From Suzanne Belshaw...

From Suzanne Belshaw

Suzanne Belshaw has been in touch with her latest ring sightings.  A few other sightings had been reported earlier in January which were added to my spreadsheets, though I hadn't the time to do a blog post on them.  However, a certain Herring Gull deserves a mention here,

Close to Suzanne's home in Lisburn, County Antrim, the returning Herring Gull was recorded on two occasions - on the 5th and 12th January 2025.   T9VF , was first recorded in Lisburn by Suzanne as a juvenile bird on the 3rd November 2019 (see photo below), with a further three sightings there, the final one being made on the 8th March 2020.

Having reported the 5th January 2025 sighting to Mark Fitzpatrick who is the ringing coordinator for the Isle of Man gulls, Mark replied with an updated history for Suzanne's bird.  After Suzanne's sighting in March 2020, the gull was not seen again until the 30th July 2024, when spotted back on the Calf of Man where it had been ringed as a chick on the 3rd July 2019.

These latest sightings complete the full history for this gull to date.  I can imagine Suzanne's delight having recorded the gull again so close to her home after several years have passed by.  The distance from the Calf of Man to Lisburn, is 96 kms / 59 miles (WNW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 5 years, 6 months and 9 days.

Herring Gull  -   T9VF   -  Lisburn, Co. Antrim  (05 & 12 Jan 2025)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 3rd July 2019, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Herring Gull  -   T9VF   -  Lisburn, Co. Antrim  (03 Nov 2019)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Suzanne visited Kinnego Marina situated on the southern shore of Lough Neagh on the 17th and 20th January 2025.  On both occasions she recorded Black-headed Gull -  2BPN , a regular at the Marina over many winters now.  The bird belongs to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study, and is the only surviving one of five Black-headed Gulls colour-ringed at the Marina in October 2014.

 2BPN , was ringed as an adult female at Kinnego Marina on the 29th October 2014.  Suzanne's sighting on the 20th January 2025, is the 84th record of the gull, with all sightings having been made at Kinnego.  During the peak breeding months of May and June,  2BPN  has only been recorded on one occasion, and that was at Kinnego Marina back on the 4th May 2015.  This single sighting may suggest that this bird breeds at a site not too far away, though exactly where is unknown.  The duration since being ringed, is now 10 years, 2 months and 22 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2BPN   -  Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Antrim  (17 & 20 Jan 2025)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

During Suzanne's second visit to Kinnego Marina on the 20th January 2025, she also re-sighted Black-headed Gull - (White) 24X7, which is a more recent winter visitor to the Marina.  (White) 24X7, was ringed as a chick, on the 11th June 2022, at Hosehill Lake in West Berkshire, England.  The gull first appeared at Kinnego Marina as a juvenile bird, when spotted by Suzanne, on the 14th February 2023 (see photo below).

It's return this winter was recorded on the 4th November 2024, when spotted by Dubliners Graham Prole and Jan Rod, who attended a BTO conference at the Discovery Centre at nearby Oxford Island.  Kinnego Marina is not regularly visited, therefore (White) 24X7, may well have returned a few weeks earlier.  With Suzanne's latest sighting, it is now 2 years, 7 months and 9 days since being ringed as a chick.  The distance from Hosehill Lake to Kinnego Marina, is 492 kms / 305 miles (NW).

There has been a total of 12 re-sightings here altogether, with all but one having been recorded at Kinnego Marina.  The exception was on the 11th October 2023, when Suzanne recorded the bird at nearby Lurgan Park Lake.  Via my DemOn Ringing Account, I checked on the metal number for (White) 24X7 to gain it's full history.  Other than those reported in County Armagh, the gull has yet to be recorded anywhere else.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  24X7  -  Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh  (20 Jan 2025)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  24X7  -  Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh  (14 Feb 2023)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

On the 26th January 2025, Suzanne had another visitor close to her home in Lisburn, although this one was no stranger there.  Black-headed Gull -  2ACP , was ringed at the Sprucefield Shopping Centre, as an unsexed adult bird on the 3rd February 2013.  The distance from the Shopping Centre to Lisburn, is a mere 2 kms / 1 mile (N).

 2ACP , is another bird belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study, with all 48 re-sightings to date, having been recorded at the Shopping Centre or close to Suzanne's home.  So far, there have been no breeding season sightings (March to June), so there is no clue as to where this bird's breeding site may be.  The duration since being ringed, is now 11 years, 11 months and 17 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2ACP   -  Lisburn, Co. Antrim  (26 Jan 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 9th February 2013, at Sprucefield Shopping Centre, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

The final bird from this latest bunch of sightings, was one of my Black-headed Gulls from my Antrim Marina Study where I study a wintering population of these gulls.  I caught and ringed -  2FFN , as an unsexed adult bird at the Marina on the 14th December 2020.  After being ringed, it was not seen again at the Marina by the time I ended my weekly visits at the end of March 2021.

