Antrim Marina - Wednesday 10th December 2025...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 10th December 2025

Another Wednesday visit to Antrim Marina, followed the heels of 'Storm Bram' which passed through Northern Ireland yesterday.  I did not see any signs of damage around the Marina, but there was much debris and sand washed ashore on the small Sandy Beach and around the concrete jetty and the slipway.  Another problem, was the compound used by the dredging team has not been removed.  With two diggers, a barge and a tender boat, the Low Wooden Jetty is still being avoided by the gulls.

On my arrival, around 40 Black-headed Gulls were present and despite having gulls present at all times, numbers never surpassed the 60 mark.  This is still well down from what is expected for this time of the year.  Studying a wintering population, a number of these are colour-ringed so that their movements can be tracked.  So far this winter, I have recorded a total of 24 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls with some well overdue to return.  They are all likely to breed in foreign countries, with some destinations as yet unknown.  Each week, I undertake one weekly visit to read the ringed gulls present, and if possible, catch new birds to be ringed.

Today, I arrived at the later time of 11:40, and ended my visit at 2:30pm.  No new returnees were recorded today, though a Black-headed Gull with a White Darvic Ring was spotted on the concrete jetty just after 1pm.  When spotted, I was using my binoculars to check for any gulls with just metal-rings.  All that I noticed on the White Darvic was the letter 'E', as the gull disappeared behind a bollard.  Grabbing my camera, as I got out of my car, the gull flew off towards the breakwater and did not return.  Back at home, I checked the online cr-birding site, and this gull would have been ringed in The Netherlands.  Now, I am hoping that gull will put in another appearance so that I can capture the full code on the ring.

Of the 24 colour-rings that I have recorded this winter, I had read 10 rings by 12:49.  I then had to wait until 1:57 to record my 11th ring ( 2FFT ), which turned out to be the last for the visit.  It is bad enough having several overdue returnees, but to have 13 absentees as well today, asks the question - what is going on with the gulls?  Even the metal-rung Black-headed Gull from Iceland was absent for a second week running. 

There is not much more I can say at the minute which is frustrating.  A special note though for -  2FKA , which was the only juvenile ringed here last winter - it has recently surpassed the milestone of one year since being ringed.   2AAN  from Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study, will in contrast, reach it's 13 year milestone on the 21st December, when ringed here as an adult female. 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 10th December 2025

2FJA	2CSR	2FFA	2FKA	2CJT	2CSK
2ABN	2AAN	2FIF	2BRA	2FFT

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

2ACV	2BRD	2CTA	2FDK	2FFX	2FHV	2FIL
2FJF	2FJK	2FJN	2FJT	2FJV	2FJX

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Parking at my usual spot beside the small concrete jetty, 6 adult Mute Swans along with two cygnets were resting on the slipway.  After my initial count of all species present, my attention returned to the two cygnets.  I confirmed my suspicion that they were not siblings.  One which lay and slept for around two hours, was slightly smaller and it's plumage browner than that of the older youngster.  Once all of the adult swans stood up, I could see the metal ring of the resident female -  X4707 .  Later on, her youngster (the larger cygnet) and her mate made their way to the grass on the edge of the car park to feed.  In time, it also became clear, that the smaller cygnet was not related to any of the other adults.  I reckon that it was worn out due to 'Storm Bram' which blew through Northern Ireland yesterday.  Another pair of swans arrived from upriver at 12:40, with a single adult arriving in from Lough Neagh at 1:41pm, taking the total number of adults to 9.

Mallard numbers were slightly better this week, with around 50 birds present throughout today's visit.  Again, most if not all legs were checked for rings.

The resident pair of Herring Gulls were also present throughout my visit, along with this year's youngster and a second calendar bird which I still believe was last year's chick.  This one now has a badly injured left leg and limps very heavily when on the move.  Their father also had a leg injury a couple of week's ago and has the slightest of limps now.

Just a single adult Common Gull when I arrived today.  I took until 1:39 before a second adult appeared and by 2pm, 4 adults were present.  The metal-rung Scottish female did not appear today.  A high of 8 adults was recorded once this winter.

The adult Moorhen was also present throughout today's visit.  As usual, it walked up and down the long wooden jetty and the small concrete jetty eating the seagull droppings. 

1 Hooded Crow and a male Pied Wagtail were brief visitors, while a single pair of Jackdaws made repeated visits.

The Small Sandy Beach Obscured by Debris Following Storm Bram

(Note the Small Concrete Jetty Behind the Security Fence and my Car Overlooking the Jetty)

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Antrim Marina - Wednesday 3rd December 2025...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 3rd December 2025

Arriving at Antrim Marina today, I had expected to see all signs of the dredging operation all cleared up.  However, the compound was still present along with one digger and the barge along with it's digger was moored alongside the low wooden jetty.  Two men were present, and I watched them tidying up some of the equipment before departing.  It will be very useful to have the jetty clear for the gulls to rest on.

