Permissions Granted...

With my problems last weekend, I have once again been 'bailed out' with gull sightings reported by other observers, and I thank them all for supplying these along with photos.

One bird reported to me, was of special interest due to my own Common Gull Project.  This was bird from Shane Wolsey's former Common Gull Study, which I've now taken over, with the gull having been ringed on Big Copeland Island.  Talking of Big Copeland Island, the owner has granted me permission to visit the island to further Shane's former project (read all below).

On the subject of Common Gulls, an Icelandic metal-rung bird, has been reported to me.  Unfortunately, the observer concerned, missed out on the last digit of it's ring number.  I have sent an email to Iceland with 'Tounge in Cheek', to see whether they can still generate a recovery.  If the bird concerned was ringed as a chick, and this species being a colonial nester, then enough chicks may have been ringed at the same site and on the same date, to provide a result.  That would cover all ten missing digits of 0 to 9.  Fingers crossed for this one, and, as far as I know, this might possibly be a first for Northern Ireland.  I'll report on the outcome for this one in my next post.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 27th January 2020

Slowly recovering from my hip problem, I stayed at home over the weekend, and undertook my weekly visit to Antrim Marina on Monday morning.  Arriving at 9:55am, I departed around 1pm, as the number of gulls present, slowly dwindled.  From my arrival until the last half hour or so, around 120 Black-headed Gulls were present, but judging by the colour-ringed individuals, gulls were clearly coming and going at a steady rate.

My visit was fairly routine, with nothing new to report.  Of 36 colour-ringed BHGs either re-sighted or ringed this winter, 22 of those were recorded during today's visit.  Looking over the last couple of weeks data on my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet, two gulls have caught my eye, over their absence.

The first of these is   2ACV , who normally would be observed on a regular basis from week to week.  This one was last recorded here on the 6th January 2020.  We know   2ACV , likely nests at the Leighton Moss Nature Reserve in Lancashire, England, but this gull does not depart from the Marina until late March each year.  I'll be keeping a special eye for this one over the next couple of weeks.

The second noticeable absentee is   2CTA .    2CTA , was caught and ringed at the Marina, as a 2nd winter bird, on the 10th December 2018.  My first re-sighting of the gull at the Marina, occurred two weeks later, thereafter, it was not seen again by the time I completed my weekly visits on the 25th March 2019.  Having had to put up with all of the disturbance, due to the construction of the new cafe, and the dredging works, the absence of several gulls could easily be excused.

  2CTA , returned to the Marina, on the 28th October 2019, the return date itself, suggesting that this gull may well be of foreign origin.  Sightings of   2CTA   since it's return has been patchy, at one point being absent for four weeks.  Having not recorded this one since the 30th December 2019, this may suggest it has departed, as last winter the final sighting was made on the 24th December 2018.

As with most of the gulls ringed over the last couple of winters, using the   2C**   series of rings, it will take a couple of years to build up profiles of their coming and goings, whether they are residents to the Antrim area, or are indeed winter visitors.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 27th January 2020

2AAB	2AAK	2CJT	2AAA	2CSR	2BRA	2CTC	2AAR
2CSB	2CSA	2CSJ	2ABS	2FDK	2ABL	2AAP	2AAN
2CSK	2ABN	2ABK	2CTB	2CSL	2CSH

Black-headed Gulls Re-Sighted or Ringed This Winter, but not Recorded Today

2ABA	2AAV	2ACV	2ADV	2AFD	2BRD	2ANS
2CSX	2CTA	2CTR	2FBA	2FDJ	2FDL	2FDN

Other Species at Antrim Marina

As regular readers will have noticed over the last few weeks, the Common Gulls are being paid particular attention.  Unlike last winter, where the aforementioned disturbance effected the number of gulls visiting, Common Gulls were virtually absent.  With the construction of the new cafe having been completed of late, the number of visiting Common Gulls has increased dramatically.

This species does tend to be shy, and individuals often avoid human contact, so numbers at the Marina never top the dozen mark or so.  I have had a good number of re-sightings of a small metal-rung Scottish bird, but I have been keeping my fingers crossed, hoping to see the return of a metal-rung Finnish bird, which normally appears during the month of January.

Having been ringed as a juvenile in the autumn of 1995, should this bird appear now, it would be around twenty four and a half years since it was ringed.  Now that January is fast coming to an end, there is no sign of this bird, which does not look promising.  Having last recorded it on, the 19th March 2018 (22y 7m  13d), this gull may now be dead.

Two adults were present on my arrival today, and numbers increased to a high of 9 birds at 11:49.  The adult Herring Gull, was late in arriving today, appearing at 11:18.

8 adult Mute Swans, and the large headed juvenile, were present throughout my visit.  The two metal-rung birds, which would normally return from January onwards, have not arrived back as yet.  The legs of all the swans present were checked for rings.

31 Mallards were present on my arrival, but instead of numbers increasing during my visit, this week, numbers actually declined.  A head count just before my departure, gave a total of just 13 birds.

At one point today, a highest ever total of Jackdaws were present, with 18 birds in total.  Once again, no Hooded Crows appeared, which is unusual, as a pair often nests in the trees across the river from the Marina.  Moorhens were recorded for the second time this winter, with a juvenile being spotted at 10:34.  This would probably be the same bird recorded a couple of weeks ago.  An adult, was also spotted at 11:33, on the low wooden jetty.  A pair of Pied Wagtails, made up the species list today.

