Antrim Marina - Thursday 26th March 2026...

Antrim Marina - Thursday 26th March 2026

Seeing as this week's weekly visit to Antrim Marina, is so late in the week, I have decided that today will be the end of this winter's visits to the Marina to study the wintering population of Black-headed Gulls.  Since 2012, a number of gulls have been colour-ringed in order to track their movements.  The codes on the colour-rings are unique to each bird.

From the beginning of August until the end of March each winter.  I undertake one weekly visit to record the colour-rings and if possible, catch new birds to be ringed.  Of the gulls caught in the past, some are year round residents to the Marina, whilst a number of others have been reported during the breeding season in several foreign countries before returning to the Marina to spend another winter here.  Also, the breeding sites for a few other gulls are as yet unknown seeing as they have yet to be spotted on their travels.

After the breeding season each year, some birds do not return for the winter.  Breeding colonies are brutal environments.  Adults constantly squabble around nest sites chasing off intruders, the efforts at finding food for their partners and chicks, which can prove too much for older birds.  Over recent years, 'Bird Flu' is also taking its toll on adults - two of my birds were found dead in breeding colonies in The Netherlands and Germany, testing positive for the virus.

Around December and January this winter, several of my gulls suddenly disappeared.  I think we had three severe storms around that time, and this may cause of their disappearance.  With the winter season ended, I will try and tie down the dates of those storms and try to link those with the disappearance of my birds.

Arriving at 10:56 this morning, it was cloudy and a light breeze was blowing in from the Lough.  The temperature gauge in my car read 7ºC.  Around 30 Black-headed Gulls were present, almost half of which were juveniles from last summer's breeding season.  Numbers ranged between 20 to 40 gulls for most of the visit, but around 1pm, numbers easily reached at least 55 birds, with a large increase in adults.

Only six colour-rings were read during the visit, the first -  2FIF  at 10:59, and the last -  2CJT  at 12:34.  With no further rings read, I was planning to leave at 1:30pm, when I spotted a Black-headed Gull with a tall metal-ring on the Low Wooden Jetty.

Grabbing my camera, the race was on to capture the ring number should the bird decides to move on.  Moved, it did, but happily it remained and I eventually captured the full number.  Taking one particular photo, I could see 'Rek' on the address line, so I knew it was from Iceland, therefore, I needed six numbers altogether.  On checking my photos, I had -  595818 , success.

On returning home, I checked the number on my Main Ring Reading Spreadsheet and found a match.   595818 , had been spotted here at the Marina on three previous occasions, where I recorded it on the 12th November 2023, 28th January 2024 and on the 25th February 2024.  It was great to obtain a fourth sighting of this gull.

 595818  was ringed as an unsexed adult on the 11th July 2023 at Akureyri, a town on the north coast of Iceland.  This is the same location where my -  2FHV  has been recorded on six occasions.  The distance to Antrim Marina, is 1,379 kms / 857 miles (SSE), and the duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 8 months and 15 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   595818   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (26 Mar 2026)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 11th July 2023, at Akureyri in Northern Iceland)

With the exception of -  2FKA , the other five colour-ring sightings are known to be year round residents.   2FKA , was caught and ringed here as a juvenile bird on the 1st December 2024.  As with the other gulls, I need to build a profile on it's movements.  During the 2024/2025 winter, it was recorded through to the 10th March 2025, but was not seen during random summer visits in May, June and July.  This winter, it was recorded on the 24th August 2025, though I had resumed my weekly visits at the beginning of the month.  Judging by last summers results, it appears, that -  2FKA , is a non-resident.  It now looks pretty good, as it nears maturity.  It is now 1 year, 3 months and 25 days since it was ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FKA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (26 Mar 2026)

(Ringed as a Juvenile, on the 1st December 2024, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FKA   -  As a Juvenile at Antrim Marina - 8th December 2024

As always, I will skip the month of April, as the gulls will be too busy at their nest-sites, building nests and courting.  Random visits will be made in May through to August to record the resident gulls.  No doubt, there will be gulls arriving now to breed here, before returning to their wintering sites.  There is always the possibility that a bird could have been caught and colour-ringed at it's wintering site.  A few years back, a bird colour-ringed in Southport, England appeared here during the breeding season.  Having been recorded back in Southport, the last sighting of that gull was Antrim Marina, so it likely died here. 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Thursday 26th March 2026

2FIF	2FKA	2FIL	2CSR	2BRA	2CJT

The Lough Neagh Partnership, now has a 'Live Webcam' running on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform' where several species breed during the summer months.

