Antrim Marina - Sunday 15th December 2024...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 15th December 2024

I arrived at Antrim Marina at 10:05 this morning.  There was heavy cloud cover making it seem fairly dark, which later had an effect on my camera, as the processor was having trouble when it came to focusing.  The temperature gauge in my car was reading 11ºC, yet another mild day for this time of the year.  The wind was quite calm, but it became stronger as the morning wore on.

With the return of -  2FJH  last Sunday, I was on the lookout for 30 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, plus any further returnees.  The way things panned out today, the Black-headed Gulls did not get my full attention.  The Finnish Common Gull that arrived back last Sunday, was going to be my main target should it appear today, and it did (read below).  I also ended up having lots of conversations with passers-by and the morning between one thing or another flew by.

By the time of my departure at 2pm, 20 colour-rings were read, meaning I had 10 absentees, though some may well have come and gone un-noticed.  No further returnees were spotted.  The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335  was recorded as usual at 10:39.  I had intended to obtain a photo of -  2AAB  when he appeared today, but it slipped my mind by the time he did appear at 11:54.   2AAB , has now surpassed the 12 year mark since being ringed, and is the oldest surviving Black-headed Gull from Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Project.   2AAB  was ringed as an adult male here at the Marina, on the 11th December 2012, which means the duration since being ringed, is now 12 years and 4 days.  Around Northern Ireland, there are a handful of Black-headed Gulls whose ages are not that far behind.

Without the presence of any swans today, no attempt was made to catch any gulls to be colour-ringed.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 15th December 2024

2BRA	2FFA	2CTA	2FFX	2FIL	2FJF	2FJX	2CSK	2FJT	2FJV
2FHC	2CJT	2FKA	2CSR	2AAB	2FJA	2AAN	2ACV	2ABN	2FJN

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

2AFD	2BRD	2FFH	2FFT	2FHV	2FIF	2FIJ	2FJH	2FJK	2FJL

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Normally when I arrive at the Marina at this time of the year I would look out for Mute Swans, as I would use their presence to enable me to catch Black-headed Gulls to be colour-ringed.  However, my thoughts since last Sunday have leaned towards the arrival of a Common Gull from Finland.  Having obtained a partial number -  ST1--.028 , on returning home I realised it was a bird last seen here back in March 2018, at an age of over 22 years old since being ringed in Finland.

I quickly noted there were no Mute Swans present, so before making counts of the Black-headed Gulls and Mallards, I searched for any Common Gulls.  Just a single un-ringed bird was present when I arrived at 10:05, but having just finished a conversation at 11:23 with a passer-by, where I told him about the Finnish Common Gull, there it was sitting on the top rail of the small concrete jetty.

Now the chase was on to confirm the whole ring number.  With the bird now well passed the 29 year mark, I needed a series of time-stamped photos of the ring so that my sighting could be verified.  My problem now was people.  With loads arriving to feed the ducks, the gulls flew all over the place trying to get their share of the bread being thrown out to the ducks.  Not only that, more Common Gulls were arriving at the same time chasing the Black-headed Gulls to force them to drop their bread.

No sooner had I relocated the Finnish bird and took a photo or two, and it was off again.  Time was of the essence, as I needed the photos should it depart.  At 11:31, the small Scottish female -  EY64036  had also arrived.  A quick count of the Common Gulls gave me a total of 11 birds, the 11th being the Finnish gull now standing on the far side of the car park.  Time after time, I took more photos and eventually retreated to my car to check through them.  Amongst them, I had five photos which confirmed the whole ring number -  ST177.028 .

The gull had been ringed as a juvenile in Finland on the 6th August 1995, and today's sighting takes the duration since being ringed to 29 years, 4 months and 9 days.  The full history of sightings at Antrim Marina are listed here :-

When ringed as a juvenile, it had been caught in a gull trap in the town of Maaninka in central southern Finland, and the distance to Antrim Marina is 2,124 kms / 1,319 miles (WSW).

Common Gull  -  ST177.028   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (15 Dec 2024)

(Ringed as a Juvenile, on the 6th August 1995, at Maaninka, Finland)

I needn't have panicked to obtain the whole number, as the bird was still present when I departed at 2pm.  In the past, it never stayed for so long, and even better, the gull was confident enough to walk along with the Black-headed Gulls right up to people throwing bread down, something I've never seen it doing before.  Very few Common Gulls would do that at Antrim Marina.  I wonder if this confidence also applies to the bird back home in Finland?  I have now submitted my sighting to the Ringing Centre at the University of Helsinki.  I am looking forwards to the recovery, as this will list any sightings back in Finland since 2018.