Having resumed my weekly visits in August 2021,  2FFN  finally appeared again on the 11th October 2021, which was the only sighting over the 2021/2022 winter.  Interestingly, this gull has not returned to the Marina since, but I fell in with it at Whiteabbey on the shore of Belfast Lough on the 27th August 2022.  All four re-sightings since then, have also been recorded on the Whiteabbey Shore - 8th October 2023 (myself), 3rd January 2024 (Steven Fyffe), 3rd February 2024 (Suzanne Belshaw), and this latest sighting by Suzanne on the 28th January 2025.

This is the 6th record for this gull since being ringed, with the duration being 4 years, 1 month and 14 days.  Whiteabbey is situated 23 kms / 14 miles (ESE) from Antrim Marina.  

Although the breeding site is not known, I have come up with an idea.  Is it possible, that -  2FFN  follows a south-east / north-west line between it's wintering and breeding sites, which would mean it visits Antrim by following that line.  By running the line from Whiteabbey, through Antrim in a north-westerly direction, would take the bird towards County Donegal and not far away from Inch Island Lake where there is a large breeding colony.  Wishful thinking, but you never know!!!

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFN   -  Whiteabbey Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (28 Jan 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 14th December 2020, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

My thanks goes to Suzanne for all of her recent sightings, many with photos to go along with them.

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

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 28th January 2025...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 28th January 2025

On Friday and Saturday 24th & 25th January 2025, Northern Ireland was hit by the strongest storm since 1998.  Named 'Storm Éowyn', it caused major disruption throughout Northern Ireland, with thousands experiencing power-cuts and damage to buildings.  Many trees were toppled, which could account for tens of thousands throughout the country.  

On Sunday morning I made my way up to Antrim Marina to make my weekly visit as normal.  Driving down the avenue leading to the Marina, the road was closed off at the golf club.  I assumed there were trees down further down the avenue, so I decided to postpone my visit until Tuesday morning, as I had to take my son to Whiteabbey Hospital on Monday for an out-patients appointment.

Today, I headed off to Antrim from my home in Ballymena.  On driving down the Avenue, the road was still closed off at the golf club.  This time I decided to investigate what was happening further on down the road.  I parked my car in the golf club car park, grabbed my binoculars and camera, and began walking down the avenue.  The sound of chainsaws were ringing out all over the place.  I was taken aback by the number of trees that had fallen across the avenue and on the golf course.  No doubting these guys have been busy since Sunday trying to clear the area.

As I walked down, trees that had been cleared were piled up at the sides of the avenue, to be removed at a later date.  On reaching the main car park, tree surgeons were busy cutting away trees still lying across the avenue leading to the 'Gateway Centre'.  The 'Centre', is also home to the Lough Neagh Rescue Service, therefore the road badly needs clearing just in case of a call-out.

I took a few photos showing areas already cleared and the areas still needing to be cleared.  Walking down to the slipway, I counted 21 Mute Swans including the metal-rung bird -  X4707 .  Around 20 Mallards were present, as well as a handful of gulls.  These numbered, 3 Common Gulls and 5 Black-headed Gulls and non were ringed.  I thought the lack of gulls might be due to the lack of food available since the storm.  The much decreased footfall would mean fewer people are arriving to feed the birds with bread and pellets, forcing the gulls to find food elsewhere.  As the doors of the 'Gateway Centre' were locked, there was no chance of shelter or the toilets if needed.

There was no point in hanging around, so I decided to cancel the visit.  Hopefully most of the damage will be cleared away by next Sunday.

View of the Cleared Avenue Leading Away from Antrim Marina  (28 Jan 2025)

Some of the Trees Cleared off the Avenue  (28 Jan 2025)

View of the Avenue Leading to the Gateway Centre  (28 Jan 2025)

The Blocked Avenue Leading to The Gateway Centre  (28 Jan 2025)

The Entrance into the Main Car Park  (28 Jan 2025)

The Crack Willow Tree which Stands on the Eastern Edge of my Study Area  (28 Jan 2025)

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

Antrim Marina - Sunday 19th January 2025...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 19th January 2025

Held back slightly due to roadworks in the town of Antrim, I arrived at Antrim Marina at 10:10.  Going through the barrier leading into the car park, I could see that the swans were already getting a good feed.  Weather conditions were calm, with light cloud and the temperature gauge in my car read 9ºC.  Driving slowly towards the short concrete jetty, I stopped to talk to one of the two women feeding the swans.  I had to ask for her name again, as I've chatted to her in the past.  Danie said that the other woman had emptied a whole bucket of feed for an enormous number of swans.  Ending a lengthy chat, I parked at my normal spot and began making headcounts.

