Antrim Marina - (Sunday 19th November 2023)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 19th November 2023

On my way to Antrim Marina today, I once again stopped at the nearby filling station to obtain some fuel for my car and purchase two loaves of bread.  I had intended to arrive at the Marina by 10am, but on leaving the filling station, I made my way to the Castle Way car park in the centre of Antrim Town.  Here, I was on the lookout for the possible return of Black-headed Gull -  2AFD , which had been spotted during the summer in the Latvian capital of Riga, followed up ten days later with a sighting in Norfolk, England.  As with my other recent visits to the car park of late, not a single gull was to be seen.  Over more recent winter's,  2AFD  now prefers Castle Way over Antrim Marina where it was originally ringed at.

A quick swing around the car park, I then made my way to the Marina, arriving just before 10:10.  It was raining, with just a slight westerly breeze, and the temperature gauge in my car was reading 12°C.  The rain stopped shortly afterwards, with the odd light shower of drizzle afterwards.

This winter, 24 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls have been recorded back at the Marina, whilst around the same number have failed to return indicating that many had died during the breeding season, with 'Bird Flu' being the likely cause of fatalities.  One gull -  2FFC  was found dead in May at the largest German Black-headed Gull colony, and later tested positive having succumbed to the virus.  Before departing from the Marina last Sunday, an attempt to catch and ring new birds, saw three being caught, which meant I was looking for 27 colour-rings today, plus any returnees.

Parking as close to the short concrete jetty as possible, due to it still being fenced off, around 40 Black-headed Gulls were present.  The first two rings read at 10:10, were those of -  2FFA  and  2FIA .  By 10:47, fourteen rings had been read.  Among these, were two of the three gulls ringed last week - the 2nd calendar year bird -  2FJJ  (3rd), and the juvenile/1st winter bird -  2FJF  (10th).  I managed to obtain the first photos for these two gulls.  The absentee among these three, was the adult -  2FJH .

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJJ   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (19 Nov 2023)

(Ringed as an Unsexed 2nd Calendar Year Bird, on the 12th November 2023, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJF   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (19 Nov 2023)

(Ringed as an Juvenile/1st Calendar Year Bird, on the 12th November 2023, at Antrim Marina)

I now had a long wait until the next colour-ring was read, which was that of -  2CJT  at 12:14.  Normally, you can rely on -  2CJT  being among the earliest of rings to be read, but on a couple of occasions this winter, it has appeared quite late.  The penultimate colour-ring at 12:21, belonged to -  2ACV .  This gull had a very bad leg injury back in August, which I thought may well have been a break.  As the weeks have passed by, the bird is now standing quite well on the leg.

My 15th and final ring-sighting, was that of a returnee, the gull landing on the bollard directly in front of my car.  Noticing the ring, I took a look through my binoculars and nearly fell through the floor of the car.  It was none other than the Latvian -  2AFD  - like trying to tell me, 'I'm back'.  Having been spotted by German tourist Simon Piro in the Latvian capital of Riga on the 30th June and 1st July 2023, 10 days later,  2AFD  turned up on Cromer Beach in Norfolk, England.

That sighting leads me to believe that this gull 'stages' somewhere before finally returning to Antrim in mid November.  I had hoped for further sightings in England, but nothing came in.   2AFD , belongs to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study (2012 to 2018), and was ringed at Antrim Marina, as an adult male, on the 12th February 2014.  Over previous years,  2AFD  has been spotted around Riga in 2015, 2016 and 2022.  The duration since being ringed, is now 9 years, 9 months and 7 days.  The full ringing and re-sighting history for this bird can be read (here).

Black-headed Gull  -   2AFD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (19 Nov 2023)

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

As you can imagine, I was delighted to record the return of this gull, seeing as so many have not made it back.  With the return of -  2AFD , I will be on the lookout for 28 colour-rings on Sunday coming, plus any further returnees.  I am now really keen to record the return of -  2FDL  from Sweden.  Last winter, this gull was recorded back on the 28th November, so if it has survived through the breeding season, it is now due back - fingers crossed for this one.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 19th November 2023

2FFA	2FIA	2FJJ	2BRA	2CSK	2CSR	2FIL	2AAB	2FJA
2FJF	2FIP	2AAN	2FIK	2ABN	2CJT	2ACV	2AFD

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

2BRD	2FDJ	2FDK	2FFT	2FFX	2FHC
2FHT	2FHV	2FIF	2FIJ	2FJH

Last week, I also recorded a new metal-rung Black-headed Gull -  595818 , which had been ringed in Iceland.  Although it was very comfortable being around people, I had hoped it would appear again today, but there was no sign of it.  The Icelandic Bird Ringing Department needed to contact the ringer concerned for the birds details, but I am still waiting for a reply.  This was my third Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull to have been recorded here this winter.  The first bird -  543335 , was again recorded today at 11:23, and has been here since the 8th August.  The second, a very nervy bird, has not been seen since it's only sighting on the 18th September 2023.