The small Scottish Common Gull -  EY64036  is also surprising me, as today's sighting is it's 7th for this winter - (4th August 2024 to 15th December 2024), with it's previous seven sightings spanning from - (16th August 2021 to the 14th January 2024).  Ringed as a chick on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston in North Ayrshire, it first appeared here as a juvenile in February 2014, and has returned every winter since then.  The duration as of today's sighting is 11 years, 5 months and 25 days, and the distance from Hunterston is 141 kms / 87 miles (SW).

After checking for Common Gulls when I arrived, my attention went back onto the other birds present.  No Mute Swans were present, though a pair swam in from Lough Neagh at 12:20.  They eventually came ashore onto the slipway, but neither were ringed.  I tried to offer them some brown bread, but with both birds hissing at me, I knew they were not too used to people.  Around 15 minutes later, they swam back out towards Lough Neagh.

When I entered through the barrier to the car park this morning, a man along with dog walked up to me.  Having noticed me here in the past, he informed me of a dead Mute Swan that he saw yesterday.  He reckoned it was a juvenile as it still had some brown feathers and it was also ringed.  The bird had been seen on the shore a short distance from where I would park car, the bird being found close to the start of Rea's Wood.  I took a walk round but could not find it.  Later, the same man stopped with me again, to say that the bird must have been lifted, as it had been reported to the staff in the 'Gateway Centre' yesterday.

Whilst at the edge of Rea's Wood, I scanned along the eastern shore of Lough Neagh with my binoculars, and noticed a large gathering of Mute Swans in a distant bay, with smaller numbers along the southern edges.  Why are they not appearing here in numbers like they did in the past?

They adult male Herring Gull, along with his juvenile were both present on my arrival.  The female arrived at 12:34, putting in one of her rare appearances over the last number of weeks.

A count of the Mallards gave me a total of 51 birds.  Because of the Common Gulls, I paid little attention to anything else, but I'm fairly sure numbers remained around the 50 mark.

A pair of Jackdaws were ever present, and the noisy small juvenile arrived shortly before my departure.  The juvenile is amusing to watch, as it tries to peck into all sorts of objects.  A pine cone was of particular interest.  Making some headway into pulling it apart, there would be very little to gain there.  A pair of Pied Wagtails were also present throughout today's visit. 

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Antrim Marina - Sunday 8th December 2024...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 8th December 2024

This week's weekly visit to Antrim Marina, was quite enjoyable even though Black-headed Gull numbers were not quite high.  Around 70 gulls were present on my arrival, with numbers remaining around that mark until just before 1pm, when none were present at all.  Up until then, there seemed to be a high turnover of gulls coming and going, whilst using colour-ringed birds as a marker.  Right from the start of my visit, lots of feeds were provided by the public, with a lot of bread, pellets and flakes being fed to the ducks which also saw the gulls gaining more than their fair share.

I arrived at 10:05 this morning, and it was another mild morning after the damage in Northern Ireland the day before when Storm Darragh ploughed through causing 100's of trees to be blown over with the high wind speeds.  The sky was at least 80% blue, with a fairly nippy easterly wind blowing in, and the temperature gauge in my car read 10ºC.  I had aimed to remain until 2pm, but with no gulls around since just before 1pm, I was going to quit for the day at 1:40.  How glad was I, having decided to wait as a small group of gulls arrived.  Along the slipway, were loads of uneaten bread and pellets, showing that the earlier birds had more than their fill.  At 2:17, a rather special Common Gull arrived which left me very excited (read below).

On my arrival today, I was on the lookout for 29 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, four of which were added to this winter's list last Sunday, the return of -  2AFD  from Latvia, and three newly ringed gulls -  2FJV ,  2FJX  and  2FKA .   2FJV  was an adult whose photo I managed to capture a short time after being ringed, but I now needed to obtain the first photos of juveniles -   2FJX  and  2FKA .  I was also hoping for more returnees, especially of those that are now well overdue, from Sweden, Estonia and Poland.

The first three rings read were -  2CJT  at 10:05,  2FHC  at 10:10,  2CSK  at 10:11, with the fourth also at 10:11 seeing me reach for my camera.  Having appeared with a very dirty ring, I had a new returnee -  2FJH .   2FJH , was one of eight Black-headed Gulls that I ringed here last winter, and up until now, was one of two which had not appeared until now, the other being -  2FJP .  With this late return, does it mean that -  2FJH  is a foreign breeder, hopefully time will tell.  It is now 1 year and 26 days since I ringed this gull.  Later on in the morning, I obtained a better photo of -  2FJH , when the ring was a lot cleaner.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJH   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Dec 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 12th November 2023, at Antrim Marina)

All three of the Black-headed Gulls which were caught and ringed last Sunday, were recorded today, and I managed to obtain my first photos of juveniles -  2FJX  and  2FKA .