Around 60 Black-headed Gulls were spread out over the jetties, though hardly any made any attempts to feed among the swans.  With 32 colour-rings to look for, the first to be read was -  2FJH  at 10:25.  10 rings had been read by 10:40, when a number of canoeists arrived.  This was the beginning of an awful visit, as I was to be plagued by three different sets of canoeists.  The initial gulls flew off, and though from time to time they returned, they just circled high in the sky before leaving again.

I waited and waited, and it was 1:10pm before the area was clear enough for the gulls to land back onto the jetties.  A further 7 rings were read taking my overall total to 17 at 2:04.  At this point, two sets of canoeists arrived back and the gulls departed again.  Although I should have ended my visit at 2pm, I stayed till 2:50.  By this point, the canoeists were moving their boats towards the car park, when another party arrived onto the small sandy beach.

Other than recording a winter high in numbers for the swans and Common Gulls, this visit was a waste of time.  Instead of adding a table of absentees,  I've just added a table for the colour-rings that I did record today.  I'm certain that several other colour-ringed gulls have gone unrecorded due to the presence of the canoeists.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 19th January 2025

2FJH	2FJP	2BRA	2FJA	2FKA	2CJT	2FIL	2FJT	2FJV
2FFA	2AAB	2AAN	2FJK	2FJN	2CSK	2AFD	2FHC

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As mentioned above, there was a large number of Mute Swans present on my arrival.  Danie told me that the other lady stated that there was 22 altogether.  Danie said that -  X4707  was among them.  She has named this swan 'Annie', but I decided not to tell her that the swan was a male.  After parking my car, I counted 22 birds and also saw -  X4707 .

A further three swans swam in from the Lough at 10:54.  A final total for the day reached 26 Mute Swans, when a single bird arrived in from the Lough at 12:06.  Not one cygnet was among them, and the beaks of two swans told me that they were 2nd year birds.  Not all legs were checked, as some swans chose not to come ashore onto the slipway.

With 26 altogether, this total was a high for this winter, and despite of the presence of the canoeists, the swans were not worried about them.  For once, plenty of swans about, but no gulls to catch.

Some of the Mute Swans by the Slipway (Note the Amount of Grain on Slipway)

Four adult Common Gulls were present on my arrival, one of these being the Finnish -  ST177.028 .  Along with the Black-headed Gulls, they flew off with the arrival of the canoeists.  At 1:10, when gulls began to return, I soon counted a total of 13 adults and 2 juveniles.  With a total of 15 Common Gulls, this was also a high for this winter.  The small Scottish female -  EY64036  also arrived with the later birds.

The whole Herring Gull family was also present on my arrival, the resident male, female and their single youngster.  With all of the gulls departing due to the canoeists, only the male stayed throughout my visit.

Mallard numbers were around 30 when I arrived, but as the day wore on, I doubt numbers passed the 40 mark.  I'd be fairly certain that all legs were checked.

With so much food (grains and flakes) lying around the slipway, a pair Hooded Crows and a pair of Rooks made repeated visits.  They were probably hoarding food somewhere.  Two pairs of Jackdaws and the small noisy juvenile were present for most of the time, as were a pair of Pied Wagtails.

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

From Scott Black...

From Scott Black

During the evening of Friday 17th January 2025, I received an email from Scott Black, to which I replied 'This is Insane'.  Earlier that day, Scott came across one of my Black-headed Gulls from my study at Antrim Marina where I work with a wintering population of these gulls.  Scott wrote :-

Hi Gareth,

Pleased to find one of your birds at Strathclyde Country Park Motherwell today.

One of the local Indian restaurants feed the gulls daily with their left overs and scraps, this provides a 20 minute feeding frenzy that often gives us a chance to read a few darvics. There was no sign today of any our regular birds and the only ring was from your scheme, guess it’s that time of the year again when the gulls are on the move.

These words 'mirrored' exactly what I had stated in my previous Antrim Marina post, that I reckoned some of the gulls could possibly be making an early move towards their breeding sites.

The gull that Scott spotted was -  2FJF .  Interestingly,  2FJF  was the only juvenile among 8 Black-headed Gulls that I caught and ringed last winter.  Ringed as a 1st Winter Bird on the 12th November 2023, this bird was regularly recorded through to my final weekly visit at the Marina on the 31st March 2024.