Over the morning, the number of Black-headed Gulls peaked at around the 70 mark, before a slight drop off in numbers before I departed.  With some birds, especially colour-ringed birds, coming and going, the wintering population would top the 100 mark, but compared with previous winters, I'm still left with around 100+ still missing.  Numbers at this time of the year should be in the 200 to 300 bracket.

Before departing, I made another couple of attempts at catching some more new birds for ringing, but the birds remained just inches away.  Several people arrived over the course of my visit to feed the ducks with bread.  One young lady arrived with a bag with what looked like cat pellets.  These were thrown over the car park for the ducks, but the gulls quickly mopped these up.  With these pellets swelling up in the crops of the gulls, they would feel like being well fed.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Mute Swan numbers were slightly down this week, with 10 (White) swans and 4 cygnets present on my arrival.  The four cygnets, were the resident group, having hatched out during the summer upriver from the Marina.  A 5th cygnet arrived on it's own from the direction of Lough Neagh at 11:29.  This one was slightly smaller and browner than the others, and I reckon this was one of two cygnets that first appeared here along with a juvenile Whooper Swan.  The metal rung -  Z78580 , was recorded 10:32.

The usual adult Herring Gull was present throughout today's visit, with a second adult appearing briefly at 12:06.  I could tell by the looks of this bird, it has not been seen here before.

An adult Common Gull was also present throughout my visit, with a second adult appearing at 12:13.  This is a bit disappointing seeing as I had a high of 10 adults a couple of weeks ago.  Still no sign of the small metal-rung Scottish bird, and as the weeks pass, it's looking more than likely that we have lost this one as well.

Mallard numbers are now very low.  Normally, totals should be nearer the 100 mark, but today saw just 30 on arrival, and less than 20 by the time that I departed just after 1:30pm.

Two Hooded Crows made a brief appearance at 11:50, and just two Jackdaws were noted on several occasions.  Jackdaw numbers, though never high over previous winters, are significantly lower this winter.

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

From Suzanne Belshaw...

From Suzanne Belshaw

A few ring sightings have been reported to me by Suzanne Belshaw.  The first of these was that of a Danish-rung Black-headed Gull -  VA5454 , spotted on the 10th November 2023, at Rhanbouy Park in Carrickfergus, County Antrim.  Suzanne was actually sitting in her car beside the seawall and was on the phone, when the gull landed on the wall beside the car and peered in.  By the time Suzanne had finished the call, the gull had flown off.  To try and photograph the bird, Suzanne threw out some food, but the gull did not appear again.

This was Suzanne's second sighting of -  VA5454  this winter, having first recorded the gull at nearby Carrickfergus Harbour on the 19th August 2023.   VA5454 , was ringed as a chick, on the 25th May 2020, on Hirsholm Island, which lies just off the coast of northern Denmark.  Two earlier sightings of -  VA5454 , were made by Cameron Moore, on the 4th January 2021 and on the 4th November 2021.  Rhanbouy Park is situated 1,064 kms / 661 miles (WSW) from Hirsholm Island, and the duration as of Suzanne's latest sighting, is now 3 years, 5 months and 16 days since being ringed.

Another Danish Black-headed Gull was also recorded for the second time this winter, on the 14th November 2023, at Lurgan Park Lake in County Armagh.  It's return to Lurgan Park Lake this winter was first recorded by Suzanne on the 11th October 2023.   VA7547 , also came from Hirsholm Island, having been ringed as a chick, on the 27th May 2022.  The then juvenile, was first recorded at Lurgan Park Lake on the 31st January 2023, with a further three sightings in March 2023, the final one being on the 29th March.  The distance from Hirsholm, is 1,106 kms / 687 miles (WSW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 5 months and 18 days.