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJX   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Dec 2024)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 1st December 2024, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FKA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Dec 2024)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 1st December 2024, at Antrim Marina)

My 16th sighting at 11:53, is really starting to impress me.   2CTA , announced it's arrival by landing on top of the security fencing in front of my car.  This gull ate from my hand for the first time ever last week, and sticking my hand out of my car window with bread, it came straight over to claim it.  As mentioned in my previous post, I believe this one is a foreign breeder, but once it does to return to the Marina, further sightings are normally few and far between.  Having said that, this is now the sixth week in a row that it has appeared here.

The returning Latvian -  2AFD , which arrived back last Sunday, was the 20th ring read today at 12:26.  With all the gulls having left just before 1pm, by 1:40, I was contemplating my departure, and a few gulls began to arrive back.   2ACV  at 13:50 and  2FJN  at 13:51 took my total for the day to 21, leaving me with 8 absentees.  By 2:15, gull numbers had increased to around 50 birds, but a Common Gull was about to 'steal the day'.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 8th December 2024

2CJT	2FHC	2CSK	2FJH	2FKA	2BRA	2FFA	2FIL
2CSR	2FJX	2FJL	2FJA	2AAN	2FJV	2FFX	2CTA
2AAB	2FJT	2FJK	2AFD	2ACV	2FJN

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

2ABN	2BRD	2FFH	2FFT	2FHV	2FIF	2FIJ	2FJF

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was recorded at 10:29.  I had no chance of catching any gulls today, as far too many people arrived to feed the ducks.  With the addition of -  2FJH  today, I will be on the lookout for 30 colour-rings next week, and fingers crossed another returnee or two.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Things are really looking upwards concerning the Mute Swans.  I like to use the swans to try and catch gulls on the slipway to be ringed.  Two pairs of swans were on the slipway on my arrival.  One pair, was the same which turned up recently, after weeks without any swans.  The other pair, when coaxed out of the water included the metal-rung -  X4707 .

 X4707 , was ringed as an adult male, on the 5th April 2024, at Bartins Bay, situated on the eastern edge of Lough Neagh, 21 kms / 13 miles (SSW) from Antrim Marina.  This swan was first recorded here during my random summer visits on the 21st and 24th May, and 7th and 23rd June 2024, along with it's partner.  Having began my weekly visits on the 4th August, it did not appear again until the 26th August 2024.  By the 1st September it's partner was missing, and still was not present on the 8th September.  Having had a chat with Danny, who is a volunteer with the Lough Neagh Rescue Service, I learnt that a Mute Swan had been found dead a couple of weeks back, which may have been the partner of -  X4707 .

The swan was not seen again until today, but having arrived back with a new partner, perhaps it was on it's 'honeymoon'.  It is now 8 months and 3 days since -  X4707  was ringed.

Mute Swan  -   X4707   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Dec 2024)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 5th April 2024, at Bartins Bay, Lough Neagh, Co. Antrim)

A count of the Mallards on my arrival gave me a total of 39 birds.  Shortly afterwards, the total easily surpassed the 50 mark, but after several feeds of bread and pellets, numbers had dropped to around 20 ducks by the time of my extended departure time of 2:40.  As usual, most if not all legs were checked for rings.

Not a single Common Gull was present when I arrived, with the first two adults arriving at 10:39 and 10:55.  A further two adults arrived at 12:03, and the total increased to five birds with the arrival of a juvenile at 12:45.  At this point, there was no sign of the metal-rung Scottish female.

As mentioned earlier, all of the gulls had disappeared shortly before 1pm, and by 1:40 I was going to call it a day.  Then the first gulls began to arrive back, and shortly afterwards, numbers had increased to around 50 birds, and seemingly lots of Common Gulls.  Once settled, I began counting the Common Gulls, with 6 on the small concrete jetty in front of me, including one with a metal-ring.  Zooming in with my camera, the Scottish female -  EY64036  was confirmed - now it's 6th sighting this winter, having returned on the 4th August 2024.

A juvenile Common Gull standing on the Yellow Navigation Pole was the 7th, whilst two others on the low wooden jetty took the total to 9 Common Gulls.  I then noticed one of the Common Gulls on the low wooden jetty was metal-rung.  After checking to see if -  EY64036  was still on the concrete jetty, I then knew I had a new gull.  Grabbing my camera, I took a photo of the bird before zooming into it's ring.  I had a problem, as the bird was standing on the outside edge of the jetty, and I was finding it difficult to photograph the ring at different angles to complete the number.

