Antrim Marina - (Sunday 18th February 2024)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 18th February 2024

In my previous post, I wrote about the death of Black-headed Gull -  2FJJ .  I caught and ringed this gull as an unsexed 2nd Winter Bird, here at the Marina, on the 12th November 2023.  After being ringed, I recorded the bird regularly during my weekly visits to the Marina, including last week - Sunday 11th February 2023.  Sadly,  2FJJ  was reported dead the following day, and was reported to DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) via the 'Bird Flu' hotline by a member of the public.  It was subsequently collected for testing for the virus.

During the week, a recovery was received from the BTO, giving Michelle Thompson from DAERA as the finder, though I knew she had received a copy of the recovery as it was herself that submitted the bird.  I contacted Michelle via the listed email address, and Michelle was able to furnish me with the test results.  I knew by my final sighting of -  2FJJ , it was in very good health and could not possibly have 'Bird Flu', and the 'Negative Results' confirmed my assumption.  Seeing as -  2FJJ  was found at Castle Gardens, 1km east from the Marina, my suspicions now rested on a possible strike by a Sparrowhawk.  I have asked Michelle, if any photos were taken before the gull was lifted.  I am still waiting on a reply, but a scattering of feathers would confirm that the gull had indeed been hit.   2FJJ  would have hatched out during the 2022 breeding season, and when found, had been ringed three months to the day earlier.

Today, I arrived at Antrim Marina at 10am, it was calm and sunny, with the final whips of a morning fog disappearing fast.  The temperature gauge on my car was reading 9°C.  As I was parking my car beside the small concrete jetty, around 20 Black-headed Gulls that were perched there on the rails suddenly took to the air and flew off.  The culprits, were three paddleboarders, a father and his two sons?, who came down river from the Antrim Town direction.

For the first time in weeks, there was no sign of the Lough Neagh Rescue Team, but later in the morning, a Rescue Vehicle did appear on the main road into the car park.  I asked one member of the team about the missing man, and he has still not been found.  He went missing back on the 17th December 2023.

The first gulls began returning around 10:40, with the ring of -  2CJT  being the first to be read at 10:43.  With the untimely loss of -  2FJJ , I was on the lookout for 34 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, which included 7 birds that had been caught and ringed here this autumn.  By 11:41, the ring of -  2FJT  was the 17th to be read.  Just four further rings were read, taking the total for this visit to 21 - 11:45 -  2CSR , 11:54 -  2FIF , 11:54 -  2FIK  and 1:32 -  2FJL .  Overall numbers varied widely, from just a couple of dozen birds, to a maximum of around 70 by midday.

With 13 absentees today, a look at my Antrim Marina spreadsheet showed up four gulls of note.  Two of these have had just a single sighting this winter -  2FFT  and  2FHT , whilst -  2FIA  has not been seen since the 26th November 2023, having been regularly recorded from the beginning of August.  The fourth is the Swedish -  2FDL , who was late in returning to the Marina, and has only been seen once since.

Four other gulls recorded today, have not been recorded on a regular basis, including two adults that were ringed here this winter -  2FJN  and  2FJL .   2CTA , which was ringed here in December 2018, had been written off as dead by me earlier this autumn, and announced that it was still alive on the 26th November 2023.  Today's sighting is now the sixth record for this winter, with the head looking really dark now as the new breeding season approaches.  As yet, we have no idea as to where -  2CTA  goes to in the breeding season, though I would suspect it is a foreign bird.  The Latvian -  2AFD , is one of the Marina's star birds.  In recent years, it has rarely visited the Marina, preferring to 'hang out' at the Castle Way cark park in the centre of Antrim Town, but due to much reduced Black-headed Gull numbers this winter, gulls have only congregated at the car park on one occasion.  I have no idea where -  2AFD  is going to now, but today's sighting at the Marina is the sixth for this bird.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJN   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Feb 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 3rd December 2023, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2CTA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Feb 2024)

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

Black-headed Gull  -   2AFD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Feb 2024)

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

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Feb 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 3rd December 2023, at Antrim Marina)

