Antrim Marina - Monday 3rd March 2025...

Antrim Marina - Monday 3rd March 2025

Another Monday visit saw my arrival to Antrim Marina, just before 10am.  The weather was cloudy and calm, with the temperature gauge in my car reading 9ºC.  Around 60 Black-headed Gulls were present, and numbers remained around that total over my four hour visit.

With a total of 33 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls recorded here this winter, the reading of rings was slow though steady with a good turnover of gulls coming and going.  My overall total finished on 20, with the ring of -  2FJP  being read just before I departed at 2pm.   2FJP , along with -  2FJH  (not recorded today), were birds that I ringed during the Autumn/Winter of 2023.  Both gulls were late returnees to the Marina (December) this winter which would suggest they are foreign breeders.

I would suspect that some of today's absentees, have now departed towards their breeding sites.   2FJF , which was reported in Scotland on the 17th January 2025, has not returned to the Marina, so it looks as if he did not visit Strathclyde Country Park for a quick 'Indian Takeaway'.  I'm now keeping my fingers crossed that he will be spotted again further afield.

Two weeks ago, a Black-headed Gull with a BTO sized metal-ring was spotted on the rails of the short concrete jetty where I park my car.  By the time I collected my camera from the car, it had flown off and I could not find it again.  At 12:42 today, I spotted what was presumably the same bird in the same position on the concrete jetty.

This time, it stayed long enough for me to photograph the bird and it's ring.  Due to it being perched on the far end of the jetty, it was difficult to obtain the final digit on the ring, which appeared to be a ' 6 '.  The whole number therefore read -  EA85506 .  I would have needed a boat to read the final digits for certain, though I was happy enough that I did have the correct number.

Returning home, I checked the ring numbers -  EA855  00 to 09 , on the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database, to find that all 10 numbers were used on Black-headed Gull chicks on the 15th June 2022, though DemOn does not show ringing locations.

I submitted my bird as -  EA85506 , but if I find that the number is incorrect at a later date, then I can amend my submission.  The recovery details arrived from the BTO, to say that the gull was ringed at the Elvanfoot colony in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.  The distance from Elvanfoot to Antrim Marina is 182 kms / 113 miles (WSW), and the duration for this first resighting, is 2 years, 8 months and 16 days.

In the past, we have had several of these Elvanfoot Black-headed Gulls in Northern Ireland that were ringed in June 2022, being recorded with colour-rings or just metal-rings.  I recall an email conversation with Iain Livingstone who is the Ringing Coordinator for the Clyde Ringing Group, about the dilemma they faced in 2022.  Having visited the Elvanfoot colony, there was an exceptionally high number of chicks present which exhausted their supply of colour-rings, leaving many chicks to be ringed with metals only.

Now reaching breeding age, I'm surprised to see the gull is here, instead of returning to it's natal colony.  Will it stay here and breed on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform', the next couple of months may answer that question?

Black-headed Gull  -   EA85506   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (03 Mar 2025)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 15th June 2022, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)

In my previous post, I made mention of the Swedish -  2FDL , having arrived very late this winter (5th January 2025), and had only been seen on that one occasion.  I should have kept my mouth shut, as it was my 18th colour-ring sighting today, at 13:20.  Since being ringed here in November 2019, it's appearance today was the first ever March sighting here.  The single sighting in Sweden, was recorded on the 3rd April 2022, at a breeding colony on the outskirts of Stockholm, which numbered around 400 pairs.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FDL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (03 Mar 2025)

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

Another gull I made mention of in my previous post, was -  2FFX .  I did not expect to see it today, as I was half expecting to be heading off to his breeding site at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast.  His earliest sighting at the reserve was recorded on the 19th March 2023.

Another absentee -  2BRD , should now be found at Lurgan Park Lake in County Armagh.  It visits Lurgan Park during the weeks prior to the new breeding season starting.  This is a site often covered by Suzanne Belshaw, so I keen to receive her next email.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 3rd March 2025

2FJN	2FKA	2FJV	2FFA	2FHC	2FJK	2FFX	2CJT	2FIL	2FIF
2ACV	2CSR	2CSK	2AAB	2FJT	2AAN	2ABN	2FDL	2FJX	2FJP

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

2AFD	2BRA	2BRD	2CTA	2FFH	2FFT	2FHV
2FIJ	2FIX	2FJA	2FJF	2FJH	2FJL

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As usual over recent weeks, the large number of Mute Swans are first to grab my attention as I park up beside the small concrete jetty.  A high of 21 were counted - 19 adults and two 3rd calendar year birds.  On a couple of occasions, all of them came ashore to obtain feeds of bread and pellets.  Only the one bird was ringed, this being -  X4707 , which was ringed in April 2024 at Bartins Bay on the eastern shore of Lough Neagh.  After several feeds, some swans departed towards the Lough.