The ring was slightly taller than the standard BTO ring used on our Common Gulls so I knew I had a foreign bird here.  Having spotted the first two letters - ' ST ', I knew I had a Finnish bird, so I now needed six numbers, with a ' . ' between the first and last three numbers.  Unfortunately, a foreign gent moved away from his family on the slipway and walked towards to low wooden jetty.  I called for him to stop, but the gulls took off.  After explaining what had just happened, I tried to relocate the gull but could not find it.  Looking through the photos, the best I had, was -  ST1  at the start, and  028  at the end.  I gave up and headed home at 2:40.

Back at home, I downloaded today's photos onto my laptop.  Thinking about the  028 , was it possible that I had this bird here a few years back?  Checking my spreadsheet, my last sighting of a Finnish Common Gull here was in 2018, rung -  ST177.028  - surely this must be that same bird.

 ST177.028 , was ringed in Finland as a juvenile on the 6th August 1995.  My first encounter with this bird was made on the 14th February 2016, when I obtained a partial number -  S----.-28 , before completing the whole number two weeks later on the 28th February 2016.

Further sightings were made in January 2017 (twice), January, February and 19th March 2018, with this latter date taking the duration to 22 years, 7 months and 13 days since being ringed.  Having not seen it since, I had presumed that this gull had died.  My ex-ringing trainer, Neville McKee, also recorded a partial number on a Finnish Common Gull here in January 2010 -  ST1--.--8 .  

If today's sighting is -  ST177.028 , the duration would now be a nice 29 years, 4 months and 2 days since being ringed.  Previously, I knew the British record for a Common Gull had been 27 year plus, but on checking the Online Ringing Database, that record has now increased to 30 years plus.  Another point of interest, is the return date, which is the earliest ever, having never been recorded here before the turn of the year.  This means I should have plenty of time to obtain photos of the whole ring number.  I am going to need these before submitting the sighting to Finland, as the photos will have a date and time stamp for verification.

Common Gull  -   ST1**028   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Dec 2024)

The resident adult male Herring Gull was present on my arrival, and his youngster arrived at 12:54, with both moving on fairly quickly.  No sign of the female this time.

Whilst all of the gulls were away, a pair of Hooded Crows made repeated visits to gather and hide the loads of bread and pellets that had been left behind uneaten.  The pair of Jackdaws that had been present all morning did the same.  The Pied Wagtail pair seemed to be having a field day of their own feeding on the smaller crumbs.

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Antrim Marina - Sunday 1st December 2024...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 1st December 2024

Recently, I wrote about the mild weather conditions this autumn perhaps playing a role in the delay of returning foreign Black-headed Gulls.  With a few birds well overdue, last week I was hoping to see the return of -  2AFD , who, under normal circumstances would be the last of the foreign gulls to return.  There was no sign of him, but today he arrived back.

Recently, the weather has changed, as we have had a few frosty nights and also a little snow.  Arriving at the Marina today just before 10am, it felt mild again.  The sky was around 80% cloudy, with the sun peaking through the blue patches.  The temperature gauge in my car was reading 12ºC, and there was a light westerly breeze which strengthened slightly over the morning.

Around 70 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, and numbers easily topped the 100 mark a short time later, this being the highest total so far this winter.  With 25 Colour-ringed gulls to look for, by the time of my departure at 2pm, 17 had been recorded, leaving me with 8 absentees.

The first to be recorded at 9:59, was -  2FJF .  This gull was the only juvenile that was caught and ringed here last winter.  Not so long ago, I had wrote this bird off as having died, as it was missing for 8 visits in a row, but todays sighting makes it three in a row since it's 'reincarnation'.  It is a bit of a bully and normally stays quite close to my car, therefore, you can easily miss it when it is not about.

By 10:18, I had recorded 12 colour-rings, with big gaps between the final five sightings of the day.  The 13th ring was that of -  2FHC , which is a not a year round resident at the Marina.  Ringed as an unsexed adult on the 28th December 2020, as yet, there have been no summer sightings.  Each autumn since being ringed, it has always returned to the Marina by the time of my first weekly visit at the beginning of August.  Such an early return may well suggest it breeds not too far away, but as always, I need someone to spot it on it's travels.  The duration for this one, is now 3 years, 11 months and 3 days since being ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHC   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (01 Dec 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 28th December 2020, at Antrim Marina)

My 14th sighting was that of -  2CTA .  I made special mention of this gull in my previous post.  Reckoning that it is a foreign breeder, after returning to Antrim Marina, sightings are normally few and far between as I think it spends most of it's time somewhere around Antrim town.  Hard to believe it has now appeared for the 5th week in a row, but better still, for the first time ever, it took bread from my hand as I held it up above my head.  This proves to me that it is very confident to be around people, and therefore increases it's chances of being seen when travelling to or from its as yet unknown breeding site. 