Arriving at 11:10, I departed at 2:30.  It was a murky/misty day which made everything look a bit on the dull side, with just a slight breeze.  The temperature gauge in my car read 6ºC.

This turned out to be yet another poor visit with very few birds about.  Studying the wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, some of the gulls have been colour-ringed here.  Last week, with the return of -  2CTA , this winter's total had increased to 24 colour-ringed gulls, with some yet to return.

Around 50 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, but numbers quickly dropped to the 30 mark which remained at that until I departed.  By 12:35, I recorded 12 colour-rings, with the 13th and final ring of -  2FJX  being recorded at 1:23pm.  This left me with 11 absentees today, and no sign of any further returnees.  Judging by the number of colour-ringed gulls present, there was a clear turnover of birds coming and going.

The visit was very boring, and a couple of conversations with passers-by helped to kill the time.  Once again, gulls standing on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre' did not help.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 3rd December 2025

2CJT	2FJA	2BRA	2FFA	2CSK	2FJT	2AAN
2FFX	2FKA	2ABN	2CSR	2FIL	2FJX

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

2ACV	2BRD	2CTA	2FDK	2FFT	2FHV
2FIF	2FJF	2FJK	2FJN	2FJV

During last week's visit to the Marina, I spotted a Black-headed Gull with a metal-ring.  After pursuing the bird, I managed to obtain enough photos to confirm that the ring number read -  EW40019 .  Having submitted my sighting to the BTO, I had hoped to get a recovery before I published my previous post.  The recovery arrived late on Monday afternoon.

 EW40019 , was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2021, at Whitaside Moor in North Yorkshire, England.  This sighting was the first since the gull was ringed, the duration being 4 years, 5 months and 5 days.  The distance from Whitaside Moor to Antrim Marina was given as 274 Kms / 170 Miles (W).  The gull was not seen again on today's visit to the Marina.

Black-headed Gull  -   EW40019   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (25 Nov 2025)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2021, at Whitaside Moor, North Yorkshire, England)

There was also no sign of the Icelandic-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335  during today's visit.  It is not very often for this gull to be absent during my weekly visits, albeit, it does appear late on sometimes.  Since returning on the 24th August 2025 for a third winter running, it has been recorded on 14 weekly visits.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On my arrival today, two adult Mute Swans and a single cygnet were lying down on the slipway.  The adults were a male and a female, but I could not see their lower legs to check for rings.  Eventually they stood up and I realised that they were the resident pair as the female is ringed -  X4707 .  The single cygnet is theirs and the only one left out of six.  Last week three cygnets were together, and the other three have not been seen 'Storm Amy' passed by.  A 3rd adult Mute Swan arrived in from the direction of Lough Neagh at 1:08.  At 1:35, the resident pair along with their youngster swam upriver towards Antrim Town.

The resident juvenile Herring Gull was present throughout my visit, and his father arrived at 11:25.  This gull had been limping slightly over the last two weeks, but looked ok today.  Mother paid a brief visit at 1:20.

Only two adult Common Gulls were seen today, the first, present on my arrival with a second arriving at 12:20.  A juvenile arrived at 1:28.  The highest number of adult Common Gulls recorded this winter stands at 8 birds.  I'm now keeping a special watch on these birds hoping for the return of the Finnish-rung -  ST177.026 .  Ringed as a juvenile in August 1995, if it does return, it will have surpassed the 30 year milestone.

The adult Moorhen was also present throughout today's visit.  As usual, it spent it's time walking up and down the jetties eating the seagull droppings.

Mallard numbers continue to be on the low side, with around 30 birds present throughout my visit.  Again, most if not all legs were checked for rings.

Just the one pair of Jackdaws today which made repeated visits.  The speckled looking Jackdaw that first appeared a few weeks ago, also made a brief visit, as did a pair of Hooded Crows and a male Pied Wagtail.

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On leaving the Marina, I drove to the Castle Way car park in the centre of Antrim Town.  Here, I was looking for the Latvian Black-headed Gull -  2AFD .  Caught and ringed at Antrim Marina in February 2014, this car park is it's favoured haunt these days, though it was once spotted at Antrim's Junction One Shopping Centre.  On parking, I threw out some bread which quickly attracted around 30 Black-headed Gulls, plus 1 adult and 2 juvenile Common Gulls.   2AFD  normally returns around the third weekend in October, but last year, the first sighting occurred on the 1st December 2024 at the Marina.  No sign of him today, but 'here's hoping'.