Mallard numbers continue to be on the low side.  Around 30 were counted on my arrival, with numbers dropping slightly after feeds.  As usual, I'm pretty sure most if not all legs were checked for rings.

A pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present throughout my visit, and often chased the other gulls forcing them to drop their share of bread being fed to the ducks.

The juvenile Herring Gull arrived at 10:35, with his father who is a resident here, arriving 10 minutes later.  No sign of the female, but she could be on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform' which is their likely nest site.  The immature, 3rd calendar year Herring Gull arrived at 13:05.  This very friendly bird, did not join into the feeds today, and the size of his crop told me he had already had a good feed elsewhere.  Pity, as I had a ring and pliers ready.

2 adult Common Gulls along with a juvenile were present on my arrival.  At 12:24, I had a high count of 5 adults and two juveniles.  None of these were ringed.  I reckon the two metal-rung birds from Finland and Scotland will not be seen again this winter.  The Finnish bird was one of my best sightings here this winter.  Appearing just before Christmas, I had not seen it here since 2018.  Ringed as a juvenile on the 6th August 1995, my final sighting on the 17th February 2025 saw the duration since being ringed, as 29 years, 6 months and 11 days.

Two pairs of Jackdaws, along with a pair of Pied Wagtails, were present throughout the visit.  A pair of Hooded Crows, 1 Rook and the 'noisy' juvenile Jackdaw made brief appearances.

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Antrim Marina - Tuesday 25th February 2025...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 25th February 2025

With Sunday being wet with several showers, and a midday appointment on Monday, this week's visit was made on Tuesday.  Arriving at 9:57, there was a lot of sunshine and a light breeze.  The temperature gauge in my car read 7ºC, though it still felt quite chilly.

After passing through the barrier which operates on vehicle number recognition, I drove slowly across the car park towards my usual parking spot next to the short concrete jetty.  Whilst driving across I passed a Black-headed Gull with a Blue Darvic, and a quick peek through my binoculars revealed that it was last week's newcomer -  218H .  I now know a little bit more about this bird's history.

Ringed as an unsexed adult at Bowness in Cumbria, England in November 2022, quite a number of re-sightings have been recorded at Bowness or at nearby Hodbarrow.  Interesting about those sightings, is that they occurred during both the winter and the breeding seasons, suggesting that it was resident to that area.  So what brought it over to Northern Ireland, as these are the first sightings away from Cumbria?    218H  looks to be very settled here at Antrim Marina, which has me wondering, was it here in the past before it's capture in Cumbria?.  It will be interesting to see if this gull stays here for the summer.

Black-headed Gull  -   218H   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (25 Feb 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 29th November 2022, at Bowness, Cumbria, England)

On parking at the concrete jetty, a rough count of the Black-headed Gulls gave me a total of around 80 birds.  Unlike my previous two visits, which was disastrous as far as numbers go, numbers remained around the 80 mark throughout my visit, though judging by the number of colour-ringed gulls present, there appeared to be a large turnover of gulls coming and going.

With a total of 33 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls to look for belonging to my study, my total for the day ended on 18.  Rings were recorded at a rapid rate, with -  2FJA  being the first at 10:00.  An hour later at 11:01, the ring of -  2CSK  was the last to be read.  Although I had planned to stay until 2pm, at 12:50 it began to rain pretty hard, and seeing as no further rings had been read for the best part of two hours, I decided to call it a day.

Among the sightings today, were -  2ABN  and -  2ACV , which have been absent for a few weeks, but this is nothing new concerning these two.  There is still no sign of the Icelandic bird -  2FHV .  This one appears to use Antrim Marina as a 'staging post' when returning from Iceland, and then before it's return to Iceland.  Another gull that stands out this winter, is the Swedish -  2FDL .  It's return to the Marina was very late this winter (5th January 2025) and I have not seen it since.  This winter on the whole has been very mild, and this could be effecting migration patterns.

Several of the Black-headed Gulls have fully developed 'dark hoods', which is a sure sign that the new breeding season is fast approaching.  One such bird is that of -  2FFX .  This bird is quite special, as it is of known age, and it's breeding site was discovered at an early stage in it's life.

 2FFX , was caught and ringed at Antrim Marina as a juvenile bird on the 21st December 2020.  The last sighting of this gull during the 2020/2021 winter season was made on the 12th April 2021.  No sightings were made during random visits to the Marina in the summer of 2021, but I recorded it's return to the Marina on the 9th August 2021.  Recorded almost every week throughout the 2021/2022 winter, the final sighting at the Marina, was made on the 14th March 2022.

During the breeding season, I would undertake a few random visits to the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve at Belfast's Harbour Estate.  Here, I would scope the nesting platforms for ringed gulls and terns whilst they are breeding.  On the 26th June 2022, whilst making another random visit, I spotted -  2FFX  on breeding 'Platform One' located in front of the Visitor Centre.  As the bird was not at full breeding age, I suspected that it was prospecting a nest-site for the 2023 breeding season, by which time it would be an adult.  It may also be possible, that the Window on Wildlife Reserve could be the site where it grew up as a chick.