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was spotted at 11:25.  This bird has regularly been recorded here throughout the winter, since first being spotted on the 8th August 2023.  It continues to come quite close to me, but I still cannot catch it to fit a colour-ring.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 18th February 2024

2CJT	2FIP	2AAN	2FJN	2CTA	2ABN	2FFX
2FHC	2CSK	2FJF	2ACV	2FDJ	2BRA	2AAB
2AFD	2FJA	2FJT	2CSR	2FIF	2FIK	2FJL

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

2BRD	2FDK	2FDL	2FFA	2FFT	2FHT	2FHV
2FIA	2FIJ	2FIL	2FJH	2FJK	2FJP

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

15 (White) Mute Swans and the four locally reared cygnets were present on my arrival.  I had just parked beside the short concrete jetty, when a staff member from the Gateway Centre beside me stopped by for a chat.  She was aware that I was studying the gulls, but was left fascinated when I explained that I was studying a wintering population, with colour-ringed birds turning up in so many different countries.  I was also informed, that a male Mute Swan was found dead here during the week, and had been removed by a Council Parks Warden.  She had no idea whether the bird had been picked up for testing.  The lady had not heard of any other swans being found dead locally in recent weeks, as I explained that the metal-rung -  Z78580  had gone missing.  A further three adults flew in from the direction of Lough Neagh at 10:50, taking the total to 18.  Again, all legs were checked, and still no further sign of the metal-rung bird. 

The female Herring Gull was also present on my arrival.  At 11:27 she began calling out loudly, and looking around, the resident male arrived high in the air flying from the direction of Antrim Town.  No Common Gulls were present at first, with a juvenile appearing at 11:09.  Just three adults turned up today, arriving at 11:44, 12:27 and 13:33.

Mallard numbers still remain low, with counts totalling between 24 and 29 altogether.

The adult Moorhen was spotted on a number of occasions feeding on the other side of the river, and did not come over to my side until 11:18.  No sign of the juvenile this week. 

The sighting of four Goldfinches, may well be a first at the Marina (at least as far as I can recollect).  I spotted them at 10:25 feeding on seed on the small sandy beach, which someone had thrown down for the swans.  Just 2 Jackdaws completed today's other species.  In the past, as many as 14 Jackdaws would have spotted here, so what's happening to the Jackdaws?

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Antrim Marina - (Sunday 11th February 2024)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 11th February 2024

Before I begin this Sunday's account, I must make mention of an email received during the week from the Icelandic Bird Ringing Centre.  At last, the ringing details for a metal-rung Black-headed Gull, had arrived.  As I was told, the gull was likely to have been ringed during the summer of 2023, but details from the ringer had been requested.  The Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull -  595818 , had been recorded on two occasions at Antrim Marina this winter - 12th November 2023 and 28th January 2024.  The gull was ringed as an unsexed adult, on the 11th July 2023, at Akureyri, a town close to the north coast of Iceland.  The distance to Antrim Marina, was given as 1,379 kms / 857 miles (SSE), and the duration since being ringed, was 6 months and 17 days, as of the 28th January.  Akureyri, is also the sighting location of -  2FHV  which did not appear during today's visit.

Arriving at Antrim Marina today, a slight fog was quickly burned off by the sun, leading to a bright day, with an initial temperature of 6°C, and just a slight westerly breeze.  A nice collection of Black-headed Gulls were well settled around the Marina, which led to an easy count of around 74 birds.  The first ring to be read, was that of -  2AAB , which was ringed at the Marina, and is now Northern Ireland's oldest colour-ringed Black-headed Gull - at 11 years, and 2 months since being ringed as an unsexed adult.

Less than 30 minutes later, the 18th ring to be read, was that of -  2ACV  at 10:35.  I reckoned that I was in for a good total for the day, however, just two further ring sightings were made at 11:37 -  2AAN , and 12:29 -  2FDK .  With 20 rings read altogether, I had a total of 15 absentees.  Many of the gulls are now developing their 'black hoods', which means that the new breeding season is fast approaching.