My 15th sighting had me reaching for my camera.  At 12:30, the Latvian -  2AFD  landed on the rails of the small concrete jetty in front of me.   2AFD , was ringed as an adult male, here at the Marina, on the 12th February 2014.  Over the years since being ringed, it has been spotted on four occasions in the Riga area which is the capital of Latvia - April 2015 (3 times), April 2016 (2 times), March 2022 (once) and June 30th 2023, July 1st 2023.

The June 30th 2024, was made by a German tourist who spotted -  2AFD  at the Central Market in Riga where the fish merchant throws out scraps to the gulls, and the same tourist spotted the gull again the following day, 200 metres away at Riga's Central Station.  Ten days later on the 11th July 2023,  2AFD  was then spotted on the beach in Cromer, Norfolk, England.  This particular sighting was of special interest, as it tells me that the gull was spending a few weeks (staging) in England before returning to Antrim Marina, hence the late November return.

Last winter,  2AFD  announced his return by landing on the bollard directly in front of my car (19th November 2023).  My final sighting of him last winter was made on the 25th February 2024.  Unfortunately, he was not spotted on his travels during this past summer, but with his return, I now know he is alive and well.  The duration since being ringed, is now 10 years, 9 months and 19 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2AFD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (01 Dec 2024)

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

My 16th sighting was that of -  2FFX , who breeds at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, and my 17th and final sighting was the fourth appearance this winter of -  2BRD .  Although -  2BRD  was ringed here at the Marina, sightings here are few and far between, as I reckon it spends most of its time around the town of Antrim.  This winter -  2BRD  appeared for the first time on the 18th August 2024.  Every spring prior to the oncoming breeding season,  2BRD  would turn up at the lake at Lurgan Park in County Armagh.  As yet, we do not know exactly where it breeds at, but it could be somewhere along the southern shore of Lough Neagh.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 1st December 2024

2FJF	2FFA	2FJA	2CJT	2BRA	2CSK	2FJN	2FJT	2ABN
2FIL	2CSR	2AAN	2FHC	2CTA	2AFD	2FFX	2BRD	2AAB

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

2ACV	2FFH	2FFT	2FHV	2FIF	2FIJ	2FJK	2FJL

Despite the gulls having had their share of bread being fed to the ducks, with the presence of the Mute Swans on the slipway, I decided to try and catch a couple.  As mentioned in my previous post, the gulls were beginning to take risks, and today I caught my first three gulls for this winter.

The first caught was an adult, now colour-ringed -  2FJV , whilst the second two were both juveniles, now colour-ringed -  2FJX  and -  2FKA .  Juveniles, as well as 2nd winter gulls are good birds to catch, as they are of known age and their longevities can easily be monitored over time.  The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was spotted at 9:59 this morning, but by the time I tried catching a few gulls, it had already managed to obtain a few feeds and did not come near me at this time.

Having ringed three new birds, I kept an eye out for them to obtain some photos for my records.  The only one relocated afterwards was the adult -  2FJV .

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJV   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (01 Dec 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, Today, 1st December 2024, at Antrim Marina)

With the return of -  2AFD  from Latvia, plus the three newly captured birds, I shall now be on the lookout for 29 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls during my next visit, plus any further returnees.  Although some of my foreign gulls are now well overdue, it may be possible that they have returned, and have not appeared so far whilst I'm making  my weekly visits.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

A pair of Mute Swans were on the slipway when I arrived today.  Feeding them with some brown bread, I could easily tell that they were the same two that arrived here during my previous visit.  The male of the two likes to grab my skin near my elbow (I always have my sleeves pulled up) and pulls at my arm.  At the same time, I would pet him around his head and neck, and he seems to enjoy the interaction.

At 13:10, a female Mute Swan swam in from the direction of Lough Neagh with a large cygnet following.  They readily came ashore onto the slipway, where both approached me whilst I was waving a slice of bread.  Both fed from my hand, which tells me that the cygnet has gained enough experience to be around people.  None of these swans were ringed, but talking to a young lady going by the name of 'Andie', she told me that a metal-rung swan was here a couple of days ago.  'Andie', has been coming to feed the swans with what looks like 'Bran Flakes' of late.  I should have asked exactly what she was feeding them.  She had the birds feeding from the palm of her hand.