On my first weekly visit at Antrim Marina to study the Black-headed Gulls during the 2022/2023 winter,  2FFX  had already returned (2nd August 2022).  Once again, the gull was recorded throughout the winter, with the final sighting being recorded on the 28th February 2023.  On the 19th March 2023, I made an early visit the the Window on Wildlife Reserve, and there was -  2FFX  back on 'Platform One'.  Here I watched him displaying to his partner, and bringing in nesting material.  He was recorded four times during the breeding season on the 'Platform', the last date being on the 20th May 2023.  By this time of the summer, the height of the vegetation makes scoping very difficult.

I began my weekly visits to the Marina to cover the 2023/2024 winter on the 31st July 2023, and discovered -  2FFX  had already returned.  Again, recorded regularly through to the 25th February 2024, random visits to the Window on Wildlife Reserve during the breeding season did not reveal any sightings.  At the Reserve, Black-headed Gulls also nest on the edges of the large Lagoon, and had -  2FFX  changed his nest-site, it would have been extremely difficult to pinpoint where at.  

This winter, he was recorded back at the Marina during my first visit on the 4th August 2024.  Judging by his previous record here, today's sighting should be the final one for this winter.  It would be great to find him back on the RSPB Reserve this summer.  The duration since being ringed, is now 4 years, 2 months and 4 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFX   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (25 Feb 2025)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 21st December 2020, at Antrim Marina)

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

2FJA	2ABN	2FJK	2BRA	2FJN	2FJV	2FJH	2FHC	2ACV
2FIL	2FKA	2CSR	2AAN	2AAB	2CJT	2FFX	2FJT	2CSK

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

2AFD	2BRD	2CTA	2FDL	2FFA	2FFH	2FFT	2FHV
2FIF	2FIJ	2FIX	2FJF	2FJL	2FJP	2FJX

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , is still here and was spotted at 10:20.  I took just the one photo of the bird, and seeing the numbers ' 54 ' on the upside-down ring was enough to confirm it.  Ringed in July 2023, it is now coming to the end of it's second winter here at the Marina.  What I found of interest in this bird today, was that it shy-ed away from the feeds being fed to the ducks.  Having fed well throughout the winter, perhaps it has decided to lose a few 'pounds' before it fly's back to Iceland.  It has been 1 year, 7 months and 11 days, since being ringed.  Although it was accidently caught in a garden Whoosh-trap at Laugarvatn towards southern Iceland, I reckon that it breeds at one of the more northern colonies.  I would be fairly certain that it was on it's way to Northern Ireland when caught and ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -   543335   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (25 Feb 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 14th July 2023, at Laugarvatn, Árnessýsla, Iceland)

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As per usual over the past few weeks, the large number of Mute Swans catches the eye on my arrival.  My first count gave a total of 14 birds, but three others had slipped in unnoticed by 10:54, with another two arriving from Lough Neagh at 11:07.  The legs of all 19 birds were checked for rings, but none this week.

Mallards numbered 40 on arrival, but dropped slightly to around 30 after a few feeds from the public.  Again, most if not all legs were checked for rings.

Last week saw the presence of a Lesser Black-backed Gull, this being the time of the year that they return from their wintering sites in southern Europe and North Africa.  Today, a pair was present throughout my visit.

There was no sign of the resident pair of Herring Gulls, but their youngster from last summer arrived at 10:45.  The 3rd calendar year Herring Gull which arrived recently, appeared at 10:51.  Being so people friendly, I brought a metal 'G' size ring and my pliers along today and just missed out on catching the bird on two occasions.  

Common Gull numbers have now dropped off, with one adult on my arrival, and a total of three adults by 10:43.  Two juveniles were also recorded at 10:20 and 12:11.  All five were still present when I departed around 12:50 - no rings..

Two pairs of Jackdaws and the usual pair of Pied Wagtails, were the only other species seen today.

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Norwegian Common Gull - JX402...

Common Gull - (White) JX402

On Thursday 27th February 2027, I worked the east coast of County Antrim looking for ringed Gulls and Waders.  I began at Glynn, which is just south from the Ferry Port Town of Larne.  I arrived shortly before the tide began to recede, and positioned myself on the railway platform of Glynn Station.  Scoping over Larne Lough, Common Gulls were spread out in their hundreds.  As the day panned out, the only rings spotted, were at Glynn.

As the shore began to be revealed, the gulls came in the bathe in the freshwater of the Glynn River which flows past the railway station and into the Lough.  As more shore was revealed, the gulls would rest up with most having a good preening sessions.

