Antrim Marina - Sunday 10th November 2024...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 10th November 2024

In my previous post, I questioned the weather as having a bearing as to why some of my foreign Black-headed Gulls are overdue to return to the Marina.  During the week, I had a look at 'live' weather maps and discovered that there was very little lying snow in Scandinavia or in Northern Europe.  Even the temperatures in these areas appeared to be higher than normal.

I arrived at the Marina at 10am this morning, and it was cloudy but calm.  The temperature gauge in my car read 13ºC, and by the time of my departure, it was sitting at 17ºC.  This is 'balmy' for this time of the year, and when I think about it, we have yet to see a hard frost.  It's no wonder, the gulls are in no rush to return.  During the morning, there was a couple of very light showers of drizzle.

With 25 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls recorded this winter, I thought at least one returnee would appear today, but my wait continues.  By the time of my departure at 2pm, 18 colour-rings were read, leaving me with 7 absentees today.  The ring of -  2BRA  was the first to be read at 10:02, also the first to be read last week.  By 10:14, 9 colour-rings had been read, and a big gap in time passed by before the 10th ring belonging to -  2ACV  was read at 11:30.  Further ring sightings were few and far between after this, except for a quick burst of four around 12:30.

The final two rings of the visit, belonged to -  2FJN  and another welcomed sighting of -  2CTA .   2FJN  was caught and ringed as an unsexed adult last winter - (3rd December 2023).  Having been recorded here at the Marina during random summer visits, through April, May and June, I already consider this gull to be a year round resident.  At 11 months and 7 days since being ringed, it's anniversary is not that far away. 

 2CTA , I consider, is a foreign nesting gull, though it has yet to be recorded anywhere other than at Antrim Marina.  I recorded it's return on the 13th October 2024, and once back, it's visits to the Marina can be few and far between.  I reckon it spends it's time somewhere nearby in the town of Antrim.  Today's sighting is the second in a row, as it appeared last week as well, and the 3rd overall this winter.  Ringed as an unsexed 2nd calendar year bird on the 10th December 2018 (hatched in the summer of 2017), it has returned to Antrim every winter since being ringed.  The duration since ringing, is now 5 years and 11 months.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJN   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (10 Nov 2024)

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

Black-headed Gull  -   2CTA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (10 Nov 2024)

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

The Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was spotted at 10:13.  Ringed on the left leg, with the ring fitted 'upside-down', a single photo is all that is needed to confirm the sighting.   543335 , was ringed in July 2023, before first appearing at the Marina in August 2023, thereafter, remaining through to March 2024.  I recorded it's return this winter on the 11th August 2024.

Last winter, two other metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gulls were also photographed at the Marina, but neither has been seen so far this winter.

Black-headed Gull -  Iceland   543335   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (10 Nov 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 14th July 2023, at Laugarvatn, Árnessýsla, Iceland)

43 Black-headed Gulls were counted on my arrival.  After this, numbers were like a 'yoyo' going up and down.  The maximum never surpassed the 60 mark, whilst on one occasion just a single bird remained.  It will take a long time before number rise to those before 'Bird Flu' struck.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 10th November 2024

2BRA	2FIF	2CJT	2FIL	2AAN	2CSK	2FJK	2FJT	2FFA
2ACV	2FFX	2AAB	2FHC	2FJA	2FJL	2CSR	2FJN	2CTA

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

2ABN	2BRD	2FFH	2FFT	2FHV	2FIJ	2FJF

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As per usual, I look to see if there are any Mute Swans about when I arrive, and yet again, not a single one appeared.  It has been weeks now since the last swans were seen.  I really need them about to help me catch Black-headed Gulls to be colour-ringed, especially the Icelandic -  543335 .  The gulls though keen to approach to be fed bread, are just not hungry enough to take chances.

Mallard numbers also continue to be on the low side.  37 were counted after my arrival, but I do not think they surpassed the 40 mark, which is still well down for this time of the year.  By the time of my departure, numbers had dropped to around 20 after having had several feeds of bread from the public.

The first two adult Common Gulls arrived together at 10:28.  By 11:34, I had five Common Gulls chasing the Black-headed Gulls trying to force them to drop their bread.  Watching them through my binoculars, I noticed a metal-ring which surely belonged to the small Scottish female -  EY64036 .  A short time later, when everything calmed down, I found her resting at the end of the long wooden jetty.  Sightings of this gull are usually few and far between, but today's was the fourth since she returned on the 4th August 2024.  Ringed as a chick in June 2013, she first appeared here on the 9th February 2014 as a juvenile, and has been recorded here every winter since.  This sighting takes the duration since being ringed, to 11 years, 4 months and 21 days.  Again, all I needed was to get one photo to confirm the ring number.

A juvenile Common Gull made a brief visit at 13:22.  I never got to check it's legs as it landed on the river.  Around 5 minutes later, it took off and flew back out towards Lough Neagh.

Common Gull  -   EY64036   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (10 Nov 2024)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, Scotland)

The resident adult male Herring Gull appeared at 10:39, but there was no sign of his youngster.  The female was again absent and it is now several weeks since she was last seen.

3 Jackdaws, including a juvenile, a pair of Pied Wagtails and a single Rook were the only other species noted today.

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