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From David Nixon

On Saturday 25th January 2020, I received an email from David Nixon, containing reports of several colour-ringed gulls, which he had spotted at Millquarter Bay in County Down.  The six gulls reported, were two from County Dublin, one from Scotland, and three from the Isle of Man.  Of the six, four were confirmed, but David was not 100% sure of two Isle of Man birds, so they have been discounted, by agreement of both David and Mark Fitzpatrick - ringing coordinator for the Isle of Man.  The codes for those two, may have been -   T4VE   and   T84S .

The Isle of Man gull which was confirmed, is that of a second sighting this winter, of  Herring Gull -   T0YG .    T0YG , had been ringed as a chick, on the 23rd June 2014, on the Calf of Man.  The first three re-sightings occurred on the Calf of Man, in July 2017, 14th April 2018, and on the 27th June 2018.  The gull then went un-recorded until the 30th December 2019, when both David and Graham McElwaine, spotted the gull independently of each other, at the high-tide roost at Dundrum's Inner Bay, County Down.

The distance from the Calf of Man to Millquarter Bay, is 56 kms / 34 miles (WNW), and the duration has now increased to 5 years, 7 months and 24 days.  Our thanks to Mark for the data.

Herring Gull  -    T0YG   -  Millquarter Bay, Co. Down  (25 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 23rd June 2014, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

The two County Dublin gulls, were immature Great Black-backed's, both having been ringed on the 1st July 2018, on Ireland's Eye Island, just off the coast of Howth.  Ironically, both   404:D   and   409:D , before today's sighting, had been reported together at the Santry Outflow, at Bull Point in County Dublin.

  404:D , appears to be the most adventurous of the two gulls.  Having been re-sighted still on Ireland's Eye, eight days after being ringed, the next sighting occurred on the 28th January 2019, at Dunmore East, in County Waterford, some 152 kms / 95 miles (SW), from Ireland's Eye.  The next two sightings before being spotted on the Santry Outflow, were made in March and April 2019, at Howth Harbour.

The duration from ringing, is 1 year, 6 months and 24 days, and the distance from Ireland's Eye to Millquarter Bay, is 108 kms / 67 miles (NNE).

Immature Great Black-backed Gull  -    404:D   -  Millquarter Bay, Co. Down  (25 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 1st July 2018, on Ireland's Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

As stated,   409:D , is the least adventurous of the two birds.  After being ringed, it was spotted on three occasions at County Dublin's Bull Point, which includes the Santry Outflow, where both birds were spotted at the same time, prior to being spotted by David at Millquarter Bay.  As with   404:D , the duration is now 1 year, 6 months and 24 days, having moved 108 kms / 67 miles (NNE).  My thanks goes to Graham Prole, who is my 'Ring Reading' counterpart from County Dublin, for supplying the information for both gulls.

Immature Great Black-backed Gull  -    409:D   -  Millquarter Bay, Co. Down  (25 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 1st July 2018, on Ireland's Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

The Black-headed Gull, which David spotted, was actually a bird that he had recorded in the past.    2BT3 , was ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 26th August 2016, on the Ythan Estuary in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.  David recorded the first re-sighting of   2BT3 , on the 23rd November 2016, at Millquarter Bay in County Down, exactly where the gull was recorded now.

After David's initial sighting,   2BT3 , was then recorded twice in 2018 (July & August), back on the Ythan Estuary.  On the 4th November 2018, I also spotted   2BT3 , having returned again to Millquarter Bay.  My sighting, was the last record for the gull, until this sighting by David.  I have emailed Calum Campbell, who I hope will provide further updates on the history of   2BT3 , but as yet, I have not received a reply.

The duration since ringing is now 3 years, 4 months and 30 days, and the distance from the Ythan Estuary to Millquarter Bay, is 400 kms / 248 miles (SW).  David's sighting is another good record of a returning gull, which adds to it's longevity.  David was unable to get a photo, so I've added the one I took in 2018.

Black-headed Gull  -    2BT3   -  Millquater Bay, Co. Down  (04 Nov 2018)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 26th August 2016, at Inchgeck, Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, Scotland)

Having returned home from work in the early hours of Wednesday morning, I checked for emails, to find another from David Nixon.  Late on, on Tuesday afternoon, David was checking the high-tide roost, at Dundrum's Inner Bay in County Down, and spotted a distant Common Gull with a Blue Darvic.  With his Nikon P900 camera, David just about managed to capture the code -   2AHT .

In his email, David wondered if this was a bird from the Copeland Islands, also in County Down.  Most of these colour-rings from Shane Wolsey's former project on the island, which ran from 2009 until 2014, have a habit of deteriorating quite badly.  Looking at David's photo of   2AHT , the ring seemed to be in fairly good condition, so I thought the gull may have been from my own project on County Antrim's Rathlin Island, which I began in the summer of 2017.

Having began my project, I used the few remaining colour-rings which belonged to the   2A**   series, which Shane had used on Big Copeland Island, and thereafter, I began using rings from the   2B**   series.  On checking my ringing data, I had no record for the gull, and then proceeded to check Shane's data - and there it was.    2AHT , had been ringed as a chick, on the 18th June 2012, and David's sighting on Tuesday, was a first re-sighting.

Having taken over Shane's former project, I've been trying for the last couple of years, to find a means of getting onto Big Copeland Island, to further Shane's project.  Recently, I have acquired the services of a boatman, and was granted permission from the islands owner (read below).  This sighting of   2AHT   by David, further fuels my belief that there are several, or many of Shane's gulls, which have never been recorded from the day they were rung.  As you can imagine, I was thoroughly delighted with this report of   2AHT .

Again, my thanks goes to David for this one, plus the others that have been spotted recently.  The duration since   2AHT   was ringed, is 7 years, 7 months and 10 days.  The distance from Big Copeland Island, where I reckon this gull nests, is roughly 51 kms / 31 miles (SW).

