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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Antrim Marina - Wednesday 22nd October 2025...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 22nd October 2025

I had intended to visit the Marina yesterday, but with persistent rain falling throughout the morning I decided to come up today instead.  With a much later arrival time of 11:20, I departed at 2:45pm.  Weatherwise, it was cloudy, dry and calm, with the temperature gauge in my car reading 10ºC.

At Antrim Marina, I am studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, a number of which are colour-ringed in order to record their movements, residential status and longevity.  From the first weekend in August through to the last weekend in March, I undertake one weekly visit to read the colour-rings and if possible, catch and ring new birds to add to the project.

With the return of -  2FJX  on my previous visit, the overall total of colour-ringed gulls increased to 23 birds for this winter.  Once the swans had moved clear of my parking spot, a count of the Black-headed Gulls gave a total of around 70 birds.  That total remained more or less constant all the way through the visit, though judging by the colour-ringed birds present, there was a good turnover of birds coming and going.  Although it was calm, I was so glad that the gulls decided not to rest on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre'.

No sooner had I got parked, the Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335 , walked right up to the door of my car.  Just goes to show, how some gulls recognize my weekly visits.  The gull got it's reward of a few bits of bread.

From the start, the reading of colour-rings progressed at a steady pace, with 15 being read within the first hour from my arrival.  My total for the day finished on 17, the final two being -  2FFX  at 12:50, and -  2FFT  at 1:59, leaving me with 6 absentees.  No new returnees were recorded.  

One of the absentees, is the Icelandic breeding -  2FHV .  Each year after it returns to the Marina, it remains until mid October, returning again in the spring in the weeks leading up to the new breeding season.  Now absent for a second week running, I reckon it has now moved on.  This gull does what we know as 'staging', meaning it stays in the locality for a period of time before moving on towards it's wintering site.  In the case of -  2FHV , so far we have no idea where it goes to.  In the spring of 2025, it did not return to the Marina, which had me worried.  To my relief, it was back at the Marina on the 3rd August 2025.  The gull was ringed here as an unsexed adult, on the 8th November 2021.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 22nd October 2025

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

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

2BRD	2FDK	2FHV	2FJF	2FJN	2FJV

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Arriving at the Marina, I tried to park in my usual spot by the small concrete jetty, but had to wait as several Mute Swans were blocking my way.  A count revealed the resident female -  X4707 , her six youngsters, plus a further 9 adults - a total of 16 swans altogether.  With all legs checked, non of the others were ringed.  All 16 were still present when I departed.

Recently, I have made a few comments on the lack of Mallards present.  Today saw a reversal, with 34 present on my arrival, with numbers increasing to over 60 birds by the time of my departure.  As usual, most, if not all legs were checked - usual result, no rings.

Having had a good look around, there was no sign of the juvenile Mediterranean Gull.  There was still no sign of it by the time of my departure.  Having been here for I think, five weeks, it's typical it should disappear now that I have Yellow Darvics registered for use on Med Gulls.  Previously, without a tail, this youngster was very 'clumsy' in flight and I hope that this has not attracted the attention of a predator.  With woodland across the river from the Marina, there is a good chance of Sparrowhawks being present and a female could easily take a gull out.  I'll miss this little chap, as being so 'people friendly', it had no hesitation walking up to the door of my car.

The resident male Herring Gull was present throughout this visit and his mate arrived at 1:05.  Between them, they had one youngster which did not appear today.  A juvenile Herring Gull arrived at 12:48, but I knew with it's lighter feathers it was not the resident juvenile.  That youngster kept it's distance from people and departed around 40 minutes later.

My favourite gulls are Common Gulls which show a great variation in size, plumage colour, leg and beak colour.  Today was a Common Gull day.  So far, only one or two have appeared and by 2:10, I had 6 adults and 1 juvenile.  The first 4 arrivals were recorded at 11:33, 12:00, 12:08 and 12:31.  Soon afterwards, all four lined up on the rail of the small concrete jetty where I was able to capture a photo of them.  

The First Four Adult Common Gulls Recorded Today at Antrim Marina

With no sign of the small metal-rung Scottish female, I now know we have a least 7 adults visiting - a high so far this winter.  Over the next few weeks, I'm hoping for this total to increase.  