During the breeding season in the summer of 2024, several random visits were made to record resident colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls which likely nested on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform' - (Used in World War Two to test Torpedo's).   2FJF  was not recorded during these visits, but had returned to the Marina by the 4th August 2024, when I resumed my weekly visits to cover the 2024/2025 winter.

Over following weeks, the gull was recorded regularly during my weekly visits until the 15th September 2024 and then it disappeared.  As September and October passed by, I began to think the bird had possibly succumbed to it's fate.  Finally, on the 17th November 2024,  2FJF  was back again and was recorded through to Sunday 12th January 2025 and then 5 days later Scott came across the gull.

Could it have been possible, that -  2FJF  may have paid a visit to Strathclyde Country Park whilst absent from Antrim between mid September until mid November 2024?  The answer to that question will never be known, but I have come up with my own theory.  Is there any chance that -  2FJF  was reared as a chick in one of the Scandinavian Countries, flew across the North Sea stopping at Strathclyde Country Park before moving on to Antrim Marina for the winter where I caught and colour-ringed it?  With a regular supply of food through the winter, there was no need for it go any further.

Strathclyde Country Park lies 183 kms / 114 miles (NE) from Antrim Marina, which, if that line was extended, would take the bird on course to Scandinavia.

I cannot wait now for further sightings of this bird.  It will not reach maturity until next year, but I expect it will try to find a breeding site this coming summer and will likely go through the motions of breeding.  Another thought, has it simply popped across to get a 'takeaway' and will return to Antrim before my final weekly visit at the end of March?  The duration since being ringed as a juvenile, is now 1 year, 2 months and 5 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJF   -  Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell, South Lanarkshire, Scotland  (17 Jan 2025)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 12th November 2023, at Antrim Marina)

(Photo Courtesy of Scott Black)

In the past, Scott recorded another one of my Antrim Black-headed Gulls at Strathclyde Country Park.  On the 5th February 2021, he spotted -  2FDJ , and by the 4th April 2021, that gull was then spotted in eastern Estonia.   2FDJ , has returned to Antrim Marina each winter, but has failed to show up here so far this winter.

My thanks goes to Scott for the sighting report along with the photo of -  2FJF .

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

Antrim Marina - Sunday 12th December 2025...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 12th January 2025

Arriving at Antrim Marina at 10:15 this morning, the weather saw calm conditions though quite dull due to the heavy cloud cover.  The temperature gauge in my car read 5ºC rising to 8ºC by the time of my departure.  I had planned on leaving at 2pm, but due to the late arrival of many gulls, I remained until 2:50.

Driving towards the small concrete jetty where I park my car, the first thing to catch my eye was the large number of Mute Swans - more on these below.  A count of the Black-headed Gulls gave me a very low total of just 31 birds.  Returning to my car to write down the totals of all species present, a lady whom I have talked to in the past arrived to feed the swans with what looked like bran flakes.  To my surprise, despite a lot of this lying on the slipway, not one gull was interested in obtaining an easy feed.  This is telling me that the gulls have received enough in previous days to take the edge off of their hunger.

With 32 Colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls recorded this winter, the reading of rings was another long drawn out affair.  The overall number of gulls before 1pm, never exceeded the 50 mark, though judging by the comings and goings of the colour-ringed birds, there was a high turnover of visitors.  At 1:15 every gull departed due to the arrival of 5 canoeists whom made their way to the Marina from up-river.  They landed on the small sandy beach, and began removing their gear and canoes to the car park.  It seems that they had departed from that beach before my arrival, which might account for the low number of gulls when I arrived.

Prior to this, I had read 17 colour-rings, the 17th being -  2CSR  at 12:51.  Among these 17, were three birds of special interest.  My 10th sighting at 11:45, was the Latvian -  2AFD .   2AFD  returned to the Marina on the 1st December 2024 and this was his fourth sighting now.  The gull is known to spend much of his time around the Castle Way car park in the centre of the town of Antrim. 

The 2nd of interest was -  2BRD , my 15th sighting at 12:34.  Although -  2BRD  was ringed here, visits during the winter are few and far between and I'm fairly certain it spends most of it's time somewhere around the town of Antrim.  Today's sighting is the 5th here this winter, having previously been recorded in August, September, October and December.  In previous years,  2BRD  has been seen in the months of February and March at Lurgan Park Lake in County Armagh prior to the onset of the new breeding season.  So far, we do not know the breeding site, though it might be somewhere around the southern shores of Lough Neagh.  Ringed here as an adult male on the 1st February 2015, the duration since being ringed, is now 9 years, 11 months and 11 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2BRD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Jan 2025)