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Antrim Marina - Tuesday 25th November 2025...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 25th November 2025

My weekly visit to Antrim Marina was made on Tuesday 25th November 2025.  Aiming to arrive by 11am, local traffic meant that I did not arrive until 11:13.  It was a calm day with plenty of autumnal sunshine, with the temperature gauge in my car reading 6ºC.

Studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, overall numbers have been disappointing over recent weeks and today was not much better.  Some of the gulls have colour-coded rings which helps to track their movements.  So far this winter, 23 of these colour-ringed gulls have been recorded, with a small number now overdue to return for the winter.   2FJX , was the last returnee to be recorded back on the 14th October 2025.

The first thing that I noticed on my arrival, it looked as if the dredging crew were cleaning the confines of their compound.  After a quick check of the birds present around the Marina, I walked over to one of the workers to have a chat.  He confirmed that their dredging operations had finished and they would be leaving today.  This surprised me, as in the past, dredging began at the breakwater at the edge of Lough Neagh, working backwards towards the jetties at the Marina.  On this occasion, they were only requested to clear the area around the breakwater.  This was great news for me, as the gulls will once again have access to the 'Low Wooden Jetty' to rest on.

An initial count of the Black-headed Gulls gave me a rough total of 50 birds, with an unknown number resting on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre'.  After my chat with the workman, I began to look for colour-ringed gulls and soon spotted one with just a metal-ring.

Two weeks ago, I spotted a Black-headed Gull bearing a BTO metal-ring, but the bird flew off while I was in a conversation with a passer-by.  Having took a single photo of the ring which was fitted upside down, all I captured for certain were the digits - ' 356 '.  There was no sign of that gull during last week's visit, but shortly after my arrival today, I spotted an adult Black-headed Gull with a BTO sized metal-ring.  The gull was standing on the water's edge on the 'Small Sandy Beach'.  I only managed to get a single photo of the ring, when a juvenile Black-headed Gull chased my bird onto the water.  I knew I had another new gull, as this ring was fitted the right way up.

After this, I kept a special watch for the gull and in no time at all it appeared on the small 'Concrete Jetty'.  However, this gull was a bit 'feisty' and kept flying away.  Taking photos of the metal-ring was difficult as the sun reflecting off the ring made the digits hard to make out.  Luckily, I relocated the bird several times and I reckoned enough photos were taken to capture the full number.  

Retreating to my car, I began to piece the number together and happy days, I had -  EW40019 .  Back at home, I entered the number onto my BTO DemOn Ringing Account, to find that the gull was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2021.  Today's sighting was the first since it was ringed, but DemOn does not show ringing locations.  I then submitted my sighting to the BTO along with a few other ring sightings.

Eagerly awaiting for the recoveries to come back, I had to wait until supper time on Friday for those.  Out of 13 records submitted, I received 12 but the one I really needed for this post was not included.  I will now have to wait until Monday now, so the ringing details for -  EW40019  will be included in my next post.

Black-headed Gull  -   EW40019   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (25 Nov 2025)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

The number of Black-headed Gulls present ranged widely throughout the visit, from a high of around 60 birds, to none at all (thanks to two sets of canoeists and one paddleboarder).  The reading of colour-ringed gulls got off to a good start, with 9 colour-rings read by 11:56 ( 2CSK ).  The next three colour-rings took the total to 12,  2AAN  at 13:05,  2FIF  at 13:28, and  2FJN  at 14:10, leaving me with 11 absentees.  I had planned to depart at 14:30, and as I was beginning to pack up all of my gear, I spotted two gulls with Orange Darvics on the rails of the 'Small Concrete Jetty'.  At last, there was another returnee -  2CTA .

I had expected this gull to return around mid-October, but, better late than never.  I caught and ringed -  2CTA  as a second calendar year bird (hatched 2017), here at the Marina, on the 10th December 2018, with just one further sighting that winter.

Return dates each winter since the 2018/2019 winter are as follows :- 28th October 2019, 25th October 2020, 25th October 2021, just one sighting during the 2022/2023 winter (13th March 2013), 26th November 2023 and on the 13th October 2024.

There has not been any sightings of -  2CTA  away from Antrim Marina, but I strongly believe that this gull does breed in a foreign country.  Glad to see it back again, and the duration since being ringed is now 6 years,  11 months and 15 days.  Prior to today's sighting, I last recorded the gull here on the 9th February 2025.  My overall total of colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls this winter now sits at 24.  I had hoped to see the return of the Latvian -  2AFD , which normally returns around the third weekend in November.  He could be back, and may well be hanging out around the Castle Way car park in the centre of Antrim Town (a more favoured haunt these days).