Common Gull numbers reached a fairly impressive 300 to 400 birds, spread out over the shore in four areas.  Although there is a Black-headed Gull breeding colony close by (Blue Circle Island), roughly 50 of these birds were present, and were the second most numerous species of gull.  Smaller numbers of Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls were also present.  A Mediterranean Gull was heard calling in the air, but it must have flew on towards Blue Circle Island.

A small number of Oystercatchers, Redshanks and two pairs of Greenshanks were the only waders present, though non of these were ringed.  Mallards and Widgeon were present in small numbers, whilst a female Goldeneye was a distant 'spot' through my telescope, as were a few Eider Duck and Red-breasted Mergansers  One adult Mute Swan was often seen chasing a group of three cygnets, and later in the morning two groups of Brent Geese arrived, though to my disappointment, non of these were ringed either.  Two Greylag Geese made a flyby heading inland.

With so many Common Gulls about, I stayed on site for at least three hours, with three rings being spotted.  One had a tall metal on it's right leg, but due to the distance, I had no chance of capturing any details on that ring of this, a definite foreign bird.  A badly damaged Blue Ring, was most likely to be one of my Common Gulls that was ringed on Rathlin Island.  I was able to zoom right into the ring with my camera hoping to capture the indentations on the 'White' looking ring, but these were only just ineligible.  I inherited these colour-rings from Shane Wolsey's from his former Copeland Common Gull project, but later discovered that the rings degrade very rapidly.

The one success I did have, was capturing the code on a White Darvic - JX402.  Knowing by the initial letter 'J', that this was a Norwegian bird, on returning home, I submitted my sighting onto the 'Live' Norwegian Ring Database, which provides observers with an instant result.

(White) JX402, was ringed as an unsexed third calendar year bird (hatched 2021), on the 2nd June 2023, at Iladalen Park, close to the docks in the City of Trondheim, Norway.  Although the gull had been re-sighted on a couple of occasions locally, today's sighting was the first outside of Norway.

The details on the database gave a distance of 1,323 kms / 822 miles (SW), and the duration since being ringed, is 1 year, 8 months and 25 days.  This will be one to look out for in future winters.

Common Gull  -  (White)  JX402, Glynn, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim  (27 Feb 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed 3rd Calendar Year Bird, on the 2nd June 2023, at Trondheim, Norway)

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Antrim Marina - Monday 17th February 2025...

Antrim Marina - Monday 17th February 2025

I arrived at the Marina an hour later than normal, and the sound of chainsaws greeted me on my arrival at 11am.  Clearing up operations are still ongoing since Storm Éowyn brought down lots of trees along the length of the Avenue in late January.  With most of the carnage sorted, the shortened trunks and root systems are being cleared now.

It was cloudy throughout my visit, and though the temperature gauge in my car read 8ºC, a light easterly breeze made it feel a very nippy.

On arrival, I had a nice total of around 80 Black-headed Gulls present, but straight away numbers quickly dropped to around half and never recovered.  On a couple of occasions, no Black-headed Gulls were present at all for brief periods.  Today's visit was not much better than last week's, which was easily the worst for this winter with so few gulls about.

So far this winter, I have recorded a total of 33 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, which includes three caught and ringed back on the 1st December 2024.  Despite trying to catch a few more new birds to add to the total, they have not been hungry enough to take chances at close approach in order to be caught..

The reading of rings were few and far apart, and by the time of my departure at 3pm, only 12 out of 33 rings were read.  With 21 absentees today, I cannot really make a comment as to why so many gulls have been absent over these last two weeks.  Even the Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull was absent.  I had hoped to catch and colour-ring this one before it heads home to Iceland, but it has narrowly evaded me all winter.

At 11:38, I spotted a new Black-headed Gull in front of me.  Reading the ring through my binoculars, I could see the code -  218H , and a few photos were quickly taken.  Looking through the photos, I even managed to obtain the number on the metal-ring -  EM42201 .  I suspected this gull may have been ringed in Cumbria, as similar coded gulls have been recorded in Northern Ireland in the past.  When the recovery came back from the BTO, my suspicions were correct.   218H  was ringed as an unsexed adult on the 29th November 2022, at Bowness in Cumbria, England.  The distance was given as 218 kms / 135 miles (WNW), and the duration since being ringed, was 2 years, 2 months and 19 days. 

Sitting in my car and holding up bread out of the window,  218H  along with a couple of other gulls, readily took bread from my hand.  Being used to being around people, was possibly the reason that it was caught and ringed.  Another new Black-headed Gull with a BTO sized metal-ring landed on the rails of the short concrete jetty at 2:15pm.  By the time I collected the camera from my car, it had flown off and I could not find it again.

