Antrim Marina - Tuesday 30th December 2025...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 30th December 2025

In recent weeks I have been complaining about the low numbers of birds at Antrim Marina, but today, I was in for a treat.  I arrived at 11:05 this morning, departing at 3pm.  With practically no wind, it was very calm and sunny, with the temperature gauge in my car reading a chilly 6ºC.

Studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, some of which are colour-ringed, this winter's list increased to 25 gulls with the surprise visit of -  2FFN .  Normally these days,  2FFN  can be found on the shore at Whiteabbey on Belfast Lough.  Today, I had a further three returnees, 2 Black-headed Gulls and a Common Gull.

A reasonably good number of Black-headed Gulls were present all through today's visit.  Numbers remained around the 70 mark, but the reading of rings was hampered as an unknown number of gulls chose to rest on top of the roof of 'The Gateway Centre'.  A total of 12 out of 25 colour-rings were read today, which left me with 13 absentees.  A few birds may have been missed during the first three-quarters of an hour after my arrival due to having had conversations with several passers by.

My 4th ring sighting at 12pm, was that of today's first returnee -  2FJP .   2FJP , was ringed here as an unsexed adult on the 3rd December 2023, and subsequently recorded on three occasions to the 14th January 2024.

During the 2024/2025 winter, it did not return until the 30th December 2024 (same date as today), and was last seen on the 3rd March 2025.

Looking back at the ringing date, it may have just arrived when caught and ringed.  With the dates that I have, there is no doubting that it is a winter visitor and likely breeds in a foreign country.  It's just a pity that it has not been seen during it's travels so far.  It is now 2 years and 27 days since this gull was ringed.  It is always pleasing to record the return of one of my study birds.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJP   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (30 Dec 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 3rd December 2023, at Antrim Marina)

My 6th sighting at 12:04, saw the return of a second Black-headed Gull -  2FDL .   2FDL , breeds in Sweden, having been spotted in a breeding colony at Råstasjön Nature Reserve (Stockholm), on the 3rd April 2022.  To date, this is the only sighting away from Antrim Marina.

 2FDL , was ringed here as an unsexed adult, on the 18th November 2019.  The first sighting of this gull last winter occurred on the very late date of the 5th January 2025, though it may have been in the Antrim Town area much earlier.  The duration since being ringed, is now 6 years, 1 month and 12 days.

The one good thing about returnees, is the addition of several months onto their longevities.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FDL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (30 Dec 2025)

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

Among today's ring sightings, it is interesting to see -  2FHV  for a second week running.  In recent years, the gull normally leaves the area in mid October, returning in early spring prior to it's flight back to Iceland.

There is still no sign of the metal-rung Black-headed Gull from Iceland.  Having returned to the Marina for a third winter running on the 24th August 2025, it has not been seen since the 25th November 2025.  It is rare for that gull to be absent at all, never mind a month.  When present it normally walks up to the door of my car during each of my visits.  Things are not looking good for -  543335 .

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 30th December 2025

2FFA	2CJT	2FJX	2FJP	2FJT	2FDL	2FJA
2FHV	2BRA	2CSR	2FIL	2CSK	2CTA	2FKA

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

2AAN	2ABN	2ACV	2BRD	2FDK	2FFN	2FFT
2FFX	2FIF	2FJF	2FJK	2FJN	2FJV

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Usually I start this section talking about the Mute Swans, as they are normally the most obvious birds to be seen when I drive through the car park to my normal parking spot beside the small Concrete Jetty.  However, once parked, it was the large number of Common Gulls which really caught my attention.  I made my usual initial count of the species present, also discovering that a total of 12 Common Gulls were here altogether.  Having lifted my camera straight away, the small metal-rung Scottish female -  EY64036  was among them.  What I was really looking for was the return of a Finnish metal-rung Common Gull, but there was no sign of it.  I have mentioned this gull in recent posts, really hoping that it would turn up here again.

Common Gull  -   EY64036   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (30 Dec 2025)(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, Scotland)

After that initial count, I was side-tracked for the best part of three-quarters of an hour having conversations with several passers by.  My final conversation was with two young ladies that were slightly fearful of the swans.  By the time I had finished, one of them quite happily petted one of the swans to her delight - fearful no longer.  I explained to them about my Black-headed Gull Study and the use of the colour-rings.  I also pointed to the larger Common Gulls on the Long Wooden Jetty, telling them of my hopes for the return of a Finnish metal-rung bird, should it return, would be over 30 years since being ringed.