Common Gull  -    2AHT   -  Dundrum Inner Bay, Dundrum, Co. Down  (28 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2012, on The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

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From Declan Clarke

Declan Clarke was in touch by email on Monday 27th January 2020.  On the day before, Declan spotted a juvenile Herring Gull at Ardglass Harbour in County Down, rung -   T7VE .  This sighting came the day after a similar ring sighting by David Nixon, at Millquarter Bay, which is quite close to Ardglass.  Rung -   T4VE , David was not 100% sure of the code, so by agreement with Mark Fitzpatrick, who is the ringing coordinator for the Isle of Man, this sighting record was not accepted.

Mark did except Declan's sighting and forwarded the ringing details.    T7VE , was ringed as a chick, on the 3rd July 2019, and this was it's first re-sighting, occurring 6 months 23 days after being ringed on the Calf of Man.  The Calf of Man, is a small island just off the southern coast of the Isle of Man, and is home to a Bird Observatory there.

The distance from the Calf, to Ardglass Harbour, is just 57 kms / 35 miles (WNW).  This winter, has seen quite a few Isle of Man gulls being reported at Ardglass Harbour.  However, very few have stayed 'put' at the harbour, and as other ringing reports suggest, many of these large gulls seem to wander up and down the east coast of the island of Ireland.  Although, there is no photo to go along with Declan's sighting, my thanks to Declan for reporting this young gull.

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From Richard Else

An email was received from Ric Else on Tuesday 28th January, reporting on his latest Common Gull sightings at Mill Bay on Rathlin Island.  One of these, was a first sighting for Ric, but was no stranger to me.

  2BBF , had been ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2017, at Arkill Bay on Rathlin.  It's first two re-sightings were made by me, when I discovered the gull at Carnlough Bay in County Antrim, just before and just after it's first year since being ringed - (9th June 2018 & 7th July 2018).

  2BBF  was then spotted on Rathlin by me, on the 5th May 2019, back at the very same sub-colony where it had been ringed.  As it was still short of full breeding age, I reckoned it was prospecting a nest site, and it will likely breed on the island this coming summer.  Today's sighting of the gull is great news, knowing the bird is still out there.  The duration from ringing, is now 2 years, 7 months and 4 days.

Common Gull  -    2BBF   - Mill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim  (28 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2017, at Arkill Bay, Rathlin Island)

(Photo Courtesy of Ric Else & Hazel Watson)

The second bird is another re-sighting of   2BPF , who's first re-sighting was made earlier this month (15th January 2020), also at Rathlin's Mill Bay.  Ringed as a chick last summer at Rathlin's Rue Point, the duration is now 7 months and 2 days.

Ric also reported, that as many as 130 Common Gulls, and twice that many Herring Gulls, are now roosting at the island's Doon Bay, which is situated on the south-east corner of the island.  No doubt, the gulls are favouring the sheltered bay, being protected from the westerly winds.  My thanks to Ric, for these latest gull sightings.

Common Gull  -    2BPF   -  Mill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim  (28 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 26th June 2019, at Rue Point, Rathlin Island)

(Photo Courtesy of Ric Else & Hazel Watson)

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Big Copeland Island

Despite not being well last weekend and remaining housebound with my hip problem, a phone call on Sunday morning brightened up my day.  Alan McCulla, who owns Big Copeland Island, has given me the go-head to visit the island at any time.  A Philip McNamara, who owns a fully licenced boat, had agreed to undertake return trips to Big Copeland, pending permission from Alan.

I have spent the last couple of years, trying to find a way to get onto Big Copeland Island, to further Shane Wolsey's former Common Gull Colour-ringing Project, which ran from 2009 until 2014.  I believe, that many of those gulls are still alive, and nesting on the island, and would include individuals that have never been re-sighted from the day that they were ringed.

My main aim, is to locate the Common Gull breeding colonies from mid May onwards, whilst the gulls are on eggs, reading the codes and photographing those with colour-rings.  There will also be the opportunity to read and photograph some of the Herring Gulls, which were also colour-ringed on the island in 2014/2015, and again, should include otherwise un-recorded individuals.

Big Copeland, is a fairly large island, therefore it will take a bit of time to locate all of the colonies/sub colonies, so my main emphasis this year will be to read rings.  A couple of other 'Ring Readers', along with their Nikon P900 cameras, are willing to help out, which is great news.  Depending on how well we all do together, I may find time to colour-ring some Common Gull chicks from mid to late June.

It's exciting times ahead, as I try to further Shane's former project, and I sincerely thank Alan for his permission.  That short phone call on Sunday morning really made my day.

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Hip, Hip - aaaah...

A well overdue post, which I began yesterday (Saturday).  After my visit to Antrim Marina last Monday, I was due to start compiling this latest post on Wednesday, by which time I was due a couple of ringing recoveries from the BTO.

However, on Wednesday morning, on getting out of bed I was in sheer agony, with what I assumed was a trapped nerve around my right hip bone.  I couldn't put one leg in front of the other, without hitting the ceiling with pain.  On trying to move my good left leg, meant my weight was being transferred to my right hip, with disatrous consequences.  Still, I had to move about my home, as I still had to go to the toilet, feed myself, etc.  At times, when I was downstairs, it took a good 15 minute round trip, to go upstairs to the toilet and back down again.

Throughout Wednesday and Thursday, the pain was unrelenting, and thoughts of a trapped nerve, torn muscle or even worse, the possibility of damage to my hip, preventing me from being mobile, ran through my head.  I couldn't concentrate on working on my blog, answer emails and so on.  Friday morning, saw a slight inprovement and by Saturday afternoon, I began to walk kind of normal again.  It is now approaching midday on Sunday, and I'm about to publish this post.