Female Mute Swan Along with her Cygnet  -  Antrim Marina  (01 Dec 2024)

Of late, there has been a welcomed increase in numbers of Common Gulls, and two adults were already present on my arrival today.  A third adult arrived at 10:32, and then a juvenile at 11:43.  A fourth adult landed on the rails of the small concrete jetty at 11:54, and this one was ringed.  Zooming into the ring with my camera, I could read -  EY64 , which was enough to confirm the latest sighting of the small Scottish female -  EY64036 .  This is now my 5th sighting record for this winter, having returned on the 4th August 2024.  Last winter, she was recorded on the one occasion - 14th January 2024.  

 EY64036 , was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston in North Ayrshire, Scotland.  I first recorded her here as a juvenile in February 2014, and she has been recorded every winter at the Marina since then.  The duration since being ringed, is now 11 years, 5 months and 11 days.  The Hunterston site no longer exists, so there is very little chance of her being seen at a nesting site now.  The distance from Hunterston to Antrim Marina, is 141 kms / 87 miles (SW).  All 67 sighting records have been made here at the Marina.  The 5th and final adult Common Gull of the day arrived at 12:29.

The resident male Herring Gull was present throughout my visit today.  At 10:32, a second adult arrived which appeared to be his mate.  The two stayed together for a long period of time before she departed.  It has been many weeks since she was last seen here.  Their youngster arrived at 11:43, along with a second juvenile Herring Gull and the juvenile Common Gull mentioned above.  The second juvenile Herring Gull only stayed for around 20 minutes.

Mallard numbers continue to be on the low side, with around 30 on my arrival.  Numbers slowly increased to about 50 by mid-morning.  As mentioned before, at this time of the year, the numbers are normally around the 100 mark.

1 Hooded Crow, the pair of Pied Wagtails and three Jackdaws were the only other species noted today.  One of the Jackdaws was the smallish juvenile.

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Antrim Marina - Sunday 24th November 2024...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 24th November 2024

Today, I arrived at Antrim Marina at the slightly later time of 10:30, as I had checked out a couple of other Black-headed Gull sites around the town of Antrim beforehand.  Oh dear, there was not one Black-headed Gull to be seen at these - the Junction One Shopping Centre Car Park (Roadworks in Progress), and the Castle Way Car Park in the centre of the town.

It was a sunny day with around 70% blue sky, meaning plenty of sunshine, though a fairly strong wind was blowing in from Lough Neagh.  The temperature gauge in my car was reading 11ºC, which is still very mild for this time of the year.  However, the forecast for the week ahead gave for frost and snow.

So far this winter, 25 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls have been recorded, and of late, a few foreign gulls which were expected to return have failed to appear.  This weekend should have seen the return of my Latvian breeding -  2AFD , which would normally be the last gull to return.  Having remained until 2:30pm, no further returnees were recorded.  Surely, I have not lost a Latvian bird, as well as birds from Sweden, Poland and Estonia, all in one go.  Then, there are also the two adults that I colour-ringed here last winter, which have also failed to show.

In the past from winter to winter, I might have lost a couple of gulls, but not so many in one go.  Last winter, I lost around half of 50 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, which was likely to have been the result of 'Bird Flu'.  This past summer, there has been very little mention of 'Bird Flu', so I was expecting better returns.

On my arrival today, around 60 Black-headed Gulls were present, with numbers slowly increasing as the morning wore on.  Shortly after 1pm, I made a head count, as most were nicely settled having had several feeds from passers by feeding the ducks.  I had a count of 99 gulls, which was easily the highest total so far this winter.  With 25 colour-rings to look for, from 10:30 till 11:26, I reached a total of 16 with the arrival of -  2AAB  at 11:26.  My total for the visit ended on 18, with the sighting of -  2FFT  at 12:26 and -  2FJN  being the last one at 13:44.

The stand out sightings, were those of -  2CTA  and -  2FFT .   2CTA  I reckon is a foreign breeder, and once it does return, I assume it spends most of it's time somewhere around the town of Antrim.  This winter, it arrived back on the 13th October 2024, but today's sighting makes this the fourth week in row that it has appeared at the Marina.

Black-headed Gull  -   2CTA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (24 Nov 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed 2nd Winter Bird, on the 10th December 2018, at Antrim Marina)

 2FFT  could also be a foreign breeding gull, and like the aforementioned -  2CTA , has yet to be spotted away from Antrim Marina.  Ringed at the Marina as an adult bird in December 2020, sightings here are few and far between, which was leading me to think that this gull was using the Marina as a 'staging post' before moving on to it's wintering site wherever that may be.  Since being ringed in 2020, only six sightings had been made up until the 1st October 2023, which happened to be the only sighting here last winter.

