Common Gull - Blue 2CIP

Common Gull - Blue 2CIP

An email from Jack Morris on the 10th April 2024 provided a very much welcomed sighting of one of my Common Gulls that was colour-ringed on Rathlin Island.  Jack spotted -  2CIP  earlier that day on the shore of Laggan Bay on the west coast of the Isle of Mull, Scotland.  This was a first re-sighting for this bird which was ringed as a chick on the 27th June 2022 at Rue Point, Rathlin.  Having submitted Jack's sighting to the BTO, the recovery gave an official distance as being 135 kms / 83 miles north from Rathlin, and the duration since being ringed, was 1 year, 9 months and 14 days.

I began my colour-ringing project on Rathlin Island back in 2017.  With a breeding population that I estimated was around 100+ pairs, the aim of the project was to see how many colour-ringed chicks survive to full maturity to return and integrate into the overall breeding population.  Most immatures appear to avoid the island over the first two years, and begin to return to prospect nest sites, before breeding for the first time in the following year.

My project has been hampered with several poor breeding seasons and the possibility of bird flu effecting the number of chicks which fledge each year.  Although I have yet to see a Rat or Ferret during my visits to Rathlin, apparently there is a severe plague of both which is currently being dealt with, with a five year project to eradicate both species.  Apparently, they have been highlighted as a major cause of nest failure by feasting on seabird eggs and chicks.

The recently published 2023 Rathlin Island Bird Report (PDF), which has been produced by islanders Ric Else and Hazel Watson, gave a 2023 Common Gull breeding population as being around 161 pairs.  This is a good deal higher than my estimates, but does include accurate counts at two east coast colonies, where I could not gain permission from the landowner to visit the sites.  The total also includes a small previous unknown colony on the north coast of Rathlin.  The count did not confirm whether the nests had eggs or young.  The count therefore could be an over-estimation, as some immature pairs prospect nest-sites, with some actually building nests which are never used.

Over this past autumn/winter, only a few gulls have been reported away from Rathlin, which has been very disappointing.  From my experience, many of my gulls go un-noticed during the winter months, therefore the wintering sites for many of my gulls, remain unknown.  One exceptional sighting was reported to me on the 5th January 2024.  A chick -  2CJK ,  colour-ringed on the 19th June 2023 at the Arkill Bay colony, turned up on the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall - 596 kms / 370 miles (S).

My thanks goes to Jack for reporting -  2CIP , and for his permission to use his photo.  Hopefully the gull will return to Rathlin sometime in the future.  It's always nice to know that there are gulls out there that are still alive and well.  This one is just the second bird to have been spotted in Scotland, though Scotland is just a 'stones throw' away from Rathlin Island.

Common Gull  -   2CIP   -  Laggan Bay, Isle of Mull, Argyll & Bute, Scotland  (10 Apr 2024)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 27th June 2022, at Rue Point, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Jack Morris)

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Antrim Marina - (Sunday 31st March 2024)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 31st March 2024

Today saw me undertaking my final weekly visit to Antrim Marina for the 2023/2024 season, where I study a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls.  My wintering study at the Marina began in September 2013, but includes results from Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study, which began with the ringing of -  2AAA  on the 12th November 2012, at Antrim Marina.

Having made my first visit on the 31st July 2023, over the next few weeks, I quickly realised that many of my colour-ringed gulls had failed to return.  Having recorded around 50 colour-rings last winter, only 27 of those Black-headed Gulls were recorded this winter, which meant I had around 50% losses.  There is no doubting that 'Bird Flu' took a heavy toll on the gulls during the breeding season.  Overall wintering numbers of these gulls was also noted to be well down, as totals rarely exceeded the 100 mark, whereas in the past, 200+ would have regularly recorded.  These heavy losses amongst the Black-headed Gulls, were also noted by other birdwatchers working around their areas, with several foreign colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls having failed to return during the past winter.

I found it very hard to get motivated to go to Antrim Marina, as I knew most surviving gulls will have now departed to return to their breeding sites, and the expectations would be very low today.  I eventually got myself into gear and arrived at the very late time of 11:44am.  It was calm and sunny, with the temperature gauge in my car reading 14°C.  As the morning wore on, an increase in the easterly wind made it feel quite chilly.