On getting up this morning, I'm feeling a slight discomfort, but as you can tell, I have not been out this weekend.  I've just finished the post, having began work on it last night.  I'm going to undertake my weekly visit to Antrim Marina tomorrow, and have a stab at going to work tomorrow night.

I'm worried about my hip - is this the first sign of future problems?  During my thoughts over the last couple of days, I've decided to give up on any Raptor Survey work, as running around the hills may cause more problems.  Now approaching sixty years of age, perhaps it's time to find some 'cotton wool' for protection, time to take things a little easier.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 20th January 2020

Having used the best of my available time on Saturday and Sunday, to visit other sites, my weekly visit to Antrim Marina was made on Monday morning.  Arriving shortly after 9:35, I departed at 1pm.

Around 80 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, with numbers reaching a high of around 120 birds just before midday.  Of the 36 colour-ringed birds which have either been re-sighted or ringed (6 in total) this winter, just 22 of these were recorded during today's visit.

Looking through my 'Antrim Marina Spreadsheet', a number of gulls have yet to return.  There are three possible reasons for this.  The most obvious, would be the death of these birds, followed by the likelihood that some gulls were just passing through when they were caught and ringed here, whilst others have re-located their wintering sites following the severe disturbance at the Marina last winter.

Within the spreadsheet, Black-headed Gulls which were known to visit regularly over the years and then disappear, are considered to have died, and weekly entries thereafter are coloured in Red.  The spreadsheet also contains several columns, which are blank, or with a couple of weekly sightings, soon after a particular gull was ringed.  It is likely, these birds may have been passing through at the time, or perhaps staying for a week or two before moving on, never to return.  I have now coloured these 'amber' with a question mark, as they might still be alive somewhere.

It is now approaching that time of the year, when some gulls will be on the move back towards their breeding sites, which may be enhanced by the very mild winter we've experienced.  As this is my seventh winter 'Ring Reading' at Antrim Marina, my final visit will be made around the 29th March or the 5th April.  I have made the decision to give up on Raptor Surveying in the future, with the view of concentrating on my Common Gull Project.

This will also free up time, where I can do a write up of all of the colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls that I've recorded since I began reading rings at the Marina back in September 2013, and the current status of each bird.  It will be a stand alone article, which will become the main reference point going into my eighth winter.  It should provide some interesting reading, along with my best photo for each bird.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 20th January 2020

2FDK	2ABK	2AAA	2AAN	2CJT	2BRA	2CSA	2CSJ
2AAR	2CTC	2CSR	2ABL	2FDN	2ABS	2CSK	2ABN
2CTB	2AAP	2AAK	2CSH	2FDL	2FDJ

Black-headed Gulls Re-Sighted or Ringed This Winter, but not Recorded Today

2ABA	2AAB	2AAV	2ACV	2ADV	2AFD	2BRD
2ANS	2CSB	2CSL	2CSX	2CTA	2CTR	2FBA

Other Species at Antrim Marina

The adult Herring Gull, that was absent on my previous visit, was present on my arrival today, and was present throughout my visit.  The lower number of Black-headed Gulls, was also mirrored by a lower number of Common Gulls.  The first adult appeared at 10:10, with a second arriving at 10:16, and a third at 10:21.  A head count at 10:53, saw the arrival of a further two adults, and six adults were counted at 11:54.  There was no sign of any metal-rung birds, and the final Common Gull, this time a juvenile, arrived at 12:25.

Six adult Mute Swans, and this time, two cygnets, were on the slipway on my arrival.  One of the cygnets, was the very large headed bird which has been here for several weeks now.  The new youngster, was with it's parents, which minded me on the same pair which was here at the beginning of the winter, being very aggressive and at that time had five cygnets in tow.

Now that the new cafe/restaurant is open, I must organise a meeting with Debbie Hanna and Aiden Crean, to see if we can get a colour-ringing programme started.  It would be great to start this fairly shortly, especially if two metal-ringed birds which I'm expecting, should return.  It would be good to follow the swans during my eighth winter of ring reading here.

Two other pairs of Mute Swans, both arrived in from the Lough at 10:13 and 10:20.  I was able to get a look at most legs, but still no metals as yet.

Mallard numbers, also took a slight dip this week.  Numbers increased from just 13 birds, up to a maximum of 39 at 11am.  Again, most legs were checked for rings, but still no joy.

Other species noted today, were the two Hooded Crows, which I'm fairly sure, are a pair, 9 Jackdaws, 1 Magpie and a pair of Pied Wagtails.  A Kingfisher was heard again, but could I find it!!

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From Steven Lawton

On Friday 17th January 2020, I received an interesting email from a Steven Lawton.  Steven contacted me after doing some research on the internet, concerning a colour-ringed Caspian Gull, which he had spotted at Redcar Tarn, near Keighly in West Yorkshire, England.  Having found my blog entry (read), Steven was kind enough to inform me, that the gull was alive and well.

  X86A , had been spotted here in Northern Ireland, by Graham McElwaine, at Millquarter Bay in County Down, but he was unsure what species of gull it was, as like many of us, it can be difficult to identify juvenile gulls.  Having reported the sighting to me, I checked out the cr-birding website, and discovered his bird was a Caspian Gull, which is a rare sighting here.  After the usual flurry of emails, we learnt that   X86A , had been ringed as a chick, at the Laußig Gravel Pits, near Leipzig, Germany.

My thanks goes to Steven, for providing the update and several photographs.  The re-sighting history for   X86A , can be read (here).
  