Black-headed Gull  -   218H   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (17 Feb 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 29th November 2022, at Bowness, Cumbria, England)

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 17th February 2025

2FJA	2FKA	2CJT	2FJX	2AAN	2CSK
2FJV	2FJN	2BRA	2FFA	2AAB	2CSR

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

2ABN	2ACV	2AFD	2BRD	2CTA	2FDL	2FFH
2FFT	2FFX	2FHC	2FHV	2FIF	2FIJ	2FIL
2FIX	2FJF	2FJH	2FJK	2FJL	2FJP	2FJT

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Over the past few weeks, there has been a large number of Mute Swans at the Marina.  Over the winter, there were weeks where we had no swans at all, or in limited numbers.  Parking at my usual spot on my arrival, a large number were all gathered around the slipway.  With 19 swans present, there were no further additions before I departed at 3pm.  At times, all of the birds were out of the water and no rings were recorded.

Mallard numbers are still on the low side.  Around 30 were counted at first, but numbers dropped slightly after a few feeds from the public.  By the time of my departure, just 18 remained.  Again, I'm fairly sure all legs were checked during my visit, but still no rings at all this winter.

Three adult Common Gulls were resting on the long wooden jetty on my arrival.  Having noticed that there seemed to be more birds about at 11:20, a second count revealed 5 adults.  Noticing that one bird resting on the outer edge of the wooden jetty was metal-rung, I went back to my car to grab my camera.  Zooming into the ring, I could see that it was dirty, but seeing the digit '1' above the address line was enough to tell me that it was the Finnish Common Gull -  ST177.028 .

 ST177.028 , was recorded during the winters of 2016, 2017 and 2018 here at the Marina, and was not seen here again until the 8th December 2024, having made a partial ring sighting.  The whole ring was read the following week (15th December).  I went on to record this gull three times in January, but I feel that today's sighting might be the last for this winter.  In truth, I did not expect to see this gull after the January sightings.  Ringed as a Juvenile on the 6th August 1995, the duration since being ringed, is now 29 years, 6 months and 11 days.  The distance from Maaninka in Finland to Antrim Marina, is 2,124 kms / 1,319 miles (WSW).

Common Gull  -   ST177.028   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (17 Feb 2025)

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

A juvenile Common Gull made a brief appearance around 1pm, and a last count of the Common Gulls before I departed left me with the 5 adults.

The resident pair of Herring Gulls along with their youngster which hatched last summer were also present throughout my visit.  The 3rd winter immature Herring Gull which first appeared here a couple of weeks ago, was present until 12:30.  I initially recorded it as a juvenile bird until I saw the grey feathers on it's back a week later.  When I arrived today, this bird walked right up to me and took bread from my hand as calm as you like.  It has no fear whatsoever, so wherever it has been before it arrived here, it must have interacted with people somewhere else.  I have put 'G' size metal rings and the large ringing pliers into my ringing box, so I would like to get this one ringed before it moves on.

One adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was also present throughout today's visit.  This was the first one I've seen with spring arriving.  During the week, I saw another two outside my home in Ballymena, so these birds are now arriving back from southern Europe and northern Africa.

Possibly, the same Great Crested Grebe was seen diving for fish for around 30 minutes in front of the jetties before making it's was slowly upriver.

1 pair of Hooded Crows, 2 pairs of Jackdaws along with the noisy juvenile made several brief appearances, and the usual pair of Pied Wagtails were the only other species noted.  A thought about Chaffinch's came into my head today/  In previous winters, a few of these would appear in the early spring, but I yet to see one here so far.  At home, I keep several feeders out for the winter, but this winter for the first time ever, not a single Chaffinch has been seen.  Ever since I moved here in 2008, I have had a pair of Bullfinches wintering around my house, and I still have a pair here now.

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From Suzanne Belshaw...

From Suzanne Belshaw

Suzanne Belshaw has been in touch concerning two juvenile gulls that she has spotted lately.  The ringing of the second bird led to an interesting story of how it ended up being ringed.

The first of the two juveniles was spotted by Suzanne on the 11th February 2025, at Lurgan Park Lake in Co. Armagh.  Knowing that the Black-headed Gull (White) 266B belonged to the Lough Ree Gull Ringing Project, an email was sent to the ringing coordinator - Brian Burke.

Brian replied a few days later to say that the gull was ringed as a chick on the 18th June 2024, on Goat's Island on Lough Ree, Co. Longford in the Republic of Ireland.  Brian stated that a good number of chicks had been ringed last summer, but very few of these have been reported so far.  Delighted with Suzanne's sighting, (White) 266B has travelled 145 kms / 90 miles (NE) to reach Lurgan Park.  This was a first re-sighting since being ringed, the duration being 7 months and 24 days.

Our thanks goes to Brian for supplying the ringing details.

Juvenile Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  266B  -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (11 Feb 2025)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2024, at Lough Ree, Co. Longford, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

A juvenile Herring Gull ringed -  T:53T , was spotted by Suzanne close to her home in Lisburn, Co. Antrim on the 16th February 2025, though unknown at the time, this bird had an interesting upbringing.  Having reported the sighting to me, I suggested that she should report her sighting to the NE Scotland Gull Group.