My 10th sighting today, was that of -  2FJJ , and sad news of this gull was reported to me the next day.  An email arrived with me from Ronan Owens of DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs), to say that -  2FJJ  had been reported to them via the Avian Influenza Hotline, as dead on Monday 12th February 2024, by a member of the public.  The gull was subsequently recovered and will now be tested for 'Bird Flu'.  When I recorded -  2FJJ  today, the gull showed no signs of illness, and was very active in pursuing bread being thrown out to the ducks.   2FJJ  was caught and ringed at the Marina this winter (12th November 2023), as an unsexed 2nd calendar year bird (hatched 2022).  It was discovered in the grounds of the nearby Castle Gardens, 1km east from the Marina.  When found, it had been three months exactly since it was ringed.  I have requested a copy of the test results, but I reckon it did not have 'Bird Flu', and due to the nature of the area where it had been found, could it have been hit by a Sparrowhawk?

One Black-headed Gull was spotted hunched-up beside the wall of the slipway.  This one was definitely ill, and later, had parked itself under the bushes beside the small sandy beach.  It might well be suffering from the 'Bird Flu', but once you see birds in this condition, there is not much hope for them.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 11th February 2024

2AAB	2FJA	2FFX	2FIP	2FJF	2BRA	2FIF	2CJT	2CSK	2FJJ
2FFA	2FHC	2FJT	2FIL	2FIK	2CSR	2ABN	2ACV	2AAN	2FDK

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

2AFD	2BRD	2CTA	2FDJ	2FDL	2FFT	2FHT	2FHV
2FIA	2FIJ	2FJH	2FJK	2FJL	2FJN	2FJP

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , which has regularly been recorded since the 8th August 2023, was spotted again at 10:14.  Overall numbers decreased from my initial count, and varied wildly from 20 to 40 gulls.  Once again, with so many feeds from the public, I could not tempt the gulls to come close to me to be caught and ringed.   543335  is fairly fearless, but remains just inches away from being captured.  Time is quickly fading away to fit a colour-ring to this gull before it departs to Iceland for the summer.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

17 (White) Mute Swans and the 4 cygnets that were hatched upriver from the Marina during the summer, were present on my arrival.  A further three adult swans flew in from the Lough at 11:49, taking the total to 20.  I say (White) Mute Swans, as some are definitely immature birds.  The metal-rung -  Z78580  has not been seen since the 14th January 2024, and I am now fearing the worst for this bird.  It was ringed here as a juvenile, on the 15th November 2020, the duration being 3 years, 1 month and 30 days when last seen.

Mallard numbers remain pitifully low.  23 birds were counted on my arrival, and 29 were present when I departed.  One all white duck, which had been seen here since my first visit in late July, has now disappeared as well.  This bird, which was paired to a Mallard, was here last winter.  All legs were checked today, but still no rings this winter.

The resident pair of Herring Gulls did not appear until 10:38 this morning, remaining throughout the remainder of my visit.  One adult Common Gull was present on my arrival, with a second adult, along with two juveniles arriving almost together at 10:24.  By 12:18, I had five adults, with a 6th arriving at 12:42.  The small metal-rung female from Scotland, was absent again, with just a single sighting this winter.  A Lesser Black-backed Gull made a brief appearance at 11:53.

A Kingfisher was heard calling as I parked beside the small concrete jetty.  I could not locate it, though I reckoned it was flying upriver at the time.  Both the adult and juvenile Moorhens were also present throughout todays visit, and 4 Jackdaws made up today's list of other birds.

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I now have a nice list of ring sightings from other observers, but unfortunately I'm having trouble in finding time to blog on these.  Even this blog post is very late to be published, as normally I would prefer to get it out by Friday at the latest.  As I finish this post, it is now supper time on Sunday evening, and I was at the Marina earlier today undertaking my latest visit.  During the week, my landlord had decided to replace our radiators for newer more economical radiators, which has led to some upheaval around the house.