Caspian Gull  -    X86A   -  Redcar Tarn, Keighley, West Yorkshire, England  (17 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 3rd June 2018, at Laußig Gravel Pits, near Leipzig, Germany)

(Photo Courtesy of Steven Lawton)

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Saturday 18th January 2020

Via an email from Richard Donaghey in mid December, I knew the Brent Geese were now back on the Myroe Levels, beside Lough Foyle in County Londonderry.  Today, I decided to have a 'crack' at reading a few colour-rings on these birds.  My previous visit to Myroe, was made on the 3rd November 2019, and though no geese were present, there was a good 500 strong flock of Whooper Swans, with four colour-rings having been read.

Arriving on the levels, I moved up to the northern end, where the geese would normally be found, but there wasn't a bird in sight.  Moving southwards along the sea wall, I scoped a small number of Oystercatchers and Curlews, but surprisingly, very few gulls were to be seen.  Back in November, there was at least 1,000 Common Gulls, though goodness knows where they have gone to now.

Reaching the southern end of the levels, just one small group of Brent Geese were found, but they were too distant to be scoped.  However, in what was a potato field, which had long since been harvested, a viewable flock of around 150 Whooper Swans were present.  Scoping through these, I read two colour-rings, and after returning home and consulting my spreadsheet, both birds were new sightings.

The first of these, despite being covered in mud, read   AFT , and that of the second bird, was   ZYJ .  I reported both birds to Kane Brides, who passed my email on to Steve Heaven of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT).  I soon had a reply from Steven, giving me the ringing and re-sighting history for both birds.

  AFT , was ringed as an adult female, on the 9th August 2011, at Lake Kálfborgárarvatn in Northern Iceland.  Before my sighting today,   AFT   was spotted at Teviot Haughs, Nisbet, Roxburghshire, Scotland, on the 25th October 2012, and a second sighting was made on the 15th February 2017, at Whitmuirhaugh Farm, Sprouston, Borders, Scotland.  These are the only records for the swan, which has now been recorded in Northern Ireland for the first time.

Whooper Swan  -    AFT   -  Myroe Levels, Lough Foyle, Co. Londonderry  (18 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 9th August 2011, at Lake Kálfborgárarvatn, Fljótsheiði, N. Iceland)

  ZYJ , was a more recently rung bird, having been ringed as an adult male, on the 14th August 2017, at Havnnamostjorn in Iceland.  I tried to locate the site on what maps I have available to me online, but was not able to find it.  Prior to my sighting today,   ZYJ , was spotted not so far away, on the 26th October 2019, beside Station Road, at Eglinton, by an unknown observer.  These are the first two sightings since the swan was ringed.  I have reported both swans to the BTO, but as yet, the recoveries have not arrived, so I cannot really quote the distance involved.  My thanks to Steve, for supplying the ringing information.

Whooper Swan  -    ZYJ   -  Myroe Levels, Lough Foyle, Co. Londonderry  (18 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 14th August 2017, at Havnnamostjorn, Myvatnsheidi, Iceland)

Whilst I was busy with the Whooper Swans, I saw a large flock of Brent Geese flying in from Lough Foyle, and landing in a distant field.  I carefully drove alongside them and began photographing the many rings.  The group numbered around 500 birds, and all were within camera range, despite a tidal channel keeping us apart.

On returning home, and sorting through the photos, I had recorded 31 individuals altogether.  I reported these to Graham McElwaine of the Irish Brent Goose Research Group.  At the minute, their proposed 'Live' online ringing database, is still not up and running, so I'm going to have a long wait, for the ringing and re-sighting histories for these birds.

25 of the 31 birds, were first sightings for me, with 5 of the other 6, being recorded here in the past.  The sixth one I spotted on Strangford Lough in County Down, last winter.  For now, I've added six of the photos which I took.

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Sunday 19th January 2020

Today, I worked my way down the east coast side of the Ards peninsular, but made a quick stop at Kinnegar Beach, before making my way to Groomsport, and then working my way south, finishing at the village of Cloughey.  The tide was already well out when I began the day, but the main feature throughout, was the lack of gulls and waders to be seen.

With very few flocks of birds around, I found myself stopping constantly to scope birds in their ones and two's, which was very laborious.  By the end of the afternoon, only three colour rings had been discovered, two of which, were re-sightings, the third being a first re-sighting.

This new sighting, was the first ring of the day to be spotted, being   4X:W , on a Herring Gull.  Off hand, I did not recognise the code, and it was not until I returned home, and ran it through my spreadsheet, did I realise this was a first ever re-sighting.    4X:W , belonged to a study which began on the nearby Copeland Islands in 2014, and seems to have ended the following year.  I had received a copy of all of the ringing data for the project, when I took over Shane Wolsey's former Common Gull Study, which was also based on Big Copeland Island.

  4X:W , was quite far away from me on the beach at Donaghadee, but my camera managed to capture the code.  The gull was ringed as an un-sexed adult (probably breeding), on the 6th May 2015, and the duration was now 4 years, 8 months and 13 days.  It surprising, just how often big gulls such as these, do go about un-noticed.  Such comments having also been made by Graham Prole in Dublin, and Mark Fitzpatrick, on the Isle of Man.

Big Copeland Island, is a mere 3 kms away from Donaghadee.  There are several other Herring Gulls from the same project, which have yet to be recorded, so there are a number which must still be alive and flying around somewhere.

Herring Gull  -    4X:W   -  Donaghadee Seafront, Co. Down  (19 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 6th May 2015, on Big Copeland Island, Co. Down)

Having reached Donaghadee, I was hoping to re-sight a Black-headed Gull from Adam McClure's former NI project.  I wasn't to be disappointed, as I spotted   2BAL , also well out on the beach.

