Juvenile Dane Returns...

Between one thing and another, I failed to get out at all last Saturday and Sunday, so my visit to Antrim Marina, was my only contribution to this weeks post.  Thankfully, a few ring sightings were reported by other observers, which has helped to 'beef' up this post.

 

In my last post, I mentioned that my bank account had been compromised.  Congratulations to the bank for spotting this so quickly and freezing my account.  Between us, we discovered two transactions that did not belong to me, and during the week I received a new bank card.  I spent the next couple of days, updating my online accounts, and then yesterday, I discovered that my new banking details had been frozen again.  With my phone on silent, I missed a text message from my bank requesting if a certain transaction belonged to me.  Due to not receiving a reply, the bank froze my account.  At the minute, I have not checked to see what the problem is, but surely I cannot have been compromised again so soon.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 8th November 2021

It's days like today, where I'm so grateful to the Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, to allow me to take my car into the front car park at Antrim Marina.  Access to this car park was originally halted, as folk would park 'willy nilly' all over the place, which hindered the Lough Neagh Rescue Service from launching their rescue boat.  The reason I was so grateful, was that heavy rain fell until around 11am, where it slacked off to a drizzle, and then stopped about 11:30.

To keep my optical equipment dry, I had to view the gulls from inside my car for most of the time.  From where I park, I can view the gulls to my right, either perched on the short concrete jetty, the now heightened former low wooden jetty, or standing around on the car park itself.  To view the gulls on the long wooden jetty, I occasionally walked over to the shelter of the 'Gateway Centre' to scope the gulls from there.

On my arrival just before 09:20 this morning, around 50 Black-headed Gulls were present, with numbers quickly increasing to around the one hundred mark.  As the morning wore on, maximum numbers easily reached the 120 to 130 mark.  Having ringed another adult last Monday, today I was on the lookout for 43 colour-ringed gulls, comprised of 37 re-sightings for this autumn/winter, and 6 birds which have been ringed over recent weeks.

 

By the time that I departed just after 12:15, 27 colour rings had been read, with the two Polish returnees -   2AAR  (at 09:21) &   2CSL  (at 12:05), being the first and last to be recorded.  The adult that I caught and ringed last Monday -   2FHN , was my 9th sighting at 09:43, which gave me the first opportunity to photograph the bird.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2FHN   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 1st November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

 

My 22nd colour-ring sighting at 11:33, had me racing back to my car to grab the camera.  Sitting right in the middle of a large bunch of gulls standing in the car park, was another returnee -   2FFT .  I knew as soon as I saw the gull, I had not seen it so far this winter, which was confirmed as I checked my hand written list.  On each visit now, I write out a new list which contains every ring code recorded this winter, to which I add the time for each re-sighting for each gull recorded during the current visit.

 

On returning home and checking my spreadsheet, I was in for a bit of a surprise.    2FFT , was one of 18 Black-headed Gulls that I caught and ringed here last winter.  The bird was ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 21st December 2020, but was never seen or heard of again until now, hence the surprise.  Surely, this bird must breed in some foreign country.  It has now been 10 months and 18 days since I ringed -   2FFT .  

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2FFT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 21st December 2020, at Antrim Marina)

 

Among the absentees,   2CSX  stands out.  This gull has not been recorded here since the 19th September, and I have a suspicion, that it may now be at the former Waterworks in Belfast.  In the past, I have two record sightings made by Suzanne Belshaw, where she recorded -   2CSX , at the Waterworks, on the 18th October 2019, and on the 28th September 2020.

 

Two of the final four absentees,   2FHF  &   2FHK , which were juveniles when caught and ringed in recent weeks, have not been seen since being ringed.  Juveniles do tend to wander during their first winter, so I'm hoping both are still alive and well, and that someone, somewhere will spot them.

 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 8th November 2021

2AAR	2ABK	2CSK	2FFF	2AAK	2CJT	2FFL	2FDK	2FHN
2FHJ	2CTC	2FFA	2CSA	2AAN	2FDV	2ABN	2ABL	2CSB
2BRA	2FDJ	2FHC	2FFT	2FFX	2CSJ	2FDT	2FHA	2CSL

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

2AAA	2AAB	2ABA	2ABS	2ACV	2BRD	2CSR	2CSX	2CTA
2FFC	2FFJ	2FFN	2FFP	2FHF	2FHH	2FHK	2FHL

Once it had stopped raining at 11:30, I made four attempts at catching birds to be ringed, and was successful on each.  Perhaps the wet overnight conditions helped, as the gulls were really 'biting' today, hence birds being caught so much easier.  The first two caught, were both juveniles, now ringed as -   2FHP  &   2FHT .  An adult was next to be caught -   2FHV , and -   2FHX , was fitted onto the first second winter bird (a chick from 2020), to be caught and ringed this winter.

With these four additions, plus the return of -   2FFT , I will be on the lookout for 48 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls during my next visit, and fingers crossed, for further returning birds.  I'm a bit disappointed, that no foreign rung birds have appeared here so far, but it is still early days as far as this winter is concerned. 

 

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

When I arrived, just two un-related Mute Swans were on the slipway.  Once I parked my car beside the short concrete jetty, one of these birds walked over to my door.  This is a now regular occurrence with this swan, as if to say 'Gary's back'.  It knows that I will have bread with me, and I joke with passers by, that it likes to listen to the 'Steve Nolan' show on the car radio.  An adult