The Webcam can be viewed here :- (Torpedo Platform).

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

11 adult Mute Swans and 2 juveniles were present on my arrival and that was the final total for the day.  The resident pair were quickly identified, the female ringed -  X4707 .  The two cygnets were the usual two, one belonging to the resident pair, the other arriving on it's own after one of our severe storms.

Mallard numbered around 20 birds, with male greatly outnumbering females.  Most legs were checked for rings - non at all this winter.

An adult Common Gull, as well as a juvenile were also present when I arrived.  A further four arrived - a second juvenile at 11:07, a second adult at 11:58, a third juvenile at 12:10 and a third adult at 1:19.  No sign of the Scottish and Finnish metal-rung birds, so I will have to wait now until the Autumn.

The juvenile Herring Gull belonging to the resident pair was present throughout, and it's parents arrived at midday.  A second unrelated juvenile arrived at 12:30, and was often chased by the resident juvenile.  The adult pair broke into a courtship display several times.

A pair of Hooded Crows, two Rooks and a single pair of Jackdaws made repeated visits.

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Antrim Marina - Wednesday 18th March 2026...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 18th March 2026

Before I report on Wednesday's weekly visit to Antrim Marina, I have to mention the belated sightings for one of my Black-headed Gulls -  2FHV .  My last sighting of -  2FHV  was made here two weeks ago (Read Here) and I stated that this bird often returns to the Marina in early spring before heading off to Iceland for the summer.  

Looking at it's re-sighting history at the Marina, it seems that the gull uses the Marina as a 'staging post' before moving on to it's wintering site and returns enroute to Iceland.  However, a couple of sightings last December suggests that the gull may well be wintering in the area of Antrim Town.  I also stated that I could do with more sightings in Iceland, as the only two sighting records I had were made back in June and July 2022 at Akureyri on the north coast of Iceland.

On Thursday 19th March, I received an email from Jan Rod in Dublin.  The ringing department at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland contacted Jan asking if two Black-headed Gulls belonged to his project.  One bird -  2AFF  did belonged to Jan and was ringed in Dublin, however, the second was -  2FHV , hence Jan contacting me.  I was delighted and then realised that the sighting was made nearly a year ago - 14th April 2025.

I then contacted the ringing department in Iceland to say that the gull was mine, and supplied the full history for -  2FHV .  In no time at all, I received a reply with apologies as their ringing department was under-staffed.  A PDF file was also attached and I was in for quite the surprise - a further three sightings were listed that I knew nothing about - a third for 2022 and two in 2024.  This now gives me a total of six sightings, all from Akureyri.

I looked at my BTO DemOn Ringing Account to check the history for -  2FHV , and found three records corresponding to the 2022 sightings in Iceland, but nothing for 2024, so these were not reported to our BTO.  The reason why I knew nothing about the third 2022 sighting, is due to the BTO sending out recoveries via the metal ring number, which meant my ex-ringing trainer received the recovery and had failed to let me know.  The metal-rings that I use are registered to my ringing trainer and not to myself.  As can be seen, this can cause some problems.

I still have access to my ex-trainer's DemOn Ringing Account, and over the next couple of months, will check the metal-numbers for my Marina gulls to see if any other sightings have been reported that I know nothing about.

The distance to Akureyri from Antrim Marina, is 1,380 kms / 856 miles (NNW), and when last seen at Antrim Marina on the 4th March 2026, the duration since being ringed, was 4 years, 3 months and 24 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHV   -  Akureyri, Northern Iceland  (22 Jun 2022)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 8th November 2021, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Ólafur Larsen)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHV   -  Akureyri, Northern Iceland  (14 Apr 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 8th November 2021, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Hrafn Svavarsson)

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Today I arrived at Antrim Marina just before 11am.  Weather-wise, it was cloudy, calm, and the temperature gauge in my car read 12ºC.  Only 23 Black-headed Gulls were present, but with the new breeding about to start, I was not expecting too much as far as numbers were concerned.  I took a walk up to the breakwater and looked across Lough Neagh at the former 'Torpedo Platform'.  There were plenty of gulls flying around it, with many prospecting a likely nest site.