   2BAL , had been ringed as a chick on the Copeland Islands, on the 22nd June 2014, and it's first re-sighted occurred here at Donaghadee, on the 31st August 2015, when spotted by Suzanne Belshaw.  A further five sightings were made at Donaghadee between the 5th March 2016 and the 20th February 2018.

On the 10th May 2018,   2BAL   was discovered by David Nixon, on one of the breeding platforms at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, where I also saw the gull two days later.  I next recorded   2BAL , back wintering in Donaghadee, in November 2018.  On the 13th April 2019,   2BAL   was back on the breeding platforms of the Window on Wildlife Reserve, which was it's final sighting until today.  Glad to see the gull is still going strong, the duration now being 5 years, 6 months and 28 days, since being ringed.  

Black-headed Gull  -    2BAL   -  Donaghadee Seafront, Donaghadee, Co. Down  (19 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 22nd June 2014, on the Copeland Islands, Co. Down)

My third and final ring sighting of the day, belonged to a Herring Gull at Ballywalter Harbour, which I had first recorded nearly five years ago.  Rung   4C:W , both of my previous sightings were also made at Ballywalter Harbour, on the 31st January 2016, and on the 12th March 2016.

  4C:W , is another of the Copeland Island Herring Gulls like   4X:W   mentioned above.  As far as I'm aware, no-one else has ever recorded this bird.  Adam McClure, was the former ringing coordinator for the Copeland Project.  I know Lee Barber, is the contact addressee on the cr-birding website, but experience has already told us (Suzanne Belshaw & myself), he does not hold all of the re-sighting data for these gulls.

The distance from Big Copeland Island, to Ballywalter Harbour, is a mere 14 kms / 9 miles (SSE), and the duration now stands at 4 years, 8 months and 13 days.

Herring Gull  -    4C:W   -  Ballywalter Harbour, Ballywalter, Co. Down  (19 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 6th May 2015, on Big Copeland Island, Co. Down)

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From Graham McElwaine

On the 18th January, I received an email from Graham McElwaine, concerning the sighting of a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull, which he had spotted on the beach at Kircubbin in County Down.  Rung   2S13 , these rings are registered to Kane Brides, but from past experience, I knew to contact Scott Petrek.

Scott replied two days later, to say that   2S13   had been ringed by Kane as a chick, on the 3rd June 2019, at the WWT Martin Mere Nature Reserve, in Lancashire, England.  Graham's sighting of the gull, was the first record of it since being ringed.  The distance from Martin Mere to Kircubbin, is 199 kms / 123 miles (WNW), and the duration was now 7 months and 15 days, since being ringed.

My thanks to Scott for sending the info, and to Graham for reporting the gull to me.  As mentioned in the past, Graham rarely takes photos.

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From Ian Enlander

An email from Ian Enlander on the 20th January 2020, has provided me with the second sighting this winter, of the Danish Black-headed Gull - (White) 5HA.  For some unknown reason, 5HA has been a 'tad' elusive this winter.  Normally returning to the coastal village in November each year, it took me a few attempts to record it, finally spotting the bird on the 14th December 2019.

This is the fourth winter running that 5HA, has appeared at Whitehead.  Ringed as an adult male, on the 28th March 2015, at Gentofte, near Copenhagan in Denmark, the duration as of Ian's sighting on the 20th January, is now 4 years, 9 months and 23 days.  The distance to Whitehead, is 1,160 kms / 720 miles (W).  My thanks to Ian for reporting his latest sighting of 5HA, but there was no photo to go along with it this time.

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Copeland News...

It was a quiet weekend for me on the birding front.  It wasn't until early on Saturday afternoon, when I was able to collect my car, which was being checked over by my mechanic, as it's MOT test was booked for midday on Monday.  This along with the forecasted storm due on Monday, meant I spent the whole of Sunday at Antrim.

During my MOT test, my car was sailing through nicely, when an airbag warning light came on, hence a failure.  Returning to my mechanic, the problem airbag, was soon sorted and rectified, the cause being a wiring problem.  I went 'Online' to book a re-test, and luckily found a slot for the next day at 14:45.  This time, my car passed, which is good news for me, but what are the odds, for a problem to arise in the middle of the test.

As I say, not much has been forthcoming on my part, but a few emails, have yet again added some 'beef' to my latest post, and an eagerly awaited reply has come in concerning my efforts to get onto Big Copeland Island.  It's early as far as the new year is concerned, but indications look good for a good summer, as far as my Common Gull project, is concerned.

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Antrim Marina - Sunday 12th January 2020

Having had no car until early yesterday afternoon, I would have preferred to use today, to visit other sites, and defer my weekly visit to Antrim Marina, until tomorrow - Monday morning.  The forecast for Monday was not good, as a severe storm, named 'Brendan', was due to arrive, bringing gales and heavy rain.  I therefore decided to remain in Antrim today, starting off at the Marina, and then to check out the other sites around the town of Antrim.

Having arrived at Antrim Marina, close on 9:40, I had decided to depart around 1pm, but with a large number of Black-headed Gulls present from around midday, and due to the ever increasing number of Common Gulls, I remained to around 3pm, where I could see the sun setting on the horizon.

Around 90 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, and by 10:24, when I recorded my 16th colour-ringed bird, numbers had increased to around 120 gulls.  At 11am, every one of the gulls were gone, but I decided to stay put, as I knew they would return.  Three quarters of an hour later, they did return in large numbers, and I recorded   2FDL , at 11:50.  By 1pm, numbers had swelled to around 150 to 170 Black-headed Gulls in total, with my 23rd and final colour-ring -   2AAK , being recorded at 1:47.