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

The 3rd gull of interest, was -  2FIJ , my 16th sighting at 12:44.  Ringed in January 2022 as an unsexed adult, initial sightings led me to believe that the gull was using Antrim Marina as a 'staging post; before moving on towards it's wintering site.  I had my suspicions that it could also be a foreign breeder, but three sightings over May and June 2024 here at the Marina suggests that it breeds locally.  This winter,  2FIJ  was recorded here on the 11th and 18th August 2024, and then disappeared until today.  This fits my 'staging theory', and this return means the bird has the coming breeding season in mind.  A sighting of an un-ringed Black-headed Gull later on (see below), adds strength that some Black-headed Gulls are on the 'march' towards their breeding sites.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIJ   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Jan 2025)

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

As stated above, the arrival of canoeists at 1:15, saw every gull leaving the Marina.  It did not take long for the canoeists to pack up leave and by 1:40 I was in two minds whether to leave before my planned departure time of 2pm.  At this point, a large flock of gulls arrived and circled about, so I began throwing slices of bread onto the river.  No sooner had they came down, when more and more gulls arrived.  In no time at all, I recorded another 5 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls taking my finishing total to 22 colour-ring sightings.

Among the last 5 sightings was yet another bird of interest -  2FFT .   2FFT , was ringed here at the Marina as an unsexed breeding adult in December 2020.  I strongly believe that this bird is a foreign breeder.  It's history here at the Marina has been very patchy, but this winter, sightings are double of those made since being ringed through to October 2023.  Due to it's past history, I reckoned it was using Antrim as a 'staging post', but the accumulation of sightings this winter would now suggest that it is a 'winter resident' in the Antrim area.  Oh, the joy of trying to understand the movements of the gulls.

Here is the full history for -  2FFT   :-

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Jan 2025)

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

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 12th January 2025

2AAN	2FJP	2FJT	2FJK	2AAB	2FKA	2FHC	2FJH
2FJF	2AFD	2FFX	2CJT	2CSK	2FJV	2BRD	2FIJ
2CSR	2BRA	2FJA	2FJX	2FFT	2FFA

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

2ABN	2ACV	2CTA	2FDL	2FFH	2FHV	2FIF	2FIL	2FJL	2FJN

As mentioned, large numbers of gulls arrived from 1:40 onwards.  The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was among these and was spotted at 1:50.  Normally, this gull would be among the earliest to be recorded on most visits.  Another interesting Black-headed Gull also arrived.  This bird was sporting it's breeding plumage  The question is - does it breed here and could it be a possible early summer returnee?  With the other more unusual sightings mentioned above, are some of these gulls on the move?  After a very mild winter, this would not surprise me.

By the time that I eventually departed at 2:50, Black-headed Gull numbers had easily topped the 80 plus mark.

Black-headed Gull in Breeding Plumage  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Jan 2025)

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

With so many Mute Swans present on my arrival, my attention was drawn to these first, just in case any would leave towards Lough Neagh.  I had counted a winter 'high' of 15 birds, when the lady arrived to feed them with bran flakes.  With all of the swans on the slipway, I soon spotted the ring of regular -  X4707 .  This bird had been ringed in March 2024 at Barton's Bay on the eastern shore of Lough Neagh.

Soon afterwards, I spotted a second metal-ring.  Taking a photo of the bird, and then zooming into it's ring, the number read -  Z78562 .  I did not recognise the number, and on returning home and checking my records, this bird was new to me.  I entered the number onto my BTO DemOn Ringing Account. and discovered that it was ringed as an unsexed 2nd calendar year bird on the 15th April 2020 - this was apparently the first sighting since then.  DemOn does not reveal ringing locations, therefore I submitted my sighting to the BTO. 

The Ringing Recovery arrived by email on Tuesday, and - surprise, surprise, it had been ringed here at Antrim Marina.  The recovery included the circumstances for the ringing which stated 'Rescue/Release'.  This meant the bird had gotten itself into some sort of difficulty, and Debbie 'Dolittle' Nelson had to be called in to help the bird.  Debbie runs a sanctuary for sick and injured wildlife in Northern Ireland.  Debbie is a ringer as well, ringing with the Belfast & Down Ringing Group.  Before release, Debbie would ring the swans so that their movements can then be tracked.

It has now been 4 years, 8 months and 28 days since -  Z78562  was ringed.  I wonder if this swan has ventured back to Antrim Marina in the past, and went undetected?

Mute Swan  -   Z78562   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Jan 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed 2nd Calendar Year Bird, on the 15th April 2020, at Antrim Marina)

At 10:40, a further three Mute Swans swan in from Lough Neagh taking the total to 18 birds altogether.  Alighting onto the slipway, none of these were ringed.  It has been a long time since I had so many here and today's total smashes the best so far this winter.  Despite having so many swans on the slipway, the Black-headed Gulls are still eluding me.