The reply to Suzanne's email came from Jeroen (no surname given) to say that it was one of their birds ringed in July 2024 at Collieston in Aberdeenshire.  Jeroen copied in Raymond Duncan who was the ringer.  As Suzanne had also captured the juvenile's metal-number -  GY35959 , everyone was happy enough for me to submit the sighting through my BTO DemOn Ringing Account.

Soon after we received our copies of the ringing recoveries from the BTO, Raymond Duncan contacted us along with an interesting backdrop on how this bird was ringed.  During the 2024 breeding season, around 50 Herring Gull chicks were 'rescued' from rooftops in the towns of Peterhead, Fraserburgh, and the City of Aberdeen.  They were then taken to the New Arc Animal Rescue Centre near Ellon in Aberdeenshire.  At the Centre, Paul Reynolds and Morgane Ristic, along with a group of volunteers, fed and tended the chicks for several weeks before they were old enough to be released.

By late July, the time had arrived to release the juveniles.  They were moved to the coastal village of Collieston roughly halfway between Peterhead and Aberdeen, and prior to their release, the birds were fitted with both metal and colour-rings.  After release, some of the young gulls had moved southwards over mainland Britain.  One was spotted in the Republic of Ireland, while Suzanne's sighting of -  T:53T , was a first for Northern Ireland.

Over the past couple of years, I have read on the BBC Scotland News, where rooftop nesting gulls have become a problem.  Not only, are people complaining about the noise and fouling, some gulls have attacked people either for food, or because the gulls thought their nests were being threatened.  I have read accounts where some people wanted to see the gulls 'culled', but this would never happen as Herring Gulls are now on the 'Amber List', as a species of concern.  It now looks like the removal of chicks will help towards alleviating some of the problems.

On the BTO Recovery, the distance from Collieston to Lurgan, was given as 407 kms / 252 miles (SW), and the duration since being ringed, was 6 months and 16 days.

Our thanks goes to Raymond Duncan for supplying this interesting information, and once again, to Suzanne for the sighting reports and photos.

Juvenile Herring Gull  -   T:53T   -  Lisburn, Co. Antrim  (16 Feb 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Juvenile, on the 31st July 2024, at Collieston, Aberdeenshire, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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Antrim Marina - Sunday 9th February 2025...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 9th February 2025

I arrived at Antrim Marina at 10am this morning and though I did not know it at the time, this was going to be the worst visit of the winter in regards as to the number of birds present.  The cloud cover was 50/50 with the sun peeking out whenever possible.  The temperature gauge in my car read 7ºC, though a fairly strong easterly wind made it feel very nippy.

Black-headed Gull numbers were low with just 30 birds present, and numbers remained more or less static throughout the morning.  On the lookout for 33 colour-rings, by the time of my departure around 2pm, just 11 were read, leaving me with a whopping 22 absentees.

The metal-ring of the Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335  was read before the first of my birds.  From the outset, several people arrived to feed the ducks and swans with bread and pellets with the gulls making sure that they grabbed their fair share.  It got to a stage where lots of uneaten bread was scattered around the jetties and on the slipway, and many full slices floated away towards Lough Neagh with both ducks and swans paying no interest.  Just after 1pm through to my departure, all of the gulls flew off.

Of the 11 colour-rings that were read,  2CTA  was the only bird of real interest.  Although most of the others are year round residents, I still believe that -  2CTA  is a foreign bird that returns each winter to the Marina.  I hope that some day, this bird will be recorded on it's travels, and better still, spotted at a breeding colony.  It is now 6 years, 1 month and 30 days since -  2CTA  was caught and ringed here.

Black-headed Gull  -   2CTA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (09 Feb 2025)

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

Little is known about the gulls ringed -  2FJ*  or  2FK* , as these have been caught and ringed more recently, so it will take some time yet to build up profiles regarding their residential status.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 9th February 2025

2FKA	2FFA	2CSK	2FJT	2BRA	2CTA
2FFX	2FJN	2FJA	2CJT	2FJL

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

2AAB	2AAN	2ABN	2ACV	2AFD	2BRD	2CSR	2FDL
2FFH	2FFT	2FHC	2FHV	2FIF	2FIJ	2FIL	2FIX
2FJF	2FJH	2FJK	2FJP	2FJV	2FJX

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

21 Mute Swans were present on my arrival, these being made up of 19 adults and two third year birds.  On several occasions, all of the swans were on the shore, and the only ring among these was the now regularly recorded -  X4707 .  One other swan was spotted at the breakwater, but it never came in.