This winter, I recorded it's return on the 4th August 2024, with further sightings on the 11th, 18th and 26th August.  With a 5th sighting this winter on the 27th October, and now today's, the overall total of sightings has jumped by half this winter to a total of 12.  Perhaps it too, can be found somewhere around the town of Antrim.

The durations for both birds are 5 years, 11 months and 21 days for -  2CTA , and 3 years, 11 months and 3 days for -  2FFT .

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (24 Nov 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 21st December 2020, at Antrim Marina)

With the higher number of gulls present today, there was far more competition for the birds trying to obtain a share of the bread being fed to the ducks.  For some reason (possibly bad press in England), nobody seems to like the gulls and many folk try to shoo them away.  I had my rings ready today hoping to catch one or two, but they are still slightly shy of taking chances.  With a pair of Mute Swans present on the slipway, dropping bread around their feet, the gulls were almost in reach.  It can only be a matter of time now before I ring the first gulls for this winter.

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was recorded at 10:39.  It is not in the least shy in it's approach, and still eludes me.  Only centimetres remain between it and myself.  I really want to get a colour-ring fitted to this bird before it returns to Iceland next spring.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 24th November 2024

2FFX	2FFA	2FHC	2CJT	2FJF	2CTA	2FJT	2BRA	2CSR
2FIL	2AAN	2FJL	2ACV	2FJA	2ABN	2AAB	2FFT	2FJN

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

2BRD	2CSK	2FFH	2FHV	2FIF	2FIJ	2FJK

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

At last, I had a pair of Mute Swans on the slipway today.  It's been several weeks since I had birds on the slipway, although a pair with two cygnets swam past last week.  I tried to coax them onto the slipway, but they swan on down towards Lough Neagh.  Neither of today's swans were ringed, but I used their friendly nature to try and catch a gull or two without success.

Only a few weeks back, I mentioned about the lack of Common Gulls visiting the Marina so far this winter.  No sooner had I mentioned it, when they began to show up.  Today was a very good day, as I ended up with a total of 7 adults plus one juvenile present before I departed.

One adult was present on my arrival, with the 2nd at 11:15, 3rd at 11:49, juvenile at 12:08, 4th at 12:23, 5th at 12:48, 6th at 12:56 and the 7th at 13:15.  The small Scottish metal-rung Common Gull did not appear today, which means at least 8 adults are now visiting.  In past winter, numbers would have gone into double digits.

The resident adult male Herring Gull arrived at 11:29, and his youngster arrived at 12:08.  Much quieter now, the youngster tried to beg from daddy, but he was having none of it.  Even at that, this youngster looks to be more independent now.  There is still no sign of the female.

Around 50 Mallards were also present on my arrival.  Even after numerous feeds, the numbers remained around the 50 mark throughout my visit.

A pair of Pied Wagtails and 3 Jackdaws were the only other birds seen here today.  One of the Jackdaws was the small but noisy Jackdaw that first appeared a week or two back.  I've never seen such a small Jackdaw before. 

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From Suzanne Belshaw...

From Suzanne Belshaw

Four ring sightings have been reported to me by Suzanne, three of which are birds already spotted this winter, the fourth, a returning Black-headed Gull from Norway.

Regular wintering Oystercatcher, GW-GfN, was spotted on the 2nd November 2024, having previously been recorded by Suzanne on the 25th September 2024.  GW-GfN, was ringed as an unsexed breeding adult, on the 5th June 2015 at Mjóanef in Southern Iceland.  All sightings in Northern Ireland have been made at Whitehouse Lagoon adjacent to Belfast Lough.  It's first ever sighting here was made on the 6th September 2015, and the bird has returned to the Lagoon every winter since then.

Ringed Green over White on the left leg, the Green ring slipped inside of the White Ring in August 2019.  On the right leg, the bird was ringed with a Green Flag over a Black Ring (Niger), though the Green Flag had fallen off by April 2016.  These days, confirmation is made by the two remaining rings.

Altogether, this Oystercatcher has been recorded on 38 occasions at Whitehouse Lagoon over the years since being ringed, the duration now being 9 years, 4 months and 28 days.  Last winter, the bird was recorded on just one occasion (1st September 2023 - Suzanne Belshaw), though this was more like a lack of visits, rather than not being present.  During this past summer, it was spotted resting in the Vallarnes area on the 15th May 2024.  This single summer sighting was made just before the laying season began.

Whitehouse Lagoon lies 1,294 kms / 804 miles (SE) from Mjóanef.