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Antrim Marina - (Sunday 4th February 2024)

Before I begin on this weeks account for Antrim Marina, I must make mention of an email that I received this week.  Tirso Fernández from Galicia in Spain, was directed to contact me with ten Black-headed Gulls that he recorded at Antrim Marina, back on the 10th December 2023.  These sightings were made around 3:30pm.  All ten gulls had been recorded earlier that day during my weekly visit.  My thanks goes to Tirso for taking the effort to make sure I obtained these sightings, all of which were backed up with photographs.  I replied with full re-sighting histories for each gull, but only the Estonian -  2FDJ  has a history of any worthy note.  Although Tirso has not got back to me, I would assume he was in Northern Ireland on holiday at that time.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded by Tirso Fernández at Antrim Marina on Sunday 10th December 2023

2AAB	2AAN	2BRA	2CSR	2FDJ	2FIP	2FJA	2FJF	2FJJ	2FJN

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Antrim Marina - Sunday 4th February 2024

Today, I arrived at Antrim Marina at the slightly later time of 10:20, departing at 2:45pm.  On my way to the Marina, I stopped by the Castle Way car park in the centre of the town of Antrim, just in case the Latvian Black-headed Gull -  2AFD  might be there.  For the first time this winter, a small flock of around 40 Black-headed Gulls were standing around the car park, but my gull was not among them.  Seeing as -  2AFD  did not appear at the Marina today, I called by the car park again on my way home, but there was still no sign of him.

At the Marina, a very strong wind was blowing in off Lough Neagh, and the showers of drizzle were practically non-stop.  The temperature gauge in my car read 9°C, though it felt a lot colder.  A head count of 41 Black-headed Gulls were dotted all around the car park.  Not many were keen on standing on the metal rails of the jetties for too long.

With 35 colour-rings to look out for, the first was that of -  2ACV  at 10:25.  Recording rings was a slightly slow process, and by 12:04, what was to be my final colour-ring sighting, was that of the juvenile -  2FJF  which was ringed here on the 12th November 2023.  The Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , which has been here since the 8th August 2023, was also spotted again at 11:30.

During last weeks visit, I had my second sighting of another Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  595818 , having first recorded it here on the 12th November 2023.  At 12:14, I spotted a metal-rung Black-headed Gull on the top rail of the short concrete jetty directly in front of my car.  Seeing as the ring was on the gull's right leg, I thought this was going to be another sighting of -  595818  ( 543335  is ringed on the left leg).  Scoping this bird, I noted a ' 6 ' in the number, and unlike Icelandic rings, the address was below the numbers - I had a new sighting.

Camera in hand, I took a photo of the gull, and a zoomed in shot of the metal ring, revealing ' 645 ' and the beginning of the word Stockholm - a Swedish bird.  The sighting could not have occurred at a worse time, as a couple of folk arrived to feed the ducks.  Eventually, I managed to relocate the bird and managed one more photo before it flew off again, disappearing completely.  The second photo revealed the final two digits ' 88 ', but I knew Swedish rings have seven numbers in total -  645**88 . 

I remembered, that I recorded a Swedish bird here in more recent winters, and when I returned home, I made a search of - Sweden ' 645 ' on my spreadsheet, and found a match.  Unfortunately, that bird which was recorded here on the 17th February 2020, was rung -  6453864 .  I doubt whether I will see the gull again this winter, but I have entered the partial sighting onto my spreadsheet for future reference should it reappear again.

Swedish Black-headed Gull  -   645**88   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (04 Feb 2024)

Despite having recorded my final colour-ring at 12:04, I had hoped for a flurry of late arrivals, as was the case last week.  It wasn't to be, so my final total finished on 18, with 17 absentees.  No further returnees have been recorded since the late return of the Swedish -  2FDL , on the 28th January 2024.  Overall numbers fluctuated widely throughout the morning, with a maximum number of an estimated 70 Black-headed Gulls around 13:10 (Photo Below).  Once again, with all of the birds having had several feeds, I made no attempt to catch and ring any new birds.