Black-headed Gull  -   2CTA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (25 Nov 2025)

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

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was spotted on the 'Small Concrete Jetty' as I was parking.  A quick peek with my binoculars, saw the digits ' 335 ' on the upside-down ring.  Here for a third winter running, this gull was ringed in southern Iceland on the 14th July 2023 - duration now, 2 years, 4 months and 11 days since being ringed.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 25th November 2025

2FJA	2FFA	2CJT	2BRA	2CSR	2FJT	2FFX
2FKA	2CSK	2AAN	2FIF	2FJN	2CTA

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

2ABN	2ACV	2BRD	2FDK	2FFT	2FHV
2FIL	2FJF	2FJK	2FJV	2FJX

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On parking beside the 'Small Concrete Jetty', 5 adult Mute Swans and 3 cygnets were on the slipway, and a sixth adult was on the 'Small Sandy Beach'.  The female Mute Swan -  X4707  was on the slipway, which meant the three cygnets belonged to her.  She did have six cygnets altogether, but the other three have not been seen since 'Storm Amy' passed through a few weeks back.

5 adult Common Gulls were also present on my arrival (2 on the Concrete Jetty and 3 on the Long Wooden Jetty.  Among the two on the 'Concrete Jetty', was the small Scottish-rung female -  EY64036 .  Check last week's post about this gull.  Common Gull numbers did not surpass the 5 recorded at first, though a max of 8 adult Common Gulls have been recorded this winter.

The juvenile Herring Gull belonging to the resident pair, was present throughout today's visit.  It's parents made a brief visit together at 12:26 before flying off again.  The second calendar year Herring Gull arrived at 13:30, and I'm still certain by it's behaviour, it is last year's chick belonging to the resident pair.

Mallard numbers were low again, with around 30 birds on my arrival.  Numbers remained more or less around that number, and most legs were checked for rings.

The adult Moorhen was also present throughout my visit.  As usual, it could be seen feeding on the gull droppings - not a good idea should any of the gulls catch 'Bird Flu'.

Just the one pair of Jackdaws today.  In years gone by, between ten and twenty Jackdaws would have visited.  Like everything else here, numbers have dropped over recent years.  A single male Pied Wagtail, made up the list of other birds.

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Antrim Marina - 19th November 2025...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 19th November 2025

This week's weekly visit to Antrim Marina was made on Wednesday 19th November 2025.  Arriving at 10:45am, I had intended to stay until 2pm, but, with a lack of birds about I departed at 1:30pm.  The temperature gauge in my car read a chilly 4ºC, with 50/50 blue sky and cloud.  There was a light breeze though I knew the Marina was being shielded from a stronger northerly wind due to the trees on the opposite side of the river which flows into Lough Neagh.  There were three quick but heavy showers, the first at 11:45 was rain, the second at 12:38 was of sleet and the third just after 1pm was of snow.  The dredging operations that began last week were still ongoing and will take several weeks before completion.

Studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, I undertake a once weekly visit to record the colour-ringed gulls that were ringed at the Marina.  So far this winter, 23 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls have been recorded with a number of birds still to return.  The last returnee was that of -  2FJX  on the 14th October 2025.  Today's visit turned out to be another disaster due to the lack of all species present.

Around 40 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, with numbers ranging from just 25 to 60 birds during my visit.  The first ring read was that of -  2CSK  at 10:48, and my 11th and final ring read being the above mentioned -  2FJX  at 11:10, leaving me with 12 absentees today.  No further colour-rings were read over the next two hours and twenty minutes, and once again, no new returnees.  An unknown number of gulls rested on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre' which did not help.

Long gone are those days where two to three hundred Black-headed Gulls could be seen on most weeks.  In recent years 'Bird Flu' seems to have taken its toll on the gulls, and locally, the breeding population has suffered due to a lack of insects (especially Mayflies) after eggs have hatched, this caused by the pollution of Lough Neagh (Blue-Green Algae) killing the submerged insect life.  I used to enjoy the challenge of reading as many colour-rings as possible on my weekly visits, but these days, visits are long and boring.