The resident pair of Herring Gulls were present until just after 1pm, and their youngster from last summer arrived at 10:37.  All of the gulls flew away after 1pm, but shortly before my 2pm departure, another juvenile Herring Gull arrived.  I quickly realised that it was the same 'brute' of a bird that first appeared last week.  Very comfortable being around people, this youngster is huge.  I then noticed that between the shoulders, adult feathers showing meant this bird was actually a third year bird, and would have hatched in 2023.  It was still the only gull present when I departed.

2 adult Common Gulls were also present on my arrival, and a third adult arrived at 11:18.  Further counts over the morning left me with just the three birds.  I think some of the Common Gulls wintering around Lough Neagh, may now be on the move back towards their breeding sites.  I know from observations made by Ric Else on Rathlin Island, Common Gulls begin to arrive back onto the island in large numbers from February onwards.

A high count of around 30 Mallards was made on my arrival, and a short time later, after having had several feeds of bread from passers-by, numbers decreased to 13 birds.  By the time of my departure just 8 Mallards remained.  Most, if not all legs were checked for rings.

A Great Crested Grebe spent an hour fishing on the river along the length of the Marina and I eventually lost sight of this bird as it slowly moved upriver.

Great Crested Grebe  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, County Antrim  (09 Feb 2025)

With so much uneaten bread lying around, a pair of Hooded Crows and two pairs of Jackdaws made repeated visits collecting beak fulls which were most likely being hoarded somewhere.  The noisy juvenile Jackdaw also made repeated visits. 

The usual pair of Pied Wagtails enjoyed a feast of bread crumbs.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 3rd February 2025...

Antrim Marina - Monday 3rd February 2025

For this week's visit to Antrim Marina, I opted for a Monday visit.  However, on Sunday evening I received an email from a Angela Faulkner.  Angela had been at the Marina earlier on Sunday and said that there were lots of gulls with rings, and managed to capture photos of two of them -  2AAB  and -  2FIL .  Both of these Black-headed Gulls are year round residents to the Marina, so there was nothing exciting to report back.

I arrived at Antrim Marina today at 10:06.  Parking at my usual spot beside the small concrete jetty, I took a note of the birds that were present, which included a total of around 65 Black-headed Gulls.  It was a cloudy morning with a strong wind blowing in from the direction of Lough Neagh, and the temperature gauge in my car read 10ºC.  As the wind was so strong, hardly any gulls ventured on to the Long Wooden Jetty closet to the Lough.

I was on the lookout for 32 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls recorded this winter, which included three that I had caught and ringed in the Autumn.  The initial total of 65 birds turned out to be the high number for the day, as numbers decreased slightly through to my departure.  Around 12:20, all of the gulls disappeared for around 20 minutes.

13 rings were read up until 10:43, then I had to wait until 11:32 before more were added to the total.  My total for the day ended, with 22 colour-rings being read, the final one at 13:20, being -  2FIX .  I spotted -  2FIX  from my car zooming towards the middle of the Low Wooden Jetty.  The ring was fairly dirty, but even so, I couldn't believe my eyes.  Walking across to take photos at a closer range, the bird was definitely -  2FIX .  On my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet, I had wrote this bird off as dead quite a while back.   2FIX , had been ringed at the Marina as an unsexed adult, on the 19th December 2022.  Suzanne Belshaw recorded the gull at the Marina on the 2nd January 2023, and it has not been seen again until today.

In my mind, I thought it may have been another 'Bird Flu' victim.  It is very interesting to see that the gull is still alive and well.  I shall now classify -  2FIX  as being a rare visitor to Antrim Marina, moving to and from it's breeding site.  The duration since being ringed, is 2 years, 1 month and 15 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIX   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (03 Feb 2025)

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

Another sighting of interest today, was the 4th sighting this winter of -  2FIJ .  My thinking on this bird, is that it is using the Marina as a 'Staging Post' between it's breeding and wintering sites.  The three previous sightings this winter, were made on the 11th & 18th August 2024, and on the 12th January 2025. 

Three sightings during the summer of 2024 - twice in May, and once in June, suggests that it is breeding in the local area, possibly on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform'.  In contrast, there were no sightings at the Marina during the summer of 2023.  I reckon it will take a number of sightings to work out the true status for this gull.   2FIJ , was ringed at the Marina as a 2nd Calendar Year Bird, on the 10th January 2022, the duration since being ringed, now 3 years and 24 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIJ   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (03 Feb 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed 2nd Winter Bird, on the 31st October 2022, at Antrim Marina)

With the winter coming to an end, there is still no sign of the Estonian -  2FDJ , or the Polish -  2FHT , so I'm beginning to think both have succumbed to their fate.  I'm clinging on to the hope, that seeing as this winter has been so mild, neither bird has seen the need to return to Antrim.