Ducks, Swans and Black-headed Gulls Spread Out Over The Car Park

The Small Concrete Jetty is Just to the Left Behind the Fencing

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 4th February 2024

2ACV	2FJJ	2AAN	2CSR	2BRA	2FIK	2ABN	2FIP	2CSK
2FIF	2FJA	2CJT	2AAB	2FFA	2FFX	2FHC	2FJT	2FJF

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

2AFD	2BRD	2CTA	2FDJ	2FDK	2FDL	2FFT	2FHT	2FHV
2FIA	2FIJ	2FIL	2FJH	2FJK	2FJL	2FJN	2FJP

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On my arrival today, 13 Mute Swans and two cygnets were already out of the water standing around the slipway.  A third cygnet announced it's arrival having flown down river from the direction of Antrim town at 11:01, and was followed at 11:20, by a further 6 swans and a 4th cygnet.  I'm fairly certain, that the four cygnets were siblings having hatched during the summer a short distance upstream.  With all legs checked for rings, there was no sign of -  Z78580 , for the third week in a row.  I asked Danny, who volunteers for the Lough Neagh Rescue Team, if he had heard of any swans having been found injured over recent weeks, but he has not heard anything.  Danny and his team mates had been out searching the nearby shore's of Lough Neagh for the man who has been missing since the 17th December 2023.

This must be the worst week ever regarding the Mallards.  Just 14 birds were present when I arrived, with just 27 present by the time of my departure.   Upwards of 100 birds would normally be found here in previous winters, but I have not got a clue as to what is going on with these birds.  All legs were checked, but still no rings this winter.

Talking of low numbers, not a single adult Common Gull appeared today.  Two juveniles were spotted at 10:55 and 1:06pm, and I know these were different birds, as the first had heavy black feathering around the wing butts.  It was really surprising not to record at least a couple of adults.

The usual Herring Gull pair arrived at 10:38, closely followed by the 3rd calendar year bird which first appeared a couple of weeks ago.  It did not hang about for long, as it was constantly being chased by the resident pair.

Both the adult and juvenile Moorhens were present throughout my visit.  The juvenile is growing ever confident being around people.

One Hooded Crow and a single Rook, both made brief appearances, and a pair of Pied Wagtails appeared several times.  A Cormorant spent around 30 minutes fishing along the length of the Marina before flying out towards Lough Neagh.

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Antrim Marina - (Sunday 28th January 2024)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 28th January 2024

This week's weekly visit to Antrim Marina, was undertaken in exceptionally unseasonable conditions as the temperature was reading 12°C on my arrival just before 10am.  It remained dry, with heavy cloud cover and a fairly strong wind was blowing in from the direction of Lough Neagh.

With the long overdue return of the Swedish Black-headed Gull -  2FDL , recorded on the 14th January 2024 (expected in late November 2023), I was on the lookout for 35 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, which included 8 birds ringed this winter.

On my arrival, 70 to 80 Black-headed Gulls were already present, and as things 'panned out', this was a high for the day, as numbers dropped off slightly.  The ring of -  2FFA  was the first to be read at 9:59am, the total slowly building up to 20 by 11:35, with the sighting of -  2FJN  which is one of the gulls ringed this winter.

For some unknown reason, all of the gulls departed from the Marina at 12:30, almost one hour after the 20th ring had been read.  With 1:30 quickly approaching and with still no gulls about, I was contemplating the thought of departing, when a few birds arrived.  In no time at all, around 30 Black-headed Gulls were back, with 5 more ring sightings being added.  This took the day's total to 25, with 10 absentees.  Strangely, none of the gulls recorded earlier, returned in this bunch.

A few 'key' rings were read today, which included the second sighting of the Swedish -  2FDL  mentioned above, as well as the Estonian -  2FDJ , and the Latvian -  2AFD .  I had hoped that the Icelandic -  2FHV  would appear as well to complete the quartet of known foreign gulls.

 2ACV , was once spotted at a breeding colony at Leighton Moss in England, but last summer, I spotted the gull at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, though I was unable to record the gull nesting there.  Having said that,  2FFX  was spotted several times on a nest on the reserve, and was recorded on the same nesting platform in 2022 as a prospecting immature.  The whereabouts of the breeding site of -  2ABN  is still unknown, but one pre-season sighting saw the gull south-west from Antrim, possibly moving towards Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, or possibly further afield to the Republic of Ireland.   2AAN , has been recorded during the breeding season at the town of Larne in County Antrim - the nearest breeding colony would be the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve on Larne Lough.