As I parked up beside the small concrete jetty, I could see the Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335  on the ground on the other side of the security fence.  A quick look through my binoculars, I could see the digits ' 335 ' on the upside-down ring, which was enough to confirm the sighting.   543335 , is back for it's third winter here since being ringed in southern Iceland in July 2023.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 19th November 2025

2CSK	2FJT	2FJA	2FKA	2CJT	2BRA
2FFX	2ACV	2CSR	2FIL	2FJX

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

2AAN	2ABN	2BRD	2FDK	2FFA	2FFT
2FHV	2FIF	2FJF	2FJK	2FJN	2FJV

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As I approached my parking spot beside the concrete jetty, a pair of Mute Swans along with 3 cygnets could be seen swimming away from the slipway, making their way upriver.  I had know way of knowing, if this was the resident pair, which until a couple of weeks back, had six cygnets - their mother being ringed -  X4707 .  No other swans appeared during the visit, and as I was preparing to depart at 1:30, the pair along with three cygnets returned.  As soon as they landed onto the slipway, I was able to confirm the female -  X4707 .  What has happened to the other three cygnets?

On parking, not only did I record the Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , but among 4 adult Common Gulls, was the small Scottish-rung female -  EY64036 .  This is now my fourth sighting of her this winter, having returned on the 31st August 2025.  She first appeared here as a juvenile in February 2014, and has returned every winter since then.  Ringed as a chick on the 20th June 2014, in Hunterston, North Ayrshire, the duration since being ringed, is now 12 years, 4 months and 30 days.  Today's total of four adult Common Gulls was not exceeded, but a high of eight has been recorded so far this winter.

Common Gull  -   EY64036   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (19 Nov 2025)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2014, at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, Scotland)

The juvenile Herring Gull belonging to the resident pair was present throughout today's visit and it's father arrived at 11:10.  He is still limping slightly.  A second 'bulkier' juvenile appeared briefly at 12:50.

Mallard numbers have gone down again.  Around 30 were present at first, and by 12:45, just 8 birds remained.  As usual, most legs were checked for rings.

The adult Moorhen was also present throughout the visit, making it's way backwards and forwards between the concrete and long wooded jetties.  As noted during my last two visits, this bird is foraging on the droppings from the gulls.

A female Sparrowhawk flew low over the Marina at 1:22, flying from the woodland opposite and heading towards the golf course directly south.  All of the gulls lifted into the air, but they soon settled down again.

One pair of Jackdaws, a single Hooded Crow and a male Pied Wagtail, were the only other birds noted today.

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Antrim Marina - Wednesday 12th November 2025...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 12th November 2025

Reaching the ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) barrier at Antrim Marina, my heart immediately sank with what I saw in front of me.  The 'Dredging Crew' were back again, which will mean that a few weeks of disturbance lies ahead.  They were here on one previous occasion, though I cannot remember when that was.  The dredging operation sees them starting at the breakwater leading into Lough Neagh, and over time, moving closer and closer to the Marina.  The silt which is brought ashore beside the 'Low Wooden Jetty', is taken away by lorries.  This will mean the 'Low Wooden Jetty' is no longer available to the gulls to rest on.

Having passed through the ANPR barrier, the pontoon carrying the JCB digger was just passing the 'Short Concrete Jetty' where I park my car, making it's way out to the entrance of Lough Neagh.  In the first photo below, my parking spot is beside the bend in the fencing just passed the swan on the left.  The next two photos cover the compound beside the 'Low Wooden Jetty'.

The Barge Loaded With the JCB Digger Passing the Short Concrete Jetty on it's Way Out to Lough Neagh  (12 Nov 2025)

First of Two Views Beside the Low Wooden Jetty at Antrim Marina  (12 Nov 2025)

The Second View Beside the Low Wooden Jetty at Antrim Marina  (12 Nov 2025)

(Note :-  Where the Two Vans are Parked, is Where the Crack Willow Tree Stood Which has Recently Been Removed)

(See Main Photo at the Foot of This Page)

This next photo shows the pontoon in place and the 'Tender' making it's way out to be loaded up with silt.

Barge in Place at the Breakwater with Silt Tender Making it's Way Out  (12 Nov 2025)

I arrived at the Marina at 11am this morning.  Weatherwise, it was cloudy and calm, with the temperature gauge in my car reading 11ºC.  After last week's disastrous visit, and seeing the 'Dredging Crew' today, I felt like leaving for home straight away.  Having said that, today's visit ended up being better than expected.

Around 50 Black-headed Gulls were present when I arrived, and numbers held up fairly well throughout my visit with numbers ranging from 40 to 70 gulls.  So far this winter, 23 Colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls have been recorded, a number which has remained static for a few weeks now.  Although this was a reasonably good visit, no further returnees were recorded today.   The reading of colour-rings progressed fairly well from the off, and then I spotted a new gull.