Thirteen gulls which had either, been recorded or ringed this winter, were absent, the notable ones being   2ABN   and   2ACV .  I had rings ready, to try and catch another couple of birds, but today was absolutely manic, as large numbers of folk had arrived to feed the birds.  I have not seen so many people here for a long, long time, but the new restaurant was also attracting many visitors.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 12th January 2020

2CSA	2AAA	2CTC	2BRA	2CSR	2CSJ	2CJT	2FDK
2AAP	2ABK	2AAR	2AAN	2ABL	2CSL	2ABS	2CSK
2FDL	2AAB	2FDJ	2CTB	2CSB	2CSH	2AAK

Black-headed Gulls Re-Sighted or Ringed This Winter, but not Recorded During Today's Visit

2AAV	2ABA	2ABN	2ACV	2ADV	2AFD	2ANS
2BRD	2CSX	2CTA	2CTR	2FBA	2FDN

I was just about to leave the Marina around 3pm, when I spotted a Black-headed Gull, with a metal-ring, which was slightly taller than our BTO metals.  At first, I wondered if this was the Danish bird, which wintered here, as a juvenile in 2018/2019.  Looking at the colour of it's legs, I wasn't so sure.  Returning to my car to retrieve my camera, I only managed a few photos, before it flew off towards the long wooden jetty.

I had to return to my car to collect my telescope, and walked over to the new cafe to get a clear view.  At that point, all of the gulls rise and flew off towards the Lough.  My bird had initially been standing in the water on the edge of the slipway, and I had to time my shots of the ring, as the ripples of water washed over it.  Prior to departing, I had a look at what I had captured, to find my Black-headed Gull was from Iceland, and I had a partial number -   589*** .

On returning home, and running 'Iceland   589 ', through my spreadsheet (for metals, I always add the country if not British, and then add the number), to find two matches.  They were ringed   589598   and   589599 , both of which were recorded by John Clarke, one at the East Strand in Portrush, County Antrim (August 2018), and the other at Strand Road Jetty, in Coleraine, County Londonderry (March 2018).  It's impossible to know whether my sighting was one of those two birds, but I hope that I can get another opportunity to complete this birds number.

Black-headed Gull  -  Iceland    589***   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (12 Jan 2020)

Other Species at Antrim Marina

As stated previously, the Common Gulls, were my reason for the extended visit today.  As already mentioned in my recent posts, there has been an upturn in the number of Common Gulls returning, now that work on the new 'Gateway Centre', housing the new cafe/restaurant, has been completed.  On my arrival at 09:40, two adults were already present.

Numbers slowly built up in ones and two's until 12:35, when seven adults were now present.  The arrival of an eighth, a metal-rung bird at 13:10, turned out to be the small Scottish-rung female -   EY64036 , which unlike last winter, has been recorded during this winter on a number of occasions.    EY64036 , was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston in Ayrshire, Scotland.

My first sighting of the then juvenile, was made here at the Marina, on the 9th February 2014.  Having been recorded every winter since, the duration as of today, is now 6 years, 6 months and 23 days.  As yet, there have been no sightings elsewhere, which is not surprising, seeing as the gull is only ringed with a metal.  Relatively few birdwatchers have the means or capability to read metal rings.

My decision to remain at the Marina because of the Common Gulls, not only saw the arrival of   EY64036 , but even more arrived, with two at 13:25, the eleventh at 14:00, and the 12th at 14:16.  If memory serves me right, I think the record here is of 13 adults, though I could be wrong by one or two birds.  Today's showing is by far the best in a long time.  This species still fascinates me, due to the variation in their size, plumage and leg colour.

With so many present, I kept a keen eye out, for a Finnish metal-rung Common Gull, which I failed to re-sight last winter.  Having recorded it during the winters of 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18, it might be a tall order to expect this bird to still be alive, but should it re-appear it would be around 24 and a half years of age.  Ringed as a juvenile in August 1995, there was no sign of it today, but I'm hoping.

Mute Swan numbers, also saw an increase today.  6 adults and a juvenile, were already present around the slipway when I arrived.  Around 1:20, whilst I was being kept busy with the gulls, I suddenly noticed that there were now a number of Mute Swans present.  A further two pairs had arrived un-noticed, taking the total of adults present to 10.  Barring the initial birds present, I could not persuade the later arrivals to exit the water, so I had no idea whether these were ringed or not.  At the present, I'm hoping for the arrival of two metal-rung birds, which normally arrive back in the month of January.

Mallard numbers were also better than in recent weeks.  20 were counted on arrival, which had increased to around 40 birds by midday.  Another head count, shortly before my departure around 3pm, totalled 59 birds.  Most legs were checked, but still no rings.

Other species noted today, were 2 Hooded Crows, 9 Jackdaws, a pair of Pied Wagtails, and a Magpie.  A Kingfisher was heard, but I could not locate it.  The adult Herring Gull, which is a frequent sighting here, never appeared today.

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From George Gordon

On Friday 10th January, an email from a George Gordon, was passed on to me, by Garry Armstong, who is one of the blog team for the (NIBA).  Earlier in the day, George had spotted one of Adam's former project Black-headed Gulls -   2ABT , at Luke's Point, on the Ballyholme seafront.  Garry was hoping I could furnish some details about the gull, which I was able to do.

  2ABT , was caught and ringed by Kerry Leonard, as an adult male on the 24th January 2013, on the Ballyholme seafront.  Kerry had helped Adam, by ringing a few Black-headed Gulls at Ballyholme.  George's sighting of   2ABT , is now the 20th record of the gull on my spreadsheet, and this latest sighting takes the duration to 6 years, 11 months and 17 days.