I departed from the Marina just after 2pm, as very little was happening.  Black-headed Gulls number varied from around 10 but never surpassed the 40 mark.  Altogether, just 28 of my colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls were recorded during the winter, with at least 6 having failed to return.  A couple of others were recorded on just once or on two occasions.  Unfortunately, no new birds were caught and ringed this winter.

Just six colour-rings were recorded during my visit, and all six are known as to be year round residents and may well breed on the 'Torpedo Platform'.  Some gulls do nest on the rooftops at the Kilbegs Industrial Estate on the northern edge of Antrim Town.  These are mainly Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Common Gulls, with smaller numbers of Black-headed and Herring Gulls.  To date, none of my gulls have been reported as breeding there, though on a handful of occasions the odd gull has been reported at fast food outlets on the neighbouring Junction One Shopping Centre car park.

The ring of -  2CJT  was first to be read at 11:29, and the sixth and final ring read at 12:04, belonged to -  2FIF .  On my departure, no further rings were read after two hours.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIF   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Mar 2026)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 29th November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 18th March 2026

2CJT	2CSK	2FIL	2CSR	2BRA	2FIF

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As usual, the Mute Swans grabbed my attention as I drove across the car park to my spot beside the Small Concrete Jetty.  10 adults, along with two cygnets were being fed at the top of the car park by a couple who I have met several times.  Several bags of seed had been emptied onto the ground.  On parking, I went to say hello and had a look for the metal-rung female swan -  X4707 , who was present.  Along with her partner, they are the resident breeding pair and the larger of the two cygnets belongs to them.  The smaller cygnet is the same youngster that arrived here unaccompanied after one of our severe storms a few months back.  A pair of swans swan in from the Lough at 1:09, increasing the total to 10 adults.  A little while later, the resident pair carried out some courtship display while on the river.

Two juvenile Herring Gulls were present throughout my visit, one of which belongs to the resident pair which arrived together at 11:50.  They also did some courting on the edge of the slipway.  A third year Herring Gull had arrived before them at 11:28, and I'm pretty certain that it too belongs to the resident pair having been reared in 2024.  The resident pair departed about an hour later.

A juvenile Common Gull was also present throughout the visit, with a second juvenile arriving at 1:51.  The only adult spotted today arrived at 11:37, and was still present when I departed.  I have now given up hope for a second sighting of the metal-rung bird from Finland.  The only sighting of -  ST177.028 , this winter was made on the 30th December 2025.  Ringed as a juvenile in August 1995, when I recorded it's return, the duration since being ringed, was 30 years, 4 months and 24 days.  Fingers crossed now, that it will return again next winter.

A pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived at 12:42.  They spent their time on the lampposts waiting to raid the other gulls whilst being fed with bread.

Mallard numbers were very low.  20 present at first, soon dropped down to around 12 to 14.  Interestingly, most were males, and a couple of the remaining females were often chased by eager males.

A pair of Hooded Crows were also present on my arrival.  Likely to be the same pair, they made several visits.

Just the single pair of Jackdaws this week, and they too made repeated visits.  At 11:51, the 'speckled' Jackdaw appeared briefly.  This is only the second or third time that I have seen this bird over the winter.

'Speckled' Jackdaw  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Mar 2026)

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Antrim Marina - Wednesday 11th March 2026...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 11th March 2026

With poor weather forecasted for Tuesday and Thursday this week, Wednesday was to be the best day for this week's weekly visit to Antrim Marina.  Due to a problem at home on Tuesday, I ended up cancelling the visit altogether.

Recently, I have mentioned our cat appears to be suffering from the feline version of old age dementia.  The result of this, someone needs to be at home at all times.  With three of us living in the house, the task is quite simple.  Lorraine's cat is called 'Rusty' for obvious reasons - mostly sort of orange above and white underneath.  With Lorraine at work on Tuesday, around 9am, Rusty wanted to go out into our back yard.  It rained all day on Tuesday, but Rusty went missing.  I went out the back several times and there was no sign of the cat.  In the car-port, there is a recycling box with a blanket on it, sheltered by my car.  Rusty would quite happily lay for hours at a time on it, but by 5pm, there was still no sign of him and it was still raining.

At 5:45pm, what appeared to be a giant black hedgehog appeared on the dining room window ledge - of course it was Rusty.  I went out and lifted him and set him down on a towel on the kitchen bench.  His fur was so wet, it looked like spikes and rubbing him down with another towel, he was plastered with what looked like a fine silt.  I then realised his right paw was injured.

