadee in County Down on the 15th November 2020, though I noticed on the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database, that -  2BAL  had been sighted on the 31st January 2021.  Unfortunately DemOn does not reveal the sighting locations.   2AFF , was last recorded at the WoW Reserve in April 2019.

This latest sighting of -  2BHB , takes the duration since being ringed, to 8 years, 2 months and 12 days, and the distance from Blue Circle Island, is 20 kms / 12 miles (SSW).

Black-headed Gull  -   2BHB   -  Whitehouse Lagoon, Belfast Lough  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 2nd June 2014, at RSPB Blue Circle Island Nature Reserve, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

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From Suzanne Belshaw

Suzanne Belshaw has been in touch again, with her latest batch of ring sightings.  On the 6th August 2022, Suzanne visited Ballyholme in County Down, where she recorded two returning Black-headed Gulls at Luke's Point.

 2ABT , was caught and ringed at Ballyholme, as an adult male, on the 24th January 2013.  Over the years since, it has been firmly established that the gull winter's around Ballyholme.  However, during the breeding season,  2ABT  can be found at Sandy Bay in Larne, Co. Antrim.  We have presumed that it bred at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve on Larne Lough, which is a short distance to the south of Larne.  This presumption was further cemented on the 3rd July 2022, when I discovered -  2ABT  on the shore at Glynn, very close to the island.  Suzanne's latest sighting, is the gull's 29th sighting record since being ringed, and the duration, is now 9 years, 6 months and 13 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2ABT   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down  (06 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 24th January 2013, at Luke's Point)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

The second Black-headed Gull was that of a Polish-rung bird -  TRX9 .  The first sighting of -  TRX9  in Northern Ireland, was recorded by John O'Boyle, here at Ballyholme, on the 12th September 2021.  At the time, I had wondered whether this gull was passing through on passage, as it had been ringed as a chick in 2019 and was previously unrecorded here.  Further sightings throughout last winter, through to the 17th March 2022, saw -  TRX9  staying at Ballyholme all winter.

Suzanne and myself, already knew that -  TRX9  had returned to Ballyholme, as we both check the 'Live' Polish Ringing Database.  It's return was recorded on the 19th July by two observers who I do not know, and will therefore in the meantime, remain un-named.  There were no summer sightings of -  TRX9 , so we do not know whether it had returned to Poland.

Ringed as a chick, on the 5th June 2019, at Lake Rynskie in N.E. Poland, the only sighting outside of Poland or Northern Ireland was made on the 4th August 2019, when spotted at Ringstone Edge Reservoir in West Yorkshire, England.  The duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 2 months and 1 day, and the distance from Lake Rynskie to Ballyholme, is 1,760 kms / 1,093 miles (W).

Black-headed Gull  -   TRX9   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down  (06 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 5th June 2019, at Jezioro Rynskie, Ptasia Wyspa, Ryn, Poland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Three large gulls recorded by Suzanne on the 10th and 14th August 2022, were all first re-sightings in Northern Ireland.

At Ardglass Harbour on the 10th August, Suzanne spotted an immature Great Black-backed Gull rung -  R77:D .  Having reported her sighting to Graham Prole, who is the ringing coordinator for the Irish Midlands Ringing Group, Graham replied with the ringing details.  The gull was ringed as a chick, on the 13th June 2021, on Dalkey Island in County Dublin, Republic of Ireland.  This sighting made by Suzanne, is the first to date, with the duration since being ringed, now 1 year, 1 month and 28 days.  The distance from Dalkey Island to Ardglass, is 116 kms / 72 miles (NNE).

Great Black-backed Gull  -   R77:D   -  Ardglass Harbour, Ardglass, Co. Down  (10 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 13th June 2021, at Dalkey Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

A second Dublin-rung bird was also spotted on the 10th August by Suzanne, though this time it was a Herring Gull rung -  290:D , at Killough in County Down.  Graham also supplied the ringing info for this bird.   290:D , was ringed as a chick, on the 21st June 2019, on Ireland's Eye Island in County Dublin, Republic of Ireland.  The bird was recorded on five occasions within the City of Dublin, and according to Graham, went AWOL after the 25th July 2020.  Graham was pleased to know the gull is still alive, and the duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 1 month and 20 days.  The distance from Ireland's Eye to Killough, is roughly 99 kms / 61 miles (NNE).

Our thanks goes to Graham for supplying the ringing and history details for both of these gulls.

Herring Gull  -   290:D   -  Killough, Co. Down  (10 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 21st June 2019, at Ireland's Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Another colour-ringed immature gull was spotted by Suzanne on the 14th August 2022, this time, at Kilkeel Harbour in County Down.  In Suzanne's email, she did not name the species of gull, so was obviously 'side-stepping' on this one.  From the photo, it is not hard to see why - is it a Herring Gull or a Great Black-backed Gull?  I re-directed Suzanne's email to Graham McElwaine for his opinion, and between us, we have settled for a Herring Gull.

The gull, rung -  J64:M , is from the Isle of Man, and appears to be a second calendar year bird.  It has been reported to Mark Fitzpatrick, who is the ringing coordinator for the Isle of Man, but we have not heard from him since early June.  At present, we are waiting on the ringing details for another couple of Isle of Man gulls, but Mark is probably still busy with the gulls on the Calf of Man, and no doubt will reply to our sightings in due course.

Herring Gull  -   J64:M   -  Kilkeel Harbour, Kilkeel, Co. Down  (14 Aug 2022)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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