Just after 11:30, I grabbed my camera and took a walk to the side of the 'Gateway Centre' which gives an easy view onto the 'Long Wooden Jetty' opposite.  Scanning through the legs of the gulls, I spotted -  2AAN , and then noticed a Black-headed Gull with a meta-ring.  The ring was fitted upside down and looked to be a British sized metal, which I took a photo of.  Looking through the remaining gulls -  2ABN  was also present.

My focus now, was to obtain the full number on the new gull with the metal ring.  Whilst moving to a closer position to zoom in with my camera, a gent on a bicycle stopped me to ask if I was the 'Environment Man' - having noticed the plates attached to the rear doors of my car - 'Environmental Study Vehicle'.  I explained that I had nothing directly to do with the Environment, but it was the 'Local Councils' way of allowing me to bring my car into the Marina.  I told him about my Black-headed Gull Study and the use of 'Colour Coded Rings'.  By the time our little conversation ended (about 10 minutes), my gull with the metal-ring had flown away and did not return.

Back at home, I looked at my single photo, and it was a 'British' ring, and the address 'London' could clearly be seen.  All that I could clearly see of the number, was the digits ' 56 '.  Preceding these, was, what looked like an ' L ' followed by a ' 8 ' or ' 3 '.  Although the letter before the 'L' could not be seen, I knew it had to be an ' E ', which is always used on that size of ring.

I then went online to check the number on the 'BTO's' Live DemOn Ringing Database.  First entering - ' EL85601 ' then moving through the final two digits, I found that this series was mostly used on Stone Curlews of various ages.  I then tried ' EL35601 ' and so on, and found many matches for Black-headed Gulls, also of varying ages.  With the given dates, I reckon this Black-headed Gull was likely to have been ringed as a chick in June 2019.  However, DemOn does not show ringing locations.  I will now keep a special lookout in case this gull returns over the winter and try to capture the full number.   

Black-headed Gull  -  Possibly    EL356 **   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Nov 2025)

Altogether, I recorded 17 out of 23 colour-rings, which left me with 8 absentees today.  One thing that was surprising about today's visit, the gulls were not at all phased by the dredging operations or the noise that went along with it.

The Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335  arrived at 12:28, having been spotted on the 'Long Wooden Jetty'.  These days, this jetty is favoured more by the Common Gulls, but with the 'Low Wooden Jetty' unavailable, the jetty had far more Black-headed Gulls on it than normal.  Being a calm day, an unknown number of gulls were also perched on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre'.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 12th November 2025

2FFA	2FJT	2ACV	2AAN	2ABN	2CSK	2FJA	2CJT
2FIL	2FFX	2BRA	2CSR	2FIF	2FKA	2FJN

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

2BRD	2FDK	2FFT	2FHV	2FJF	2FJK	2FJV	2FJX

With no further returnees of late, I have listed below, the gulls that I am still waiting on.   2AAB , is a year round resident at the Marina.  Last seen during March of this year, it was not recorded during the breeding season on random visits.

Two others on this list, is -  2FIJ  and  2FJL .  Both were recorded during random summer visits, therefore, they probably bred on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform'.  Neither have been seen since I began my weekly winter visits.  I will not write them off just yet.

 2AFD  and  2FDL , are known to breed in Latvia and Sweden respectively.  The return of -  2FDL , could be a hit or a miss. as it is not a regular winter visitor these days.   2AFD  however, normally returns by the third weekend in November.

 2FFH , was not added to the list, as it was found dead in a colony in the Netherlands in April 2025.

 2FHC , should have returned in August, but it's breeding site is unknown.  It is now looking as if this bird has perished.  This could be the same for -  2FJH , last seen here in February 2025, and -  2FJP , last seen here in March 2025.

 2FIX , made a single appearance last winter.  Since being ringed, prior to that sighting, I had wrote the gull off due a long period of absence.  The status for this gull now, is a rare visitor (possibly on passage to it's breeding or wintering site).

As for the remaining gulls, their breeding sites are not known, but all may well be breeding in foreign countries.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded Last Winter at Antrim Marina but Absent so far This Winter

2AAB	2AFD	2CTA	2FDL	2FHC	2FIJ	2FIX	2FJH	2FJL	2FJP

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On my arrival, 8 adult Mute Swans were present, as well as three cygnets.  One of the adults was the metal-rung female -  X4707 .  She is the resident breeding female, and should have had six cygnets with her.  On two occasions, we have had an adult male with three cygnets visiting.  Danny from the Lough Neagh rescue team, said these three cygnets are usually seen on the Lough around the nearby Rea's Wood area.  After a short period of time, I discovered that today's three cygnets did belong to  X4707 , so I'm wondering what has happened to the other three.

