Antrim Marina - Wednesday 17th December 2025...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 17th December 2025

Today's visit to Antrim Marina looked promising as I pulled up to the ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) barrier, as the compound used by the dredging team had now been removed.  This means that the 'Low Wooden Jetty' is now clear for the gulls to rest on.  The barge and the tender boat are still moored to the jetty, but handy enough, this was to the far right of the jetty.  I assume that Lough Neagh is still too choppy to sail out to a new location.

Arriving just before 11am, it was quite dull due to heavy cloud cover.  A strong wind was blowing in from the Lough, and the temperature gauge in my car read 11ºC which is extremely mild for this time of the year.  Driving across the car park towards my normal parking spot, I quickly noticed that there was not a single gull present.  I have mentioned over recent weeks about the lack of gulls present, but today's visit was a total disaster.

Since 2013, I have been studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, some of which have been colour-ringed to help track their movements.  To date, I have recorded 24 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls this winter, and at least a further 9 gulls are way overdue to return.  I have mentioned in the past, that the mild weather may possible be a likely cause concerning the lack of returnees, though other factors such as 'Bird Flu' and natural mortality may be another factor.

Todays visit lasted until 2:30pm, and no further returnees were recorded.  With no gulls present on my arrival, the first Black-headed Gulls began to trickle in at 11:15, with the rings of -  2AAN  and -  2FJA  being read at 11:18.  Throughout the visit, numbers never surpassed the 25 mark, which left me feeling very disheartened.  Only 9 colour-rings were read altogether, which meant I had a massive 15 absentees.  The 9th and final ring read at 2:07, belonged to -  2CTA .  This was my second sighting of this gull this winter, which was my last returnee recorded on the 25th November 2025.  I'm fairly sure this bird nests in a foreign country, but as yet, has not been seen on it's travels.

Black-headed Gull  -    2CTA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (17 Dec 2025)

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

There was no sign of the metal-rung Black-headed Gull from Iceland.  Absent for a third week running, that is unusual for this bird.

With the low numbers of gulls present, I'm finding it difficult to catch and ring new birds.  They do get fairly close, but there is no competition among them to chance getting a feed of bread.  I have enough swans on the slipway where I hand feed them, but dropping bread onto the ground between them, the gulls are reluctant to run in for the bread.

I noted that some of the gulls had dirty legs and feet, so they are easily feeding away from the Marina on green areas.  With a lack of frost, food must be ready available.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 17th December 2025

2AAN	2FJA	2FFA	2CJT	2CSR	2FKA	2CSK	2BRA	2CTA

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

2ABN	2ACV	2BRD	2FDK	2FFT	2FFX	2FHV	2FIF
2FIL	2FJF	2FJK	2FJN	2FJT	2FJV	2FJX

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On arrival, 7 Mute Swans and a single cygnet were present.  The cygnet and three of the adults were eating the grass on the upper edge of the car park.  A closer look at these, saw the cygnet's parents, which included the ringed mother -  X4707 .  A second cygnet arrived in on it's own from the direction of Lough Neagh at 12:09.  Once on the slipway, I'm pretty certain that this was the same youngster recorded last week.

The resident male Herring Gull arrived at 11:23.  His chick from this summer arrived at 1:48, followed by mother at 1:56.

It was a poor day for Common Gulls.  A single adult arrived at 2:08, followed by a juvenile at 2:21.  I'm especially keen to see Common Gulls at present, as I'm hoping to see the return of a metal-rung Finnish bird.  Ringed as a juvenile in August 1995,  ST177.026 , arrived back last winter on the 15th December 2024.  If I get it this winter, it will have surpassed the 30 year mark since being ringed.

The adult Moorhen appeared at 11:41.  Having first appeared a few weeks ago, it is still spending it's time eating the gull droppings on the Long Wooden Jetty and the Small Concrete Jetty.

Mallard numbers remained around the 30 mark throughout my visit, which again, is lower then expected.  Again, most if not all legs were checked for rings.  Recently, Suzanne Belshaw recorded a metal-rung Mallard at Kinnego Marina.  The details on the ring were different from anything recorded in the past, and Suzanne discovered that it belonged to a 'Gun Club' in County Armagh.  This gives me something to look for here at Antrim Marina.

A pair of Hooded Crows and a male Pied Wagtail made a brief visit, while one pair of Jackdaws made repeated visit.

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