Oystercatcher  -  GW-GfN  -  Whitehouse Lagoon, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (02 Nov 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Breeding Adult, on the 5th June 2015, at Mjóanef in Southern Iceland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Suzanne visited Kinnego Marina on the 21st November 2024, recording two Black-headed Gulls -  2BPN  and (White) 24X7.  Both birds had been reported by Graham Prole and Jan Rod at Kinnego which is close to the Discovery Centre at Oxford Island where they attended a BTO Ringing Conference on the 4th November 2024, with the two of them having travelled up from Dublin.

This latest sighting of -  2BPN  is now the 84th sighting record, all having been made at Kinnego Marina over the years since being ringed here as an adult female, on the 29th October 2014.  The duration is now 10 years and 23 days since being ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -   2BPN   -  Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh  (21 Nov 2024)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 29th October 2014, at Kinnego Marina)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw) 

(White) 24X7, has returned to Kinnego for a third winter running.  It was ringed as a chick on the 11th June 2022, at Hosehill Lake in West Berkshire, England and first appeared here in February 2023 as a juvenile.  It was still at Kinnego on the 8th March 2023, and was not seen again until the 11th October 2023 when spotted at the nearby Lurgan Park Lake.  By the 26th November 2023, it was back at Kinnego, and was last seen there on the 23rd February 2024.  

Graham and Jan, were the first to record it's return this winter (4th November 2024).  This latest sighting by Suzanne takes the duration to 2 years, 5 months and 10 days since being ringed.  Kinnego Marina is situated 492 kms / 305 miles (NW) from Hosehill Lake.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  24X7  -  Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh  (21 Nov 2024)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 11th June 2022, at Hosehill Lake, West Berkshire, England)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Also on the 21st November 2024, Suzanne recorded the return of a Norwegian Black-headed Gull - (White) J2234, at Lurgan Park Lake.  The gull first appeared here on the 14th November 2023, remaining till at least the 13th March 2024.  During this past summer, it was spotted on one occasion just outside of Oslo, in June 2024.

(White) J2234, was ringed as a chick, on the 11th June 2022, at Lyseren, Enebakk, Akershus & Oslo, Norway.  The first two re-sightings were made in February 2023, where it was spotted at Thetford, Norfolk, England.  This is interesting, as it obviously spent it's first winter in England, before changing it's wintering site to Lurgan.  The duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 5 months and 10 days.  The distance from Lyseren to Lurgan Park, is 1,200 kms / 745 miles (WSW).

My thanks again goes to Suzanne for her latest sightings along with the photos.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  J2234  -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (21 Nov 2024)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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BHG - Back in Spain...

Black-headed Gull back in Spain

On the 11th and 25th November 2024, I received two emails from César Fernández, concerning the return of Black-headed Gull -  2FAA , to the Avilés Estuary in Northern Spain.  A total of five sightings were made by César and associates of his, on the 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 22nd November 2024.

 2FAA , was ringed as a chick, on the 4th June 2019, on the island at Inch Island Lake in County Donegal.  All 22 sightings since being ringed, have occurred at the Avilés Estuary.  The first was reported by Mónica Álvarez Couceiro & César Álvarez, on the 13th February 2020, when the then juvenile was spotted 8 months and 9 days after being ringed.  This happened to be the only sighting during the 2019/2020 winter.

The gull was reported for a second time on the 21st January 2021, and since then, there has been multiple sightings each winter.  The full history is given below :-

Unfortunately, there has been no sightings of this gull back in Ireland, although I had a near miss back in September 2024.  A Sam Bayley sent me an email, to say he had spotted -  2FAA  on the 5th September 2024, at Kyrl's Quay in the City of Cork, with the addition of a photo :-

Black-headed Gull  -   2FAA   -  Kyrl's Quay, City of Cork, Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland  (05 Sep 2024)

(Photo Courtesy of Sam Bayley)

Having initially excepted the sighting, I was really delighted that the gull had been spotted back in Ireland, when I realised that the ring was upside down, and the letters should have read upwards and not downwards.  I began to look for the reason why there was two Blue -  2FFA's  on Black-headed Gulls.  Reporting the problem with Sam, he went looking for the gull the next day (6th), and discovered that the ring was Black and not Blue - some anomaly with his camera.

The latest sighting of -  2FAA , takes the duration to 5 years, 5 months and 18 days since being ringed, and the distance from Inch Island Loch to the Avilés Estuary, is 1,279 kms / 794 miles (S).  

My thanks goes to César Fernández for the sighting reports via his associates.  Having asked about photos, all recent sightings were made by the use of binoculars.  I have added a photo which was taken in December 2021, taken by Manuel Marcos and Guillermo Eguidazu.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FAA   -  Avilés Estuary, Avilés, Asturias, Northern Spain  (30 Dec 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 4th June 2019, on Inch Island Lake, Co. Donegal, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Manuel Marcos and Guillermo Eguidazu)

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