A good feed and a drink of milk was quickly devoured, then I set him onto a covered kitchen chair where he started to lick himself clean.  As the evening wore on, his pawed swelled up and he could not put any pressure on it.  We decided that he had to be kept in that night, and I sorted out a 'cat litter' tray from the shed.

Come Wednesday morning, after a phone call to the vet, an appointment was made for 12:45.  On car duty for the run, my trip to the Marina was cancelled.  I received the call from Lorraine to collect them.  Lorraine was £167 lighter, no broken leg, a double dose of antibiotics and a pain killer - quite a costly visit.  As forecasted, Thursday was indeed on the wet side and with Lorraine back at work, the weekend was ruled out.

As I write (Monday 16th March), Rusty is now walking again, and is now spending a lot of time resting in the house.  We still have no idea what happened to him, but it seems as if he fell into a drain or something similar.  Rusty was a 'blow in' having settled with us five or six years ago.  The vet has aged him as 12 to 13 years old - no wonder he's showing signs of dementia - walking about without a clue what he wants to do.  Animals, sometimes they can be a pain in the a***.

I should get to the Marina tomorrow or on Wednesday. 

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Antrim Marina - Wednesday 4th March 2026...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 4th March 2026

I arrived at the Marina at 11:19 this morning.  I had planned to leave at 3pm, but eventually departed at 3:45.  On arrival, it was cloudy but calm, and the temperature gauge in my car read 11ºC.  Soon afterwards, the skies cleared leaving with a nice sunny day, with the temperature climbing to 14ºC.  Seeing as the day had turned out well, lots of folk passed through and I ended up having loads of conversations and the time flew by.

Around 40 Black-headed Gulls were present and throughout the visit numbers fluctuated between 30 to 70 gulls.  Only 28 colour-ringed gulls have been recorded this winter, all having been ringed here so that their movements can be tracked.  I come up to read the colour-rings once a week, and for the past couple of months, the totals read have been on the low side.  Many have suddenly disappeared, including a few whose rings would normally be read on a regular basis.  I have it in mind, that some of these birds may well have been affected by several storms that we have experienced here in Northern Ireland this winter.  At some point, I will have to note the dates of those storms, and see if they correlate with the dates when some of the gulls were last seen.

Despite remaining until 3:45, only 11 colour-rings were read, the final one being the Icelandic breeding -  2FHV .  This has left me with another massive 17 absentees.  We are also at that time of the year when some gulls will be on the move towards their breeding sites.  One bird recorded today, was my second sighting this winter of -  2FJP .  Ringed here as an unsexed adult on the 3rd December 2023, it's re-sighting history has been patchy.  I reckon that the gull is a foreign breeding bird and possibly uses the Marina as a 'staging post' between it's wintering and breeding sites.  I really need more sightings to be sure for this bird.  My final sighting last winter was made on the 3rd March 2025, which closely matches today's sighting.  It is now 2 years, 3 months and 1 day since I ringed it here.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJP   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (04 Mar 2026)

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

To record -  2FHV  today was very pleasing.  Although not recorded on a regular basis here each winter, I'm fairly sure it does winter in the Antrim area.  Quite often, the final sighting is made here in the early spring before the gull returns to Iceland.  It breeds close to the town of Akureyri on the northern coast of Iceland.  When last seen there, a five-yearly survey of breeding Common and Black-headed Gulls was being carried out.  An up to date sighting in Iceland would be welcomed.  It is now 4 years, 3 months and 24 days since -  2FHV  was ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHV   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (04 Mar 2026)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 8th November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 4th March 2026

2ABN	2FKA	2AAN	2FJP	2CSK	2FIL
2FIF	2CJT	2CSR	2FJT	2FHV

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

2ACV	2AFD	2BRA	2BRD	2CTA	2FDL	2FDK	2FFA	2FFN
2FFT	2FFX	2FJA	2FJF	2FJK	2FJN	2FJV	2FJX

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Driving towards my usual parking spot, a large number of Mute Swans had gathered around the slipway.  A count gave 14 adults and a single cygnet.  It only took a couple of minutes to establish that the resident pair were present (female ringed -  X4707 ) and the cygnet belongs to them (the final one of six).

A second cygnet arrived on it's own from upriver at 11:40.  This one is slightly younger than the cygnet belonging to the resident pair, having appeared here a couple of months back, when it arrived without parents after one of our worst storms.  Initially, it did not take too well being close to people, but now it will take bread from your hand, though still slightly cautious.