Last seen on the 12th January 2025, the metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , is still here.  With a good number of swans on the slipway, the gulls are not hungry enough to take chances trying to grab bread thrown onto the slipway.  It looks as if -  543335  will return to Iceland without a colour-ring being fitted.  Ringed in southern Iceland in July 2023, this is gull's second winter here, though it could have wintered here for years before it was ringed. 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recoded at Antrim Marina on Monday 3rd February 2025

2CSK	2FFA	2FJP	2CJT	2FJA	2FJV	2FJH	2BRA
2FHC	2CSR	2FJX	2FKA	2AAN	2FIF	2FIL	2FFX
2ABN	2FJT	2FIJ	2AAB	2FJN	2FIX

With 11 absentees today, one bird I'm looking out for, is the Icelandic -  2FHV .  I caught and ringed this gull at Antrim Marina as an unsexed adult, on the 8th November 2021.  It was then recorded over the following two weeks before disappearing until the 24th February 2022.  The next two sightings occurred in June and July 2022, when -  2FHV  was spotted in the town of Akureyri on the north coast of Iceland.

During the winters of 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, I went on to discover that this gull is using Antrim Marina as a 'staging post' before moving on to an unknown wintering site.  Towards the end of both of those winters,  2FHV  arrived back to the Marina using the Marina as a 'staging post again' on it's presumed return to Iceland :-

8th August 2022 to 10th October 2022 - (Unknown Wintering Site) - 26th & 28th February 2023

31st July 2023 to 22nd October 2023 - (Unknown Wintering Site) - 7th January 2024 to 25th February 2024

This winter,  2FHV  arrived back to the Marina on the 26th August 2025, then moved on after the 19th October 2024.  Although it was not recorded back this January, I'm still hoping it will return before heading back to Iceland for this summer's breeding season.

During the breeding season in Iceland, Common and Black-headed Gulls could easily be overlooked. Every very five years, a thorough breeding study is carried out, providing a greater chance of colour-ringed gulls being spotted.  2025 should see the latest assessment for both species.

Another of note on the list of absentees is -  2FJF .  Ringed at the Marina as a juvenile November 2023, it was regularly recorded up until my final weekly visit on the 31st March 2024.  With no summer sightings during random breeding season visits, it was recorded at the Marina on the 4th August 2024 when I began my weekly visits to cover the 2024/2025 winter season.

Recorded regularly until the 15th September, it then disappeared for two months, finally returning on the 17th November.  At the time, I feared the worse, but was gland to see it back again.  Sightings continued until the 12th January 2025, then I received an email from Scott Black on the 17th January 2025, along with a photograph.   2FJF , had been seen that day at Strathclyde Country Park in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.  There is an Indian Restaurant there, where the scraps are thrown out for the gulls.  Could this have been where -  2FJF  had disappeared to between mid-September until mid-November?  With some gulls making an early move towards their breeding sites, had -  2FJF  nipped over for an 'Indian Takeaway', or could it be heading towards Scandinavia?

With -  2FIX  being added to this winter's list of colour-rings, the overall total is now 33, which includes three Black-headed Gulls ringed this winter.

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

2ACV	2AFD	2BRD	2CTA	2FDL	2FFH
2FFT	2FHV	2FJF	2FJK	2FJL

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As I parked beside the short concrete jetty, there were a large number of Mute Swans present.  I counted 17 altogether, with just 8 birds on the slipway.  A further two birds swam in from the Lough at 10:34 taking the total to 19.  On several occasions, all 19 came ashore, and just the one bird was ringed -  X4707  which is regularly recorded here now.  One thing that I have noticed throughout the winter, is the lack of juveniles.  It would appear that the swans have had a poor breeding season in 2024.  I think it may have been possible that chicks did hatch out, but a lack of insects on the water due to the 'Blue-Green Algae' around Lough Neagh, may have contributed to the death of many youngsters.

Around 40 Mallards were counted after my arrival.  As the morning wore on, numbers decreased to around 25 birds.  As always, most if not all legs were checked, but still no rings.  Overall numbers should be higher for this time of the winter, but higher totals have rarely been reached.

It was a poor day for Common Gulls.  One adult was present when I arrived, with a juvenile arriving at 10:22, followed by a second adult at 10:32.  A third adult arrived at 11:11, and there was just the three adults present when I departed.  None of these were ringed, and I'm now wondering if I have seen the last of the Scottish and Finnish birds for this winter.

The regular juvenile Herring Gull arrived at 10:29, with it's parents appearing together at 11:08.  Both adult birds stayed close together today, unlike previous visits where they would split apart soon after arriving.  A very large second juvenile arrived at 11:42.  I wonder where this one has been, as it was so calm it would walk right up to people.  A real 'brute' of a bird, it was more 'people confident' than the juvenile that has been here all winter.

Possibly the same pair of Hooded Crows made repeated visits all morning.  Just one pair of Jackdaws and the noisy juvenile visited today.  A single Magpie and the pair of Pied Wagtails were the only other species noted today. 

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