Black-headed Gull  -  Denmark   VA7547   -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (14 Nov 2023)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 27th May 2022, on Hirsholm Island, Denmark)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Whilst at Lurgan Park Lake, Suzanne also came across a Norwegian-rung Black-headed Gull which was a first sighting within Northern Ireland.  Colour-ringed - (White) J2234, Suzanne submitted her sighting onto the 'Live' Norwegian Ringing Database, which instantly gave her the birds history.  (White) J2234, was ringed as a chick, on the 11th June 2022, at Lake Lyseren which lies 24 kms (SE) from the capital Oslo.  Two previous sightings were made by Kevin Leighton at Thetford in Norfolk, England, when the then juvenile was recorded on the 2nd and 16th February 2023.

This makes Suzanne's sighting interesting, as juveniles would usually return to their original wintering site.  Perhaps (White) J2234 is returning to Thetford in a roundabout way.  The distance from Lyseren to Lurgan Park, is 1,200 kms / 745 miles (WSW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 5 months and 3 days.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  J2234  -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (14 Nov 2023)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 11th June 2022, at Lake Lyseren, Oslo, Norway)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

On the 15th November 2023, Suzanne surveyed the gulls on the Dargan Mudflats on the edge of Belfast Lough.  Whilst there, she spotted an old friend of mine - Herring Gull -  2N:W .  This bird was ringed as an unsexed adult, on the 5th May 2015, on Big Copeland Island in County Down.  The two previous sightings which I had recorded, were on the 18th March 2018 on the beach at Kinnegar, which lies on the County Down side of Belfast Lough, and on the 7th March 2020, on the Whiteabbey Shore, situated on the County Antrim side of Belfast Lough.  It still amazes me how these big gulls with their larger colour-rings travel about unnoticed by other birdwatchers, and Northern Ireland is full birdwatchers.

The Dargan Mudflats, lies 23 kms / 14 miles (W) from Big Copeland Island, and the duration since being ringed, is now 8 years, 6 months and 10 days.  My thanks once again goes to Suzanne for the sighting reports, along with the photos.

Herring Gull  -   2N:W   -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough  (15 Nov 2023)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult. on the 5th May 2015, on Big Copeland Island, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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

Antrim Marina - (Sunday 12th November 2023)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 12th November 2023

I was slightly later than planned, to arrive at the Marina today.  I had stopped at a nearby filling station to purchase some fuel and a couple of brown loafs.  Arriving at 10:08, there was light rain and a slight breeze with the temperature gauge in my car reading 11°C.  Over the course of the morning these light showers were never far between.  My normal parking spot beside the concrete jetty was cordoned off with fencing though I could not see what the purpose of this was.  During last week's visit, the water level of the river was that high, it overflowed the concrete jetty by a few inches, but today it was now a few inches below the jetty.

Around 60 Black-headed Gulls were spread around the jetties, and the first two colour-rings to be read, was those of -  2FIF  and  2FIL  at 10:10.  At 10:25, I spotted a metal-rung Black-headed Gull on the top rail of the low wooden jetty.  The ring was on the bird's right leg, and having a metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull ringed on the left leg at the Marina, I knew I had a new bird here today.

My attention was now more or less focused on this bird to photograph the ring and complete the number.  It was fairly calm, which meant I easily got close enough to start taking pictures.  The only problem, was that it was settled in a position where I could not get photos at different angles.  Each time when all of the gulls took to the air, I had to relocate this one again once the birds came back down.  I really needed to complete the number as quickly as possible in case it departed from the area completely.  As it turned out, the gull remained throughout my visit and the number was completed.

Ringed -  595818 , this turned out to be my third metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull to be recorded here this winter.  The first bird -  543335 , was spotted on August 8th and has remained here since then, and it was actually re-sighted again today at 10:11.  The second was -  527948 , a very nervy bird, recorded on the 18th September 2023.  It was not comfortable being around people at the Marina, so it came as no surprise that I have not seen it since.

I reported my latest sighting to the Icelandic Bird Ringing Centre, and a reply was duly received.  They have to contact the ringer for the details, but they reckoned this gull was ringed sometime in 2023.

Black-headed Gull  -  Iceland   595818   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Nov 2023)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

With a total of 24 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls having been recorded altogether this winter, I continued reading rings, and my final ring was read at 12:11, this 14th sighting being that of -  2CSR .  This meant I had 10 absentees today, and no further returning gulls.  I was hoping that -  2FDL  would appear having arrived back from Sweden - perhaps next week.

Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 12th November 2023

2FIF	2FIL	2AAN	2CJT	2CSK	2FIP	2BRA
2FIK	2FFX	2FDJ	2FJA	2ABN	2FFA	2CSR

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

2AAB	2ACV	2BRD	2FDK	2FFT	2FHC	2FHT	2FHV	2FIA	2FIJ

Further head counts were made at 11:45, where just 30 Black-headed Gulls were present, but numbers increased again to around 70 birds by 1:30.  Having recorded my final ring sighting at 12:11, by 1:30, I decided to stop for the day.  Seeing as very few people had arrived to feed the ducks today, I had a go at catching a few new birds for ringing.  Last week, I had noticed that the gulls were really hungry now, and tried their best to rob the ducks of their bread.

With just a couple of swans on the slipway, there was plenty of room for the gulls to nip in and grab the bread that I threw onto the ground between the swans and myself.  I crumpled up several slices at a time to leave a very tempting pile on three occasions and successfully caught three new Black-headed Gulls.  I knew the Icelandic -  543335  was around me, but with so many vying to grab some bread, I could not keep track as to where this bird was.  I really do want to get a colour-ring onto this gull before it heads home to Iceland in the spring.

The first of the three caught today, was a juvenile/1st winter bird now rung -  2FJF .  The second was an unsexed adult rung -  2FJH , whilst the third bird was an unsexed second winter bird (hatched in 2022) now rung -  2FJJ .  With these three added to this winter's total, I will be on the lookout for 27 colour-rings next Sunday, plus any further returnees.  As it was raining slightly again, I made no attempt to locate and photograph these newly rung birds, so I will do that as well next Sunday.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Mute Swan numbers were lower this week, with 11 (White) swans and a single cygnet present on my arrival.  The single cygnet looked like one of the two younger ones that were among 9 cygnets present last Sunday.  By 12:30, just 7 (White) swans and no cygnets were present.  I say (White) swans, as not all of their beaks are pure orange - which is the case of -  Z78580 , whose ring was read at 11:10, this one having been ringed as a juvenile here in November 2020.

Just 30 Mallards were present on my arrival and numbers decreased to around 20 birds by 12:30.  As usual, most if not all legs were checked, but still no rings on any of them.

A single Common Gull was present on my arrival, and a maximum high of 5 were counted at 11:45.  Just three remained by 12:30, and they were still at the Marina when i departed just before 2pm.

The resident adult Herring Gull was present throughout my visit.  A juvenile Herring Gull arrived at 12:27.  This youngster was so tired, it parked itself on the outer edge of the concrete jetty, and tucked it's head into its back to have a doze.

Just two Jackdaws appeared today.  Long gone are the days when number surpassed the dozen mark.  A juvenile Pied Wagtail was the only other species to be recorded today, making a brief appearance at 12:47.

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

Antrim Marina - (Sunday 5th November 2023)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 5th November 2023

After last Sunday's disastrous visit to the Marina, when just 11 out of 24 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls were recorded, today saw a complete reversal.  Arriving just before 10am, there were plenty of gulls flying about, and after counting the Common Gulls, around 70 Black-headed Gulls were present.  This total remained more or less constant until around 12:30, when some of the gulls began to rest themselves on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre'.  I had no idea how many gulls were up there, but on the ground, I had an estimated 45 birds.

The morning was more like a typically autumnal day, with conditions being calm and sunny, the early temperature reading 8°C.  Fortunately for me, all of the gulls were at ground level, which was helped with people feeding the ducks.  It was obviously clear, that the gulls are now really hungry and tried hard to get their share of the bread being fed to the ducks.  I made a couple of early attempts to catch new birds for ringing, but as usual, they remained just inches out of reach.

The first two rings read at 10am exactly, were those of -  2BRA  and  2FIK .  With 24 colour-rings having been recorded so far this winter, the total steadily increased.  My 17th and final ring sighting at 12:10, was that of -  2BRD , who is an occasional visitor to the Marina, with this being it's second sighting here this winter.  Although -  2BRD  was caught and ringed at the Marina in February 2015, I reckon it spends most of it's time somewhere in Antrim Town.  Some of the housing estates in Antrim, attract Black-headed Gulls, but for obvious reasons, I cannot go round looking at the roofs of peoples houses.  Prior to the onset of every new breeding season,  2BRD  can be found in early spring, at Lurgan Park Lake in County Armagh.  The duration as of today's sighting, is 8 years, 6 months and 13 days since being ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -   2BRD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (05 Nov 2023)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 13th February 2015, at Antrim Marina)

The Icelandic-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was spotted at 10:19.  This gull was first recorded on the 8th August 2023, and was ringed in July 2023.