Mallard numbers were reasonably good today.  Around 50 were present on my arrival, with around 50 still present when I departed.  As usual, most if not all legs were checked for rings.

A 2nd Calendar Year Herring Gull, and this year's juvenile Herring Gull, were present throughout my visit, sometimes practically standing together.  I'm still fairly sure that the second year bird, is last year's chick belonging to the resident pair of Herring Gulls.  Their father arrived at 11:50, and still has a slight limp.  At 1:37, the resident male started to call loudly, and on looking up to the top of a lamppost, his mate had arrived.  A second 'bulky' looking juvenile made a brief appearance at 12:05.

The first Common Gull arrived at 11:50, this being an adult bird.  A second adult appeared at 12:42.  A brief appearance of a Lesser Black-backed Gull was recorded at 12:25.

In my post last week, I mentioned the appearance of an adult Moorhen which was actively eating the droppings of the Black-headed Gulls.  I had seen this on one occasion a few years back, thinking that was not normal.  Last week's Moorhen was back on the 'Long Wooden Jetty' today and once again, eating the droppings.  Perhaps this is normal for them, though I have no idea how common this would be. 

Adult Moorhen Eating the Black-headed Gull Droppings  -  Antrim Marina  (12 Nov 2025)

Two pairs of Jackdaws made repeated visits.  Brief appearances of a pair of Hooded Crows and a male Pied Wagtail made up the remaining list of sightings.

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Antrim Marina - Tuesday 4th November 2025...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 4th November 2025

This post is a wee bit late in being published, but a few problems at home needed sorting out first.  Disaster of all disasters - my mobile phone fell out of my pocket in my back garden shattering the screen.  With the cost of a replacement screen running at roughly half the cost of a new mobile, the latter was the best option.  Having purchased a new mobile, I then had the laborious task of downloading all of my favourite apps which also needed my login details to be added.  If that wasn't bad enough, the washing machine packed-up, leading to another new appliance.

My weekly visit to Antrim Marina on Tuesday 4th November was also a disaster.  This surely had to be the worst weekly visit for a very, very long time.  Arriving at 11am, it was calm and sunny, with the temperature gauge in my car reading 15ºC.

Studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, just 31 were present as I parked my car beside the small concrete jetty.  Little did I know at that time, overall numbers never surpassed that original count.  Throughout the visit, an unknown number of gulls were perched on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre', which did not help when trying to read Black-headed Gulls with colour-coded rings.

So far this winter, 23 colour-coded rings have been recorded.  From 11am through to 12:31, 15 of those rings were read leaving me with 8 absentees.  I had intended to stay until 3pm, but, with no further rings read for two hours, I called it quits at 2:30.  No new returnees were recorded, which is worrying.  Is the mild weather a factor for the delay, or something more sinister such as 'Bird Flu'.  In the Northern Ireland News of late, 'Bird Flu' was confirmed on a chicken farm and separately in a flock of turkeys, leading to the destruction of both.

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335  appeared at 11:51.  This bird which was ringed in July 2023, returned for the third winter running, on the 24th August 2025.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 4th November 2025

2CSK	2FJA	2FFA	2CJT	2FJN	2FJT	2CSR	2FIF
2BRA	2AAN	2FKA	2FIL	2ACV	2FFX	2FJX

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

2ABN	2BRD	2FDK	2FFT	2FHV	2FJF	2FJK	2FJV

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Just 19 Mallards were present on my arrival and by 1pm, not a single duck was present.  A couple were seen on the river near the breakwater leading into Lough Neagh.

Just two adult Mute Swans were on the slipway on my arrival.  A further two adults arrived independently from Lough Neagh, at 1:14 & 1:50pm.  For a second week running, there was no sign of the resident female and her six cygnets.  None of today's swans were ringed.

The resident male Herring Gull was present throughout my visit.  I noticed that he has a slight injury to his right leg and was limping slightly.  His juvenile youngster arrived at 12:22, with mother arriving at 13:24.

Two adult Common Gulls were present at first with one soon departing.  The distinctive remaining bird was seen several times as he came and went.  Not a good day for Common Gulls either.

An adult Moorhen made a brief appearance on the long wooden jetty.  Watching it, this bird was eating the more 'meatier' bits of the gulls droppings.  I had seen this behaviour a few years back, and at that time thought it was a 'one off'.  Perhaps this is more common than I thought.  It is not a really good habit, considering the possibility of 'Bird Flu' in the area.