Around 30 Black-headed Gulls were dotted around the Marina on my arrival, and they were already getting a good charge of bread being fed to the ducks.  Overall numbers did take me by surprise, as on several occasions 50 to 60+ were noted.  Another thing that caught my eye, was the number of juveniles present.  All through the winter, you could have counted the juveniles on one hand, sometimes adding a finger or two, but at one point, I had around 20 youngsters.

The reading of colour-rings was another drawn out affair, with just 9 being recorded by my departure at around 3pm.  The ever present resident -  2CJT  was the first ring read at 12:31, with the ring of -  2FJL  being the final ring to be read at 14:51.   2FJL , along with  2FJF , are both birds that were ringed during the autumn of 2023, along with 6 others.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJF   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (31 Mar 2024)

(Ringed as a Juvenile, on the 12th November 2023, at Antrim Marina)

One gull that I was surprised to see today, was -  2FIJ .  This was the 7th sighting here at the Marina this winter, which almost doubles previous sightings since being ringed here as an adult in January 2022.  Previously, I stated that I had strong suspicions that this is a foreign bird, which uses Antrim Marina as a 'staging post'.  After two initial sightings in August and September 2023, it did not resurface here until January 2024 with three sightings.  When spotted on the 25th February 2024, I thought this would be my last sighting until next autumn.  The gull's first four re-sightings were made on the 21st March 2022, 8th & 15th August 2022, and on the 12th December 2022.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIJ   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (31 Mar 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 10th January 2022, at Antrim Marina)

An adult Black-headed Gull bearing a BTO sized metal-ring, touched down onto the low wooden jetty at 1:33 and quickly took off again.  I kept an eye for the bird returning, but it never did.  If it stays in the locality to breed on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform', I may have a chance to capture the number in May or June during random visits.  I will not visit the Marina in April, so as to create a 'buffer' before recording the summering birds.

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was not seen today, so surely it must be well on it's way back to Iceland.  Despite all my efforts to try and catch this one to fit it with a colour-ring, I would very much doubt if the bird will be spotted back home, though I can look forwards to it's return to the Marina next autumn.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 31st March 2024

2CJT	2FJF	2CSR	2AAN	2FIK	2FIJ	2FFA	2FIL	2FJL

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

2AAB	2ABN	2ACV	2AFD	2BRA	2BRD	2CSK	2CTA	2FDJ
2FDK	2FDL	2FFT	2FFX	2FHC	2FHT	2FHV	2FIA	2FIF
2FIP	2FJA	2FJH	2FJK	2FJN	2FJP	2FJT

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As usual, the large numbers of Mute Swans present, caught my eye on my arrival.  16 (White) Mute Swans were counted, these include a couple of immatures.  The usual group of 4 cygnets stayed together at all times, these having hatched last summer, just upstream from the Marina.  No additional swans arrived, and all legs were checked, but no rings.

A Mallard count on my arrival, gave me a total of around 15 birds, but no further counts were made.  There was a noticeable absence of females, so I reckon a few are sitting on eggs, possibly in the scrub on the other side of the river.  Danny, who is a volunteer for the Lough Neagh Rescue Team arrived just before I departed at 3pm.  Danny stated that one duck arrived during the week with a brood of five or six ducklings, but there was no sign of them today.  I asked Danny if the man that went missing in December in Antrim Town had ever been found.  Sadly, he was found on the eastern shore of Lough Neagh around nine miles south from Antrim about two weeks ago.  He was in such bad condition, that it was not possible to say if there had been any 'fowl play' involved.

One adult, and two juveniles Common Gulls were perched on the rails of the concrete jetty where I parked my car.  One juvenile quickly flew off leaving me with the other two until 2:20 when a second adult arrived.  Presumably, the usual pair Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived at 12:40, and the resident pair of Herring Gulls finally arrived at 2pm.  The Mediterranean Gull which first appeared here two weeks ago, made several brief visits to raid bread from the Black-headed Gulls

Mediterranean Gull  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (31 Mar 2024)

At 1:31, a Buzzard suddenly appeared flying southwards low over the trees spooking all of the gulls.  It made a hasty return to the direction it came from when chased by a Lesser Black-backed Gull.  Two Rooks and 1 Hooded Crow made very brief appearances, whilst 4 Jackdaws made repeat visits.

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