4 adult Common Gulls were present on my arrival, and the small Scottish metal-rung female -  EY64036  was among them.  There has been an amazing run of sightings of this bird so far this winter.  Ringed as a chick in North Ayrshire in June 2013, it first appeared here as a juvenile in February 2014 and has been recorded every winter since then.  Today's sighting is the 71st record at the Marina.  Over recent winters, sightings have been patchy until this winter.  I have added the history since January 2021 for comparison :-

A juvenile Common Gull arrived at 10:59, taking the total present to 5 birds.  With all gulls having departed with the arrival of the canoeists at 1:15, gulls began arriving back in large numbers from 1:40 onwards.  By 1:50, 8 adult Common Gulls plus a juvenile appeared.  Looking through these, two had metal-rings.  One was -  EY64036 , and zooming into the ring of the second bird, I could see the letters - ' ST ', which was enough to tell me that it was the Finnish bird -  ST177.028 .  After an absence of 6 years (March 2018), the ring was read on the 15th December 2024.  Ringed as a juvenile in Finland in August 1995, the duration since being ringed, is now 29 years, 5 months and 6 days. 

A final count of the Common Gulls at 2:30, gave a total of 9 adults and 2 two juveniles with this total possibly being a high for this winter.

The resident male Herring Gull arrived at 11:05, but there was no sign of his youngster or the female.

The juvenile Moorhen made it's second visit, though it did not stay for too long.  A pair of Hooded Crows also made a brief visit.  Two pairs of Jackdaws, along with the noisy juvenile made repeated visits, whilst a pair of Pied Wagtails remained throughout my visit.  Talking to a female photographer that passed by, she said that a Firecrest was feeding through the bushes beside the Gateway Centre.  Not really interested in rarities, I had a look but could not find it.

What began as looking to be a poor day for ring sightings, ended up being a good visit with a total of 27 rings read altogether.  Just a pity, that there were no further returning Black-headed Gulls.

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

Antrim Marina - Sunday 5th January 2025

Antrim Marina - Sunday 5th January 2025

I arrived at the slightly later time of 10:42 this morning.  At home in Ballymena, it was still fairly dark approaching 9am, and a light shower of snow soon afterwards proved to be the reason why.  Once it passed by, I made my way to Antrim Marina.  On my arrival, it was still very dull with light rain falling.  These light showers came and went throughout the visit.  The temperature gauge in my car read 4ºC, rising to 8ºC by the time of my departure at 2:30pm.

With the return of -  2FJP  recorded on my previous visit, today I was on the lookout for 31 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls and any further returnees.  It did not take long to record another returnee, as my 7th ring sighting at 11:00, saw the return of the Swedish bird -  2FDL .  This was one of three gulls whose countries of origin are known, and I have been watching for these since October.  As it stands, I am still waiting for -  2FDJ  from Estonia, and -  2FHT  from Poland.

I caught and ringed -  2FDL  here at Antrim Marina, as an unsexed adult on the 18th November 2019, which coincidently is the earliest date that it has been recorded on.  Since being ringed, the bird's re-sighting history at the Marina has been somewhat patchy, which may possibly indicate that it spends most of it's time around the town of Antrim.  Last winter, the bird was not seen here until the turn of the year - 14th January 2024.  Due to the fact that I undertake one four hour visit per week, it may have visited the Marina several times when I was not here.

Away from the Marina, the only sighting to date was at a breeding colony on the outskirts of Stockholm in Sweden on the 3rd April 2022.  The distance to Råstasjön Nature Reserve, is 1,551 kms / 963 miles (ENE) from Antrim Marina.  It is always very exciting to record a returnee, knowing the bird is still alive and well.  The duration since being ringed, is now 5 years, 1 month and 18 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FDL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (05 Jan 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 18th November 2019, at Antrim Marina)

Full History of Black-headed Gull -  2FDL 

Around 40 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, but over the course of my visit numbers remained low and never exceeded the 60 mark.  The reading of rings turned out to be a long drawn out affair.  10 rings were read in my first hour, with -  2FJP  being the 10th at 11:36.  My total for the day ended at 20, the ring of -   2FJV  being the last to be read at 14:06.  This meant I had a fairly high total of 12 absentees today.

With temperatures being on the low side, I had expected to see far more gulls today.  Despite having several Mute Swans on the slipway, the gulls are still not tempted to take chances to grab some bread.  Throwing large clumps of bread on the ground in front of the swans, just a handful of gulls approached, but not close enough.  Later in the morning several people arrived to feed the ducks, so the gulls managed to get plenty of bread and pellets.

The Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335  was recorded at 12:48, a good deal later than normal.  Last winter, I recorded three metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gulls here including -  543335 , but there has been no sign of the other two so far this winter.

