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.

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