With 17 rings recorded today, this meant I had 7 absentees.  I had a closer look at these absentees on my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet and immediately discovered a big mistake.  Since the 18th September 2023, I've had -  2FDT  down as an absentee, yet this gull has not been recorded here since the 28th February 2023.  Somehow, I have added -  2FDT  instead of -  2FHT  who arrived back on the 28th August 2023, though it has not been seen since.  I have corrected my blog posts accordingly.   2FHT  was spotted in northern Poland on two occasions in March 2023, and has also been recorded on the Whiteabbey Shore of Belfast Lough (December 2022).

Three other absentees, with just one sighting here at the Marina this winter, are -  2FDJ ,  2FDK  and  2FFT .   2FDJ  arrived back from Estonia on the 22nd October 2023.   2FDK , would normally be a regular here, but the single sighting for this one was made on the 11th September 2023.  Over the last couple of breeding seasons,  2FDK  has been recorded in May and June, which would suggest that this bird is a year round resident.  I'm left wondering if -  2FDK  is the latest gull to have perished - time will tell.   2FFT  was recorded on the 1st October 2023.  Although this bird was caught and ringed here (December 2020), the gull is a rare visitor (just 6 sightings), so I reckon it passes through on passage.

Both -  2FFX  and  2FHV , have been recorded regularly this winter, the former is known to breed at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, the latter having been reported in northern Iceland during the breeding season.  The status of -  2FIJ  is a trifle puzzling.  Ringed as an unsexed adult in January 2022, it has only been recorded on six occasions, all at the Marina.  This winter, it was sighted on the 8th August and again on the 4th September.  I'm leaning towards the idea, that this gull may well be hanging around one of Antrim's housing estates.

No further returnees were recorded today, though -  2FFL  is now due back, and the returns of -  2FDL  from Sweden, and  2AFD  from Latvia are now imminent as well.  I actually checked Antrim's Castle Way car park for -  2AFD , but again, not a single gull was present.  Castle Way has been the preferred wintering site for -  2AFD  in recent years.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 5th November 2023

2BRA	2FIK	2AAN	2FFA	2ACV	2CSK	2AAB	2FHC	2CSR
2CJT	2FIA	2FJA	2FIL	2FIF	2FIP	2ABN	2BRD

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

2FDJ	2FDK	2FFT	2FFX	2FHT	2FHV	2FIJ

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

The first thing that caught my attention whilst driving through the barrier into the front car park at Antrim Marina, was the noisy commotion of several calling Common Gulls.  Up until now, Common Gull numbers have been very low or non-existent over past weeks, but on hearing them now, I knew there were quite a few about.

Over at the slipway, people were already feeding the ducks and the Black-headed Gulls were going frantic to get their share of the bread.  In turn, the Common Gulls chased the Black-headed's trying to force them to drop their feed.  Once things had settled slightly, I counted a winter high of seven adult Common Gulls, plus one juvenile.  By 10:35, I now had 10 adults, plus the juvenile, and all were still present when I departed around 1pm.  I kept a close eye on the Commons hoping that the small Scottish-rung female would appear, but sadly, there is still no sign of her.  Appearing as a juvenile in February 2014, she has been recorded here every winter since, and was last seen on the 28th November 2022, which was this bird's only sighting here last winter.

The resident adult Herring Gull arrived at 10:28, and spent nearly all of it's time perched on the boat moored on the long wooden jetty, which has been there since I began my winter visits.

Mute Swans were also present in large numbers on my arrival, and a count of these gave 12 adult (White) swans, plus 7 juveniles.  4 of these juveniles were reared locally to the Marina, with the other three being more recent arrivals.  A further two juveniles swan in from the Lough at 11:32.  Being slightly smaller and browner than the other juveniles present, I reckon these two were the same birds that appeared here two weeks ago along with a juvenile Whooper Swan which was a first form me here at the Marina.  Another head count of the (White) swans at 11:44, gave a total of 15, which meant three had slipped in un-noticed.  All legs were checked for rings, with -   Z78580  being recorded at 10:13.  This bird was ringed here as a juvenile in November 2020 and returned on the 1st October 2023, having been last seen here in March 2023.