The overall total of adults increased to 16 birds with two further arrivals at 1:21 and 1:59, both swimming in from the direction of Lough Neagh.  If I can remember right, the record high for adult Mute Swans recorded here this winter was 16, so that record was equalled today.  I'm fairly sure that all legs were checked for rings, but the resident female was the only one.  

Just for an update,  X4707  was ringed on the 5th April 2024 (as an adult male!!!!!), at Bartins Bay situated 31 kms / 13 miles (SW) from Antrim Marina.  She first appeared at Antrim Marina on the 21st May 2024 along with her partner.  On the 23rd June 2024, she was on her own, and I believe that her partner was found to have died.  She then disappeared for a while, and returned by the 26th August 2024 with a new mate.  Remaining at the Marina throughout the 2024/2025 winter, when the breeding season came around, the evicted the resident pair, and took over the nesting site slightly upriver from the Marina.  On the 22nd June 2025, I was about to depart after one of my random summer visits, when the pair arrived with 6 very young chicks.  It is now 1 year, 10 months and 27 days since -  X4707  was ringed.

Not a good day for Common Gulls.  A juvenile was present on my arrival, but it had departed by 11:45.  I have been hoping for at least one more sighting of two metal-rung Common Gulls - one Scottish and the other from Finland before they return to their nesting sites.  Although I have recorded the Scottish bird on a few occasions this winter, I've only had a single sighting of the Finnish bird which was ringed 30 years and 4 months ago as a juvenile in September 1995.  If this bird does not appear again, I shall keep my fingers crossed for next winter.

Two adult Common Gulls finally appeared at 2:24, though both were not ringed.

The resident male Herring Gull arrived at 12:05, followed by a third calendar year bird at 12:17, which I reckon was his chick from 2024.  It was chased briefly by the male, before he started calling out very loud.  The reason, his partner had arrived at 12:19.  It has been a while now since I last recorded her here.  Once together, there was no separating them, and a little courting was noticed.

The Resident Pair of Herring Gulls at Antrim Marina  (04 Mar 2024)

(Male on Left - Female on Right)

A pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived at 1:16.  They stood on top of the lampposts waiting to raid the other gulls when bread was on the menu.

The Robin was seen again working through the bushes beside the 'Gateway Centre'.  For a second week in a row, two pairs of Jackdaws made repeated visits.  Brief visits were made by two Rooks and a single Hooded Crow.

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Antrim Marina - Tuesday 24th February 2026...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 24th February 2026

A slightly earlier weekly visit to Antrim Marina this week.  I would prefer to get back to Sunday or Monday visits, but as mentioned, somebody needs to be home to watch over an ageing cat.  I arrived on the stroke of 11am, leaving at 2:45pm.  Weatherwise, it was cloudy with a light breeze.  The temperature gauge in my car read 12ºC.

Studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls on a weekly basis, I am about to enter the final month, having started at the beginning of August.  Some of the gulls are colour-ringed so that their movements can be monitored.  A total of 28 colour-ringed gulls from my study have been recorded this winter, with at least six having failed to return.

The 28th bird that I recorded was the Latvian breeding -  2AFD .  This gull normally returns in late October, but it finally appeared at the Marina on the 28th January 2026.  Over recent years, its visits to the Marina are quite rare, though it was often found at the car park at Castle Way in the centre of the town of Antrim.  This winter, I had checked the car park on a few occasions, but most times there were no gulls in sight.  Despite the late sighting this winter, I reckon that -  2AFD  did return around it's normal date.  My 10th and final sighting today at 2:23, happened to be my second sighting this winter of -  2AFD .

 2AFD , was ringed as an adult male in February 2014, and has been recorded on 8 occasions around the Latvian capital of Riga (2015, 2016, 2022 and 2023).  In July 2023, a surprise sighting came in from Cromer Beach in Norfolk, England, where it seems, that this gull is 'staging' in England before returning to Antrim for the winter.  With today's sighting,  2AFD  has now passed the 12 year mark since being ringed - 12 years, 0 months and 12 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2AFD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (24 Feb 2026)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 12th February 2014, at Antrim Marina)

Around 60 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival and those numbers remained more or less the same throughout my visit.  Again, judging by the ringed birds present, there must have been a good turnover of gulls coming and going.  A handful from time to time rested on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre' which was not useful.

