BHG - 2FFH Found Dead...

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFH

On Sunday morning - 27th April 2025, an email arrived from Maaten Hotting who lives in the Netherlands.  Earlier that morning, one of my Black-headed Gulls from Antrim Marina was found dead on the island of Marker Wadden on Lake Markermeer in the north of the country.  The island is one of several man made islands made to increase the Biodiversity on the lake.

 2FFH  was found within a breeding colony of Black-headed Gulls and was taken away to be tested for 'Bird Flu'.   2FFH  was caught and ringed at Antrim Marina, as a juvenile / 1st winter bird on the 7th December 2020.  After being ringed, I recorded it over the next two weeks (14th & 21st), and then it disappeared before turning up again on the 19th April 2021.

The next sighting was reported by David Morrow on the 12th October 2021, when he spotted the gull at Ballyronan Marina in the north-west corner of Lough Neagh some 19 kms / 11 miles (W) from Antrim Marina.  With no further sightings in 2021, 2022 and 2023, I wrote the bird off as dead on my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet.

To my surprise,  2FFH  reappeared at Antrim Marina on the 6th October 2024 (Read), which was the only sighting over the 2024/2025 winter.  At the time, I could not place the bird, but wondered if it was one of two which have relocated to Whiteabbey Beach on Belfast Lough.  Having posted about the gull's unexpected return, I asked the question, was this possibly a foreign breeding bird?

That question has now been answered, and this is the first from Antrim to be associated with the Netherlands.  It now looks likely that this gull was reared at Marker Wadden prior to it's arrival at Antrim Marina as a juvenile.

The distance from Antrim Marina to Lake Markermeer, is 800 kms / 497 miles (ESE), and the duration from ringing to being found dead, is 4 years, 4 months and 20 days.  My thanks goes to Maaten for reporting the bird to me.  I have asked Maaten to send me a copy of test once he obtains the result.

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