Two pairs of Jackdaws were frequent visitors, but no sign of the new 'speckled' bird seen last week.  Most times when the Jackdaws arrive, the check the bowl of the pellet dispenser just in case.

As stated above, this was definitely not a very good visit.  Even my camera is getting bored!!!

As I publish this on Monday 10th November, the forecast for tomorrow is to be poor, so it looks like being a Wednesday visit this week

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Antrim Marina - Monday 27th October 2025...

Antrim Marina - Monday 27th October 2025

I arrived at Antrim Marina at the later time of 11am this morning.  It was a cloudy day, which at times broke for a little sunshine to pass through.  The wind was very light and the temperature gauge in my car read 12ºC.

Around 60 Black-headed Gulls were present which was the high for the day.  Numbers fluctuated throughout the visit, ranging from around 25 to 50 birds.  So far this winter, 23 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls have been recorded, but worryingly, there were no new returnees during today's visit.  With the month of October coming to an end, normally a couple of more gulls should have returned by now, especially -  2CTA .  All I can do, is to keep my fingers crossed.

Of the 23 colour-rings read so far this winter, 17 were read today, leaving me with 6 absentees.  One of these six absentees is -  2FJF , which was spotted in Scotland on the 18th October.  I thought it may have nipped over to Strathclyde Country Park to get an Indian takeaway, where they throw out the scrapes for the gulls.

My 13th sighting today, at 12:27, was that of -  2BRD .  This was the 3rd sighting of the gull this winter.  It arrived back on the 24th August and was also present the following week (31st August).   2BRD , is a winter visitor around Antrim Town, making irregular visits to the Marina.  It was caught and ringed here on the 1st February 2015, as an adult male.

Each spring prior to the onset of the new breeding season, it travels down to Lurgan Park Lake in County Armagh.  Where this gull breeds at, is still unknown.

Black-headed Gull  -   2BRD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (27 Oct 2025)

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

At 13:41, I spotted a 'Black-headed' Black-headed Gull.  If memory serves me correctly, I had a 'Black-headed' Black-headed Gull here last winter.  Could this be the same bird?  If so, it's appearance at this time of the year may suggest it is a foreign bird.  Most Black-headed Gulls loose their chocolate brown 'hoods' during the winter months. 

A  -  'Black-headed'  -  Black-headed Gull  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (27 Oct 2025)

The Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335 , walked right up to my car as soon as I got parked.  Knowing what it wanted, I threw a few bits of bread out which he caught in his beak. 

One thing that I especially noted whilst feeding the swans on the slipway.  The gulls are really eager now, trying to get a share of the bread.  Coming really close, they should be catchable from now onwards.  I might make an extra visit or two solely for ringing sessions rather than reading rings.  A recent email from Suzanne Belshaw, said, she had seen similar behaviour among the gulls at Lurgan Park Lake.  The birds were coming right up to her looking for feed.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 27th October 2025

2FFA	2FJA	2CJT	2BRA	2AAN	2CSK	2FJT	2FKA	2FJX
2FIL	2CSR	2FJK	2BRD	2FIF	2ABN	2FJN	2FFT

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

2ACV	2FDK	2FFX	2FHV	2FJF	2FJV

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Parking beside the concrete jetty, three adult Mute Swans were on the slipway.  A fourth adult swam in from the direction of Lough Neagh at 12:53.  Eventually coming ashore on the slipway, non of these swans were ringed.  No sign of the resident female and her six cygnets today.

Around 40 Mallards were present, with that total slowly decreasing over the visit.  By the time of my departure, around 15 remained.  As normal, most if not all legs were checked for rings.

4 adult Common Gulls were perched on the rail of the concrete jetty as I parked up.  These gulls came and went throughout my visit, but a check at 1:10, gave me a total of 7 adults.  One of these, was the small Scottish-rung female -  EY64036 .  This was my third sighting of her so far this winter - once in August and once in September.  Last week, I had a winter high of 7 adult Common Gulls, though the Scottish female was not among them.  This now means, I have at least 8 adults visiting the Marina.

Common Gull  -   EY64036   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (27 Oct 2025)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, Scotland)

The resident male Herring Gull was present throughout my visit.  At 1:10, as I was counting the Common Gulls, the juvenile Herring Gull arrived.  It landed on the archway where it's father was perched and began begging for food.  Dad was not interested and ignored the youngster. 

For most of my visit, two pairs of Jackdaws were coming and going.  Shortly before 2pm, a new Jackdaw appeared on it's own.  Unlike normal Jackdaws, this one was speckled.

A 'Speckled' Jackdaw  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (27 Oct 2025)

A pair of Hooded Crows and a pair of Pied Wagtails made brief visits.

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