 2AAB ,  2BRA ,  2CJT  and  2CSR , are year round residents at Antrim Marina and may all be nesting on the nearby 'former' Torpedo Platform, which was used to test torpedo's during World War Two.  There is a small 'rooftop' nesting Black-headed Gull around buildings close to the former Enkalon Factory in Antrim Town, and a few pairs also nest on the rooftop of the Tesco Warehouse at Kilbegs in Antrim.  The status of several gulls with Blue Darvics, is still unknown, as they have been ringed during more recent winters.   2FIJ , which was recorded today, has my suspicions as being a foreign bird due to the lack of re-sightings since being ringed in January 2022.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 28th January 2024

2FFA	2FIF	2CJT	2ABN	2ACV	2FIK	2FIP	2FJJ	2FDJ
2FJT	2FIJ	2FJH	2FDL	2AAB	2FFX	2FJF	2AFD	2AAN
2BRA	2FJL	2CTA	2CSK	2CSR	2FIL	2FJA

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

2BRD	2FDK	2FFT	2FHC	2FHT	2FHV	2FIA	2FJK	2FJN	2FJP

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was recorded again at 10:53.  This bird was caught and ringed at Laugarvatn on the 14th July 2023, and was first spotted at Antrim Marina on the 8th August 2023.  Since it's arrival, the gull has been recorded on most weekly visits.  Today's sighting is the 23rd record for the gull this winter, and it has now been 6 months and 14 days since it was ringed.  The distance from Laugarvatn is 1,332 kms / 827 miles (SE).  With all of the gulls having had a good feed of bread from visitors, there was still no chance for me to catch this gull so that I could add one of my colour-rings.  I'm desperately trying to colour-ring this gull before it returns to Iceland in the spring.

The ring on -  543335 , is fitted upside-down on the gull's left leg, and at 11:01, I spotted another metal-rung Black-headed Gull, though the ring on this bird was on it's right leg.  Grabbing my camera, the chase was now on, to try and obtain the whole number.  It really was a chase, as the gulls kept on flying about due to the feeds they were getting.  Each time I relocated the gull, more photos were taken, and I eventually retreated back to my car to work out the number.  It soon became clear, that this was another bird from Iceland, and once the number was pieced together, I realised that this was a second sighting this winter of -  595818 , this being confirmed once I returned home to check my records.

My first sighting was made here on the 12th November 2023, and I soon discovered that the gull was very confident being around people.  At the time, I reported my sighting directly to the Icelandic Bird Ringing Centre, and in their reply, they had to contact the ringer concerned for the ringing details.  Only recently, I made a second contact asking for details, but the ringer has yet to get back to them, though they reckoned the gull was ringed sometime during 2023.

I will now submit this second sighting, but I reckon I will be kept waiting for a while yet.

Black-headed Gull  -  Iceland   595818   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (28 Jan 2024)

(Still Waiting for the Ringing Details)

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As usual, the large number of Mute Swans grabbed my attention on my arrival, and a quick count gave me 19 birds and no cygnets.  An adult, along with one cygnet arrived from up-river at 11:13, and a further two cygnets at 12:15, also from up-river.  The 21st (White) swan and a 4th cygnet arrived in un-noticed.  The four cygnets stayed together after this, and I was safely assume they were the four reared nearby during the summer.  All legs were checked, and for a second week running, there was no sign of -  Z78580 .

Interestingly, the resident adult male Herring Gull was absent today, though the female that arrived here a few weeks back was present throughout my visit.  Just before I departed at 2pm, a 3rd calendar year Herring Gull alighted on top of the yellow Navigation Pole.  I am certain, that it was the same bird that first appeared here last week.  For a second week in a row, a Lesser Black-backed Gull appeared and came and went throughout the morning.

Not a single Common Gull was present on my arrival, with five birds arriving almost together at 10:20.  A juvenile appeared at 12:20.  No sign of the small metal-rung Scottish female, which has been recorded on a single occasion so far this winter.

Mallard numbers are still very low, with 30 birds slowly decreasing to 12 birds by the time of my departure.  As stated previously, numbers should be in and around the 100 mark for this point of the winter.  As normal, all legs were checked for rings.

The adult Moorhen was again present throughout my visit, with the juvenile arriving at 10:57.

1 Rook, 1 Hooded Crow, 4 Jackdaws and a pair of Pied Wagtails were also noted today.

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