As mentioned above, just 10 rings were read, which left me with 18 absentees.  One gull which landed on the Long Wooden Jetty had a really dirty ring.  I had to zoom right in with my camera to try and obtain the code which turned out to be -  2FJT .  

I always need to be sure, just in case the gull belonged to another project.  Polish ringing groups usually used Yellow & White Darvics on their Black-headed Gulls, but in recent years they have started using Blue Darvics.  Their colour-rings start with the letter 'T', whereas British colour-rings begin with the number '2'.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (24 Feb 2026)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 10th December 2023, at Antrim Marina)

While I was at the Marina, Danny who is a volunteer for the Lough Neagh Rescue Team arrived.  He said that on Sunday, there was easily over 100 Black-headed Gulls present.  After weeks of poor visits where numbers have continuously been on the low side, am I missing something?  It is true that weekends see higher numbers of people visiting, and therefore, more feeds for the ducks.  There would be a higher number of parents with small children, no doubt trying to tire them out, as well as interacting with wildlife.  Perhaps the gulls set their watches to go off on Sundays.

Derek Polley was in contact with me reporting two Black-tailed Godwit sightings, which I then submitted to the BTO.  Derek is a volunteer for the RSPB and does most Thursdays at the Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast.  Derek went on to say that Black-headed Gulls has started to arrive in numbers as they nest on the nesting platforms.  At present, around 200 have arrived, and efforts are being made to reduce the numbers nesting on the platforms.  Extra sticks have been added on Platform One, whereas, a tarpaulin is covering Platform Two.  Ideally, the RSPB just want Terns to nest on these Platforms, but they not return until late March and early April, by which time the gulls have selected their patch to build nests.

Another point which Derek mentioned, was a complaint by the nearby Belfast City Airport.  They fear that there are far too many Black-headed Gulls nesting on the RSPB WoW Reserve.  You can understand their view, as no Black-headed Gulls nested in the area until the reserve was created.  At the same time, Black-headed Gulls also need a bit of help as overall numbers have dropped considerably in recent years mainly due to 'Bird Flu'.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 24th February 2026

2FJA	2CJT	2AAN	2FIL	2FKA	2ABN	2CSR	2BRA	2FJT	2AFD

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

2ACV	2BRD	2CSK	2CTA	2FDL	2FDK	2FFA	2FFN	2FFT
2FFX	2FHV	2FIF	2FJF	2FJK	2FJN	2FJP	2FJV	2FJX

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

A large number of Mute Swans were noted as I drove over to my parking spot.  Many were feeding on a pile of oat flakes that someone had thrown down on a fairly clean part of the car park (good thinking - staying clear of droppings).  A count gave me a total of 14 adults and 1 cygnet.  I soon identified the resident pair (female ringed -  X4707 ) to which the cygnet belongs to.  At 11:40, a second cygnet arrived on it's own from upriver.  I soon realised that it was the younger cygnet which has been absent recently (so it was not the bird found dead upriver).  This youngster first appeared without parents just after a storm a couple of months back.  It has tamed down a good bit since it first appeared, as you can walk right up to it now.  A further two adults arrived from Lough Neagh at 11:56 taking the total to 16.  I'm sure that this a high or equal high for the winter, as I cannot mind of 17 or 18.  Most if not all legs were checked, but -  X4707  was the only ring among them.

Around 30 Mallards were present throughout the visit, and as usual most legs were checked.

One adult and one juvenile Common Gull were present on my arrival.  A count at 12:15, gave 4 adults, and none of these were ringed.  I'm still hoping for at least one further sighting of the metal-rung Scottish and Finnish birds before they leave for their breeding sites.

While at the Marina, I had noticed a few small flocks of Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying over indicating their return from southern Europe and north Africa, with one landing at the Marina at 11:24.  It stayed for around half and hour.

The resident male Herring Gull arrived at 11:39, and his chich from last summer appeared at 1:15pm.  It has been several weeks since his mother was last seen.

The adult Moorhen was spotted on the Low Wooden Jetty at 1:41, and as usual, it was eating the gull droppings.

Wow, two pairs of Jackdaws made repeated visits, as was the case of the male Pied Wagtail.  Likely to be the same pair of Hooded Crows made two visits, whilst 3 Rooks arrived together to have a drink of water on the slipway.

I noticed a Robin working its way through the bushes beside the 'Gateway Centre'.  If memory serves me right, this may well be a first for me here.

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