Mallards numbered around the 50 mark, with this total more or less being the same throughout today's visit.  Again, most legs, if not all, were viewed but still no rings on any of these.

A pair of Hooded Crows made brief visits on several occasions, whilst 6 Jackdaws were present most of the time.  Other than these, no other species were seen.

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

Antrim Marina - (Sunday 29th October 2023)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 29th October 2023

Prior to today's visit to Antrim Marina, I received an email from Graham McElwaine who visited the Marina on Friday 27th October 2023.  Whilst at the Marina, Graham recorded two colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls -  2FFA  and  2CSK , the latter being absent two days later during my visit.  Graham made no comment on the numbers that were present, though there was other colour-ringed gulls whose rings were not read.

Today, I arrived at the Marina at 10:30, and departed at 2pm thoroughly frustrated.  With 24 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls recorded so far during this autumn/winter season, only 11 were recorded during today's visit.  I had arrived with high hopes, seeing as the weather the day before, saw very wet and windy conditions which often leads to very hungry gulls.

The weather conditions on my arrival, saw a nice blue sky, and a very light breeze with the temperature reading 11°C.  Normally under such conditions, the gulls would often perch themselves on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre', but not today.  A count of the Black-headed Gulls gave a total of just 39 birds.  A second count at 1pm, saw a total of around 50, and after that numbers actually decreased.

I was absolutely bored stiff today, bad enough that half of my gulls have failed to return at all this winter, but to have more than half of previously recorded gulls being absent did not help.  Overall numbers for this time of the year should be somewhere nearer 200 birds.

The few gulls that were present today, were clearly hungry, but not enough that I could catch any.  The Icelandic-rung -  543335 , was however just inches away from being caught.  This bird arrived on the 8th August 2023, having been caught and ringed in Iceland in July 2023.

Now that we have moved into the month of November, I am now hoping on the return of  2FDL  from Sweden, and  2AFD  from Latvia.   2AFD  was spotted in Riga, Latvia on the 30th June and on the 1st July 2023, followed by a sighting on the 11th July 2023, at Cromer in Norfolk, England.  These days,  2AFD  is more often to be seen at the Castle Way car park in the centre of Antrim Town, but a quick check before going to the Marina, saw no gulls present.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 29th October 2023

2FFA	2FIP	2ABN	2FIK	2FHC	2AAN	2FIL	2CJT	2FFX	2FIF	2BRA

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

2AAB	2ACV	2BRD	2CSK	2CSR	2FDJ	2FDK
2FHT	2FFT	2FHV	2FIA	2FIJ	2FJA

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Once again, the high number of Mute Swans grabbed my attention on my arrival.  A count gave me at total of 11 birds, along with 7 cygnets.  The cygnets were in two groups independent of any adults.  They were of similar ages, so the group of three were new arrivals to the Marina.  On my previous visit, two slightly younger cygnets were accompanied by a juvenile Whooper Swan, none of which appeared today.  At 11:27, a further two adults arrived in from the direction of Lough Neagh, taking the total to 13 (White) swans.  It took a while for all of the birds to come ashore, and the ring of -  Z78580  was read at 10:50.

Around 50 Mallards, saw numbers decreasing to about 30 birds by 1pm.  Still no rings on any of these.

The adult male Herring Gull was present throughout my visit, and two Common Gulls appeared just after 1pm.  There is still no sign of the Scottish-rung female.

A Robin was seen several times skulking around the bushes beside the small Sandy Beach.  I cannot remember having seen one here before.  6 Jackdaws and 2 Hooded Crows were the only other species to have been noted today.

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

I have not been out and about of late, as the MOT in my car expired in late September.  Except to visit Antrim Marina, I only drive to work and back home again.  Back at the beginning of August, I went online to book an MOT appointment, but the earliest date that I could get, was the 30th November, which came as a bit of a shock.  Even the letter from the DVLA, informing me that my MOT was due, did not arrive until the beginning of September.  Surely, with a backlog, they should have sent reminders out earlier.  I still believe the police are still turning a blind eye as to the backlog situation, so long as a date for an MOT test has been applied for.  I still think it is better to stay off the road as much as possible until the car has its MOT.

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