With the return of -  2FDL  today, I will be on the lookout for 32 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls on my next visit.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 5th January 2025

2FFA	2CSK	2FJT	2CSR	2FJX	2FJA	2FDL	2FFX	2FKA	2FJP
2FHC	2AAN	2CJT	2FJF	2FIL	2FJK	2AAB	2FJH	2BRA	2FJV

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

2ABN	2ACV	2AFD	2BRD	2CTA	2FFH
2FFT	2FHV	2FIF	2FIJ	2FJL	2FJN

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

7 Mute Swans were either on or close to the slipway on my arrival.  These included the metal-rung -  X4707 , which was ringed in March 2024, at Barton's Bay on the eastern shore of Lough Neagh.  No further arrivals appeared during my visit.  An early attempt to catch a gull or two among the swans was a waste of time.  The swans enjoyed my bread, but the gulls were taking no chances.

An initial count of the Black-headed Gulls, saw the presence of 4 adult Common Gulls among them.  Having spotted a metal-ring on one bird, I zoomed into the ring with my camera reading -  7.02 .  This was enough to identify the gull as being the Finnish -  ST177.028 .  After an absence of around six years, the gull turned up on the 8th December 2024, when a partial number was read -  ST1--.028 .  The whole number was read the following week (15th December 2024).  With a partial reading today, there was no reason to try and complete the number.  Ringed as an unsexed juvenile in August 1995, the duration as of today's sighting, is now 29 years, 4 months and 30 days.

I submitted my December sighting to the Ringing Centre at the University of Helsinki in Finland, but as yet, I am still waiting for a reply.  A reply would include any sightings since I last recorded the gull here in March 2018.  Due to the age of the gull, I sent copies of my original photos to back up my sighting.

Common Gull  -   ST177.028   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (05 Jan 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Juvenile, on the 6th August 1995, at Maaninka, Kuopio, Finland)

A count at 13:31 gave me a total of 8 Common Gulls, with two metal-rung birds.  The Finnish bird was on the low wooden jetty, and the bird in front of me on the short concrete jetty turned out to be the small Scottish female -  EY64036 .  Ringed as a chick in North Ayrshire, Scotland, in June 2016, this winter, I have had a good run of re-sightings here, this being the 8th.  Last winter, this gull was only recorded on the one occasion (14th January 2024).  The duration for this gull is now 11 years, 6 months and 16 days.  A juvenile Common Gull arrived as I was preparing to leave at 2:30pm.  Just to be sure it was not one of my Rathlin Island youngsters, I had to checks for rings with my binoculars.

The juvenile Herring Gull was present throughout my visit, and it's father arrived at 11:11.  No sign of the female today.

It's been a long time since I had two pairs of Jackdaws here, and the noisy juvenile was also present.  Over previous winters, 6 to 7 pairs of Jackdaws would have been the norm.  The pair of Pied Wagtails were often seen, especially in areas where people had fed the ducks.  No doubt the small crumbs provided a good feed for them.  The blue flash of a Kingfisher was spotted as it flew at speed upriver.

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

Antrim Marina - Monday 30th December 2024...

Antrim Marina - Monday 30th December 2024

I opted for another Monday visit to Antrim Marina as yesterday was fairly dark and there was rain for the best part of the day.  Arriving at the slightly later time of 10:25, it was dull with heavy cloud cover and light rain.  The rain would start and stop throughout my visit, but never heavy enough to cause any problems.  The temperature gauge in my car was reading yet another mild day at 10ºC, but I had to cope with a strong westerly wind.

After last week's visit to Antrim Marina, my overall winter total of colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls remained at 30, as there were no further returnees.  The first colour-ring to be read at 10:30 belonged to -  2AAN .  Further rings were read at a steady pace and by 12:14, 20 colour-rings had been read.  My total for the day ended at 22.  The 15th ring sighting saw the return of -  2FJP .

Last winter, I caught and colour-ringed 8 Black-headed Gulls, one Juvenile ( 2FJF ), one 2nd Calendar Year Bird - ( 2FJJ ) and six adults.  Unfortunately,  2FJJ  did not survive through to the end of last winter, as it was found dead at the nearby Castle Gardens on the 12th February 2024.  The cause of it's death was not determined, though when tested for 'Bird Flu', the results came back negative.

