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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