By now, it was 11:50, as they departed and I returned to my car to get my binoculars.  A peek of the gulls on the top rail of the Small Concrete Jetty, my heart jumped - a large Common Gull with a metal-ring!!  Taking a photo of the bird, I zoomed into it's ring, and yes, it was the Finnish bird.   ST177.028 , which had been ringed as a juvenile on the 6th August 1995 in Maaninka, Finland - which now took the duration since being ringed, to 30 years, 4 months and 24 days.

I first recorded this gull here on the 28th February 2016, and the gull returned again during the winters of 2016/2017 and 2017/2018.  At this point when last recorded on the 19th March 2018, it had been 22 years, 7 months and 13 days since being ringed.  Over the next couple of years, I eagerly waited for it to return again, but there was no sign of it.  At this point, I thought it had died.  A couple of years ago, my ex-ringing trainer Neville McKee sent me a photo of a Finnish Common Gull which he had taken at the Marina in January 2007.  There was only a partial number on the ring which read -  ST1**.**8 , so there is no doubting that the gull was visiting Antrim a way back then.

Last winter, on the 15th December 2024, I had a really big surprise, on checking my photos, the metal-ring read -  ST177.028 .  I went on to record this gull on four further occasions, the last of which was on the 17th February 2025 - 29 years, 6 months and 11 days.

On the British Trust for Ornithology's Online Ringing Database (Read Here), the oldest Common Gull on their records was aged 30 years, 10 months and 2 days.

The distance from Maaninka in Finland to Antrim Marina, is 2,124 kms / 1,319 miles (WSW).  Imagine the overall mileage after so many years.  Now the gull has returned, I am hoping for more sightings through to spring and next winter - you never know!!!!

Common Gull  -  Finland   ST177.028   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (30 Dec 2025)(Ringed as an Unsexed Juvenile, on the 6th August 1995, in Maaninka, Finland)

A final count of the Common Gulls at 1:20pm, revealed a winter's record of 15 adults (possibly two 2nd calendar year birds) and a single juvenile.  With so many Common Gulls about, I wondered about a Norwegian bird that appeared briefly back in January 2024.  This one had a (White Darvic) - JE956.

That gull had previously been spotted at Lurgan Park in County Armagh in December 2022 (Suzanne Belshaw), with two sightings back in Norway in June 2023.  I checked the 'Live' Norwegian Ringing Database, but no further sightings had been submitted since my sighting here in 2024.  When I saw it, it was slightly over 5 years since it had been ringed, so there is a good chance that it might still be alive and may return in the future.

Now, to get back on track, there were 8 adult Mute Swans and a single cygnet present on my arrival.  One of the swans was the resident female -  X4707 , and I soon established the the cygnet belonged to her.  She had six cygnets altogether and the other five would have been old enough to leave and look after themselves.  Three disappeared around the time when 'Storm Amy' struck Northern Ireland.

The slightly younger cygnet arrived at 12:25.  This one appeared on it's own a couple of weeks ago following another storm.  It will quite happily come ashore onto the slipway, but is still very wary of people.  A further 4 adults arrived in from Lough Neagh at 2pm.  I'm fairly sure that all legs were checked for rings.

Mallard numbers were well up this week.  Around 40 were present at all times, with most being checked for rings.  I would love to get a bird or two which belong to a gun club in County Armagh.  Suzanne Belshaw recorded one of their metal-rung Mallards at Kinnego Marina recently.

The juvenile Herring Gull belonging to the resident pair was present throughout this visit, with his father arriving at 12:07 - no sign of mother today.  A second calendar year Herring Gull arrived at 12:11, and I'm still fairly sure that this is last year's chick belonging to the resident pair.  A very boisterous 3rd calendar year bird arrived at 2:35pm, and only stayed for a couple of minutes before being chased away by the resident male.

For a second week running, there was no sign of the adult Moorhen.  In the weeks before, I had observed it eating the gull droppings on the jetties.  Has this nasty habit, led to it's absence?

A pair of Jackdaws made several brief appearances, often checking the bowl of the seed dispenser which was regularly used today.  The lone 'speckled' looking Jackdaw made a brief appearance, as did the male Pied Wagtail.

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