The last sighting that I had on my spreadsheet, was a sighting that I had recorded, on the 20th May 2018, at Sandy Bay in Larne, County Antrim.    2ABT , is known to alternate between Ballyholme in the winter months, and Sandy Bay, during the summer months.  It could be possible, that the gull nests on Blue Circle Island on Larne Lough, or even on the Maidens, which are a couple of small islands just off the mouth of Belfast Lough (though I do not know whether or not, Black-headed Gulls actually are proven breeders there).

Ballyholme, is situated on the County Down side of Belfast Lough.  Although George's sighting, is nothing spectacular regarding distance, this latest sighting does add to the gulls longevity.  My thanks to George for taking time to report his sighting, and to Garry, for his foresight in passing the record on to me.  Although, George did not supply a photo, I've added one I took, on the 20th May 2018.

Black-headed Gull  -    2ABT   -  Sandy Bay, Larne, Co. Antrim  (20 May 2018)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 24th January 2013, at Ballyholme, Co. Down)

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From Brian Power

Also on Friday 10th January, I received an email from my 'Ring Reading' counterpart in Dublin - Graham Prole (Blog).  Graham, re-directed an email he had received from Brian Power.  On the previous night (9th January), at seven minutes to midnight, George spotted one of Adam's former project Black-headed Gulls, which he thought was either rung   2CNH   or possibly   2CNM .  The gull had been spotted in the middle, of the City of Dublin.

Both Graham and I very happy with Brian's initial conclusion, that the ring read   2CNH .  This was also strengthened, as I had a previous sighting from County Dublin on my spreadsheet.  As I do not hold all re-sighting data from Adam's former project, I can only act on what information I have.

  2CNH , had been ringed as a chick, on the 16th June 2017, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve, on Larne Lough, County Antrim.  The first re-sighting of the gull, was made by me the following year, when I recorded the bird at Whitehouse Lagoon, beside Belfast Lough, on the 14th July 2018.  The next sighting, in 2019, came via an email from Jan Rod, when   2CNH   was spotted on the 9th March, on the Clontarf Estuary in County Dublin, 164 kms / 101 miles (S), of Blue Circle Island.

The third sighting of   2CNH , and the final record until Brian's sighting, was also made by me, and came 8 days after the sighting on the Clontarf Estuary.  On the 17th March 2019, I discovered   2CNH  at Lurgan Park Lake in County Armagh, 53 kms / 32 miles (SSE) from Blue Circle Island.  Although the gull would not have reached full breeding age, was it on it's way back to Blue Circle Island?

The duration, as of Brian's latest sighting, was now 2 years, 6 months and 24 days.  The sighting, proves that this gull prefers to winter in Dublin, and also adds more time to it's longevity.  My thanks to Brian for his sighting and the inclusion of the spectacular night-time photo.  It's not every day, that a ring is read around midnight.

Black-headed Gull  -    2CNH   -  Bachelors Walk, Dublin City, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland  (09 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 16th June 2017, on the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Brian Power)

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From Ric Else on Rathlin Island

Late on Wednesday afternoon, whilst I was preparing my dinner before going to work, I received an email from Ric Else.  Earlier that morning, despite the wild weather conditions, Ric was able to photograph yet another one of the 2019 juvenile Common Gulls.  Ric had spotted   2BPF , at Rathlin Island's Mill Bay, the gull having been ringed as a chick, at the island's Rue Point Lighthouse, on the 26th June 2019.  Mill Bay, is just over 2kms / 1 mile (N) of Rue Point, and this is yet another example of juveniles remaining on the island over the winter months.

Over recent weeks, Ric and Hazel Watson, have recorded three other 2019 Rathlin chicks, which have remained on the island, these being   2BKJ ,   2BSC   and   2BSH .  My thanks once again, goes to Ric & Hazel for reporting their sightings, and for the inclusion of this fantastic photo, which also captures a nice looking Mediterranean Gull.

Juvenile Common Gull  -    2BPF   -  Mill Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim  (15 Jan 2020)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 26th June 2019, at Rue Point, Rathlin Island)

(Photo Courtesy of Ric Else & Hazel Watson)

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Good News

Earlier on Wednesday morning I received an eagerly awaited email from a Philip McNamara.  Since 2017, I have been trying to find a way of getting to Big Copeland Island, which is privately owned.  The island, was the home of Shane Wolsey's former Common Gull colour-ringing project, which ran from 2009 until 2014.  Having taken over the project from Shane, I reckon that there are many Common Gulls, which are still alive and nesting on the island, some of which have yet to be re-sighted.

Have exhausted my efforts in finding a means of getting to the island, I emailed Shane, to see if he knew any boatmen, who would be willing to help me out.  Shane supplied me with Philips name and email address.  Philip has replied, to say he is willing to provide his assistance, and stated a return price, which I must admit, is very modest.  Not only that, Philip was also able to supply me with the owners name and mobile number.

If all goes well, and permissions are granted, this would be a major boost in trying to further progress, Shane's former study.  I may be able to persuade another couple of 'Ring Readers' to come along with their cameras.  I know of a two, who use the Nikon P900, which is excellent for taking long range photos.  I would begin my visits in mid May, whilst the gulls are on eggs, and hopefully in mid to late June, colour-ring a number of chicks.

To add Big Copeland Island, to my Rathlin Island project which I began in 2017, would be fantastic in recording the fortunes of these Common Gulls here in Northern Ireland.  The weather here at the moment is appalling, but the coming summer is looking bright already.

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