Of the remaining 7 gulls, 5 were recorded during my initial weekly visits which began on the first weekend of August.  By the end of November, I was on the verge of giving up on the return of the final two birds.  However,  2FJH  arrived back on the 8th December 2024, and ironically, it was recorded for the second time today.  The return of -  2FJP , now completes the set of gulls ringed here last winter.   2FJH , had been ringed here in November 2023, and -  2FJP , was ringed here on the 3rd December 2023.  It is looking very likely that both may well be foreign breeders.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJH   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (30 Dec 2024)

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

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJP   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (30 Dec 2024)

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

After the return of  2FJP , my next sighting was of the Latvian -  2AFD , which returned on the 1st December 2024, and was absent during my previous two visits.   2CTA  is continuing to surprise me.  It arrived back to the Marina on the 13th October 2024, and despite being absent over the following two weeks, today's sighting made it the 9th week in a row since then.  In past winters,  2CTA  would be an occasional visitor to the Marina once it returned from it's breeding site, wherever that might be and I reckoned that it spent most of it's time somewhere around Antrim town.  Between December 2018 when it was ringed, up until the 18th February 2024, it was only recorded at the Marina on 21 occasions in  a little over 5 years, whereas it has knocked up an impressive  10 sightings so far this winter.

Of today's 9 absentees,  2ACV ,  2FJL  and  2FJN , are regularly recorded, whilst some the others are occasional visitors, barring  2FIF  and  2FHV .  The Icelandic -  2FHV  has not been seen for a while now, but this has happened in the past.  I reckon it uses Antrim as a 'staging post', and should return to the Marina for a couple of weeks before going back to Iceland for the summer.   2FIF , has me guessing at present, though I will have to wait and see what happens to this one over time.

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335  was recorded at 10:32, but disappeared shortly afterwards, arriving back again just before I departed at 2:30pm. Despite having swans on the slipway, I could not catch any gulls to be ringed.  I still think the mild weather means they are finding enough food which means they are not eager enough to grab food whilst I'm trying to catch them.

Around 80 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, though numbers remained around that mark throughout my visit.  It was clear but the presence or absence of my colour-ringed birds, that there was a fair turnover of gulls coming and going.  With the return of -  2FJP  today, I will be on the lookout for 31 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls during my next visit.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 30th December 2024

2AAN	2FFA	2FHC	2CJT	2FIL	2FJT	2FKA	2FJH
2CSR	2ABN	2FJX	2FFX	2FJV	2BRA	2FJP	2AFD
2FJF	2CSK	2CTA	2FJA	2AAB	2FJK

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

2ACV	2BRD	2FFH	2FFT	2FHV	2FIF	2FIJ	2FJL	2FJN

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Today was interesting, as there was a welcomed increase of birds visiting the Marina, especially around the jetties.

On my arrival, two adult Mute Swans and an immature were standing on the slipway.  A pair joined them at 11:54 having swam in from Lough Neagh.  Once on the slipway, I could see that -  X4707  was one of them.  A 6th Mute Swan arrived on it's own from the Lough at 12:26.  Despite having all six birds on the slipway, I was unable to catch any gulls to be ringed.

Mallards numbered around 50 birds on my arrival, increasing to around 70 shortly afterwards.  Later, having had a few good feeds of bread and pellets, numbers dropped back to around the 50 mark again.  As usual, most if not all legs were checked, but still no rings.

2 adult Common Gulls were also present on my arrival, with a third appearing at 10:46, and a fourth at 12:07.  A count at 12:26, saw six adults present.  A juvenile arrived 13:21, followed by a seventh adult at 13:40.  With a total of 8 present, the metal-rung Scottish and Finnish birds were not among them.

The resident adult male Herring Gull appeared at 10:48, and his juvenile youngster arrived at 11:32.  The female, which is an infrequent visitor these days arrived at 12:43.  I had a further three Herring Gulls today, with a 3rd Calendar Year Bird arriving at 13:16, followed by a further two juveniles at 14:07.  All except for the female were still present when I departed at 2:30pm.

Every winter, a Moorhen or two would appear, and today saw the first for this winter.  A juvenile was spotted on the low wooden jetty at 11:43.  It walked around all of the jetties, picking at food which just happened to be the droppings belonging to the gulls.  This trait has been observed in the past.  It seems to find hard lumps in the droppings and I have no idea what these are.  It cannot be a good thing to do, especially when there is always the possibility that some gulls could be carrying the 'Bird Flu Virus'.

Juvenile Moorhen  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (30 Dec 2024)

At 11:46, I spotted the 'blue flash' which was a Kingfisher flying low over the concrete jetty towards the breakwater at the entrance to the Lough.  I did not see it again, but this was the first to be seen or heard  this winter.  Some passers-by would inform me of sightings further up-river, but only Otters have been reported to me so far.

Two pairs of Jackdaws were present today, along with the small 'noisy' juvenile.  A quick visit was made by a Magpie, and the pair of Pied Wagtails were present throughout today's visit.

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