One Common Gull that I'm especially keen to see return, is the Finnish-rung -  ST177.028 .  Having thought it had died having last sighting on the 19th March 2018, it returned to the Marina on the 15th December 2024, much to my enjoyment.  I went on to record this gull on 4 further occasions, with the last sighting being made on the 17th February 2025.  The gull was ringed in Finland as a juvenile/1st winter bird on the 6th August 1995.  The duration on my last sighting, was 29 years, 6 months and 11 days.  If this gull does return, it will surpass a milestone of thirty plus years.  The record for a Common Gull on the BTO's Online Ringing Database, is 30 years, 10 months and 2 days.

Two pairs of Jackdaws made repeated visits, while a pair of Hooded Crows and a male Pied Wagtail made a brief visit.  A Kingfisher was heard, but I failed to locate it.

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Antrim Marina - Tuesday 14th October 2025...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 14th October 2025

I could not get to Antrim Marina on Sunday or Monday, so it had to be a Tuesday visit instead.  With it being very dull with poor light.  I delayed my visit, arriving at 10:45am.  With a light drizzle falling, it remained quite dull and there was practically no wind moving.  The temperature gauge in my car was reading 12ºC.

This was my 11th weekly visit to study a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, some of which are colour-ringed, meaning that they can be tracked throughout the year.  Away from the Marina, I rely on these gulls being spotted by other birdwatchers.

For several weeks now, this winter's list of colour-ring sightings has remained static with 22 colour-rings altogether.  That list increased by one today, when my 7th ring sighting saw the return of -  2FJX .   2FJX , was one of just three Black-headed Gulls caught and ringed last winter, and it's return today, means all three are now back.

I had it in my head, that the gull had not been seen since March 2025, but on returning home and checking my spreadsheet the gull was seen on the 5th August 2025.  This sighting had slipped my mind, and was made at Antrim's Junction One Shopping Centre car park.  I still think that the gull is not resident to the Antrim area, and was not recorded at the Marina during random summer visits.

 2FJX , was ringed as a juvenile/1st winter bird at the Marina, on the 1st December 2024, and was last seen here on the 3rd March 2025.  The duration since being ringed, is 10 months and 13 days.  With no other returnees recorded today, this winter's list increases to 23 colour-ringed gulls.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJX   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Oct 2025)

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

On my arrival, a count of the Black-headed Gulls gave a total of 64 birds.  Soon afterwards, numbers dropped very quickly and thereafter, numbers fluctuated widely but never surpassed the 50 mark.  By the time of my departure at 3pm, only 13 of the original 22 colour-rings had been read, leaving me with 9 absentees.  As I was preparing to depart,  2ACV  was spotted at 2:58.  The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was spotted at 10:56.

Overall, this was the worst weekly visit so far, due to the lack of Black-headed Gulls and other bird species.  It was so quiet at times, I thought graveyards were likely to be busier.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 14th October 2025

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

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

2ABN	2BRD	2FDK	2FFT	2FFX	2FHV	2FJK	2FJN	2FJV

Early yesterday evening (Saturday 18th October), an email arrived with me, sent from Scotland.  A contact known just as G.B., had spotted one of my gulls.  Earlier during the day, he spotted -  2FJF  at Strathclyde Country Park in South Lanarkshire.  Interestingly,  2FJF  was my 12th ring sighting at Antrim Marina four days earlier (Tuesday).

 2FJF , was caught and ringed as a juvenile/1st winter bird at the Marina on the 12th November 2023.  After that, it was recorded at the Marina through to the 31st March 2024.  With no summer sightings, it was back at the Marina when I began my weekly winter visits on the 4th August 2024.

Recorded on most weeks until the 12th January 2025, a surprise sighting on the 17th January 2025 by Scott Black (along with photo), saw -  2FJF  at Strathclyde Country Park.  This was an exceptionally early move for a wintering gull, but no further sightings were made during the summer.  2025, would see -  2FJF  reaching breeding age, but did it breed in Scotland, or did it move further north-east into Scandinavia?

I recorded -  2FJF 's return to Antrim Marina on the 17th August 2025.  Scott's email mentioned that there was an Indian Restaurant quite near to where he saw -  2FJF .  Apparently, the staff there would throw out all of their scrapes for the gulls to clear up.  With this latest sighting at Strathclyde, perhaps an Indian takeaway was more enticing than bread and pellets at Antrim Marina.  It will be interesting to see if this gull returns to the Marina over the next few weeks.

Strathclyde Country Park is situated 183 kms / 114 miles (NE) from Antrim Marina, and the duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 11 months and 2 days.  My thanks goes to G.B. for the sighting report along with a photo. 

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJF   -  Strathclyde Country Park, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)

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

(Photo Courtesy of G.B.)

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As mentioned above, 64 Black-headed Gulls were counted on my arrival, and 7 adult Mute Swans as well as 20 Mallards were also present.  No other gull species were on site, and having had a good search around, there was no sign of the juvenile Mediterranean Gull.

At 11:59, an 8th adult Mute Swan swan in from the direction of the Lough and rested on it's own on the small sandy beach.  At 3pm, as I packed up ready to leave, the resident family of Mute Swans arrived from up-river, these being the female -  X4707 , and her six cygnets.

At this time, just 7 Mallards were still present.  The last few weeks have been very strange concerning Mallard numbers, except for last week when 40 were counted.  During my initial weekly visits the winter, I had counts of around 60 and 80, with a high of 100+ in late August.  Recently, a fish kill was reported on one of the river tributes which eventually passes the Marina flowing into Lough Neagh.  I would think that this should not impact Mallard numbers, but you never know.

One adult Common Gull was spotted at the end of the long wooden jetty at 2:15.  Having collected the camera from my car, as I walked around the 'Gateway Centre', a gent and his wife stopped me for a chat.  By the time we had finished, the gull was gone.  I lifter the camera in case it was the small metal-ringed Common Gull from Scotland.  A juvenile Common Gull arrived at 2:35, resting on a navigation post positioned close to the slipway.

The resident male Herring Gull appeared at 2:20.  For some reason, he appeared nervous.  Normally, he is confident enough to walk right up to people feeding the ducks.  There was no sign of his mate or youngster.

With just 5 Jackdaws, it was a really poor day for bird sightings.  With poor weather forecasted today (Sunday 19th) and tomorrow, my next visit will be on Tuesday.

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Antrim Marina - Wednesday 8th October 2024...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 8th October 2025

On Sunday the 5th October, I drove to Antrim Marina only to find that the vehicle barrier leading into the front car park was not working.  It had obviously been turned off for safety reasons following on from the effects of 'Storm Amy' which passed through the British Isles the day before.  The top wind gust provisionally reported here in Northern Ireland of 92mph (148km/ph) was recorded at Magilligan on the north coast of County Londonderry.  Many trees were brought down throughout the country and a few thousand homes had been left without power.   

I decided to cancel today's weekly visit, as I have too much gear to carry round to my viewing spot beside the concrete jetty.  This would entail two sets of binoculars, a telescope, my camera, notebook and pen, and my ringing equipment.  However, before leaving, I took a walk around the Marina to see what was happening.  On reaching the small sandy beach, I could not see it.  On top, was a mountain of debris consisting of tree trunks, fence posts, branches, twigs, plastic bottles and a couple of old footballs.  Danny from Lough Neagh Rescue happened to be there and he said he had never seen such a mess.

Before returning home, I had a look at the birds that were present.  Black-headed Gulls -  2FFA  and  2FJA  obviously recognised me, as both flew onto the top of the security fence by the concrete jetty and began calling at me.  I had no bread with me to hand feed them.  Around 40 Black-headed Gulls were present, several of which had Orange or Blue Darvics.  One with just a metal ring on it's left leg, was likely to be the Icelandic -  543335 .  No other gull species were present.

Around 40 Mallards were present, plus four Mute Swans.  As I walked up and down along the jetties, a single adult Mute Swan, along with three large cygnets arrived from upriver.  I thought this was strange as the resident Mute Swans have six cygnets and these siblings always stick together.  Anyway, there was no sign of them coming onto the slipway so I headed back home.  On my way, I called into the Junction One Shopping Centre.  Finding a clear parking spot, the lure of some bread brought in 13 Black-headed Gulls and two Herring Gulls.  No rings among these despite sitting for an hour.

On my way back home, I pondered on my return.  I ruled Monday out, as I reckoned the local council would be busy trying to clear up the mess on the sandy beach, and this would disturb the birds.  On Tuesday morning, I woke up to find that it was raining, and checking the weather Wednesday looked to be the better option.

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On Wednesday morning, I arrived at 9:50am to find that the vehicle barrier was in operation - it works by number plate recognition.  Driving across the car park to my normal parking stop, I noticed a trailer sitting by the small sandy beach.  A small digger was on the beach clearing up the final pieces of debris.  All that remained, was two large tree trunks that were too heavy to be removed.  Weatherwise, it was cloudy with a light breeze blowing in from Lough Neagh.  The temperature gauge in my car read 13ºC, but it felt much colder.

This is my tenth weekly visit to Antrim Marina where I am studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, some of which have colour-coded rings fitted onto their legs.  So far 22 colour-rings have been recorded, but by the time I departed at 2pm, no new returnees were spotted.  Now that we are in the month of October, a couple of returnees should arrive quite soon, barring deaths by natural causes or having succumbed to 'Bird Flu'.

Around 50 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival and numbers remained fairly constant throughout the visit.  17 out of 22 colour-rings were read, leaving me with 5 absentees.  Although numbers were fairly constant, judging by the colour-ringed birds present, there was a good turnover of gulls coming and going.

With rings ready to use, after the arrival of the resident Mute Swan family, I tried to catch a gull or two, but they are not hungry enough to take a chance of a close approach.  Shortly after my arrival, a lady arrived with a carrier bag full of bread and what looked like porridge oats which did not help.

Just for interest,  2AAN  is the oldest Black-headed Gull at Antrim Marina.  It was ringed here as an adult female in December 2012.  Belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study (2012 to 2018), it is also the oldest from that study still alive in Northern Ireland.  It is now 12 years, 9 months and 17 days since it was ringed.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 8th October 2025

2ACV	2BRA	2CJT	2FJA	2FKA	2FFA	2FFX	2FIL	2FJF
2AAN	2CSR	2ABN	2FJK	2FIF	2FJT	2CSK	2FHV

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

2BRD	2FDK	2FFT	2FJN	2FJV

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335  arrived at 9:58.  It was ringed in southern Iceland in July 2023, before arriving here in August 2023.  It's return this winter for the third year running was recorded on the 24th August 2025.  Despite it's close approach, I still cannot get my hands on it.  The same over the previous two winters, if I can get a colour-ring fitted, it will be easily spotted when it returns to Iceland.

Black-headed Gull  -  Iceland   543335   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Oct 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 14th July 2023, in Southern Iceland)

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

4 Mute Swans were on the slipway on my arrival.  At 10:34, an adult along with three cygnets arrived from upriver, eventually coming ashore onto the now visible sandy beach.  On looking to see if the adult had a metal ring, I was a bit bemused to note that the adult was a male and one of the cygnets did not take too kindly to my close approach.  What is going on here I thought to myself.  The six resident cygnets never leave their mother who is ringed and would always stay together.  Shortly afterwards, the adult along with the three cygnets swam out towards Lough Neagh.

It wasn't till 11:44, that this little conundrum was solved.  An adult, along with 6 cygnets arrived in flight from upriver, landing on the water in front of the slipway.  Coming ashore, it was the female - X4707  and her brood.  This means the adult with three cygnets that I saw yesterday and today were new visitors.

Around 40 Mallards were present on my arrival, with numbers gradually building up to between 60 to 70 birds as the morning wore on.  Only last week, I was asking what was going on with the Mallards, as numbers were unusually low.  Nice to see higher numbers.  As normal, most if not all legs were checked for rings.

The resident male Herring Gull arrived at 9:58.  The female arrived an hour later at 10:48.  Their youngster made a noisy appearance at 11:10, begging for a feed from dad who was not interested.  I soon had this youngster sorted, throwing out bread which it caught in its beak.

At 11:00, an unusual visitor arrived - an adult Kittiwake.  Since coming here from 2013, this is now the third Kittiwake that I have recorded at the Marina (the second was found dead).  Kittiwakes are normally open ocean birds and are not often seen inland.  This bird was still present on my departure.  Keeping an eye on it resting beside the concrete jetty, it was clearly exhausted and tried to doze off.

Adult Kittiwake  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Oct 2025)

With rings at the ready, I kept looking for the young Mediterranean Gull, but there was no sign of it.  When it did appear at 11:47, it could not have been at a worse time.  Two groups of people had arrived and threw out bread to the cygnets that had also just appeared.  Watching the Med Gull, it managed to get a few beak-fulls of bread.  Afterwards, I tried to entice it to approach the door of my car to try and catch it.  Things were not going to plan when two of the cygnets parked themselves beside the door.  Closing the door, they went away, but kept coming back once the door was open again.

Later, I spotted the young Med Gull flying over the river arriving back onto the low wooden jetty.  It did not seem to be flying properly with really quick wing beats that made it odd looking.  Perhaps the lack of a tail might be part of it's problem.

Except for 5 Jackdaws, 2 Hooded Crows and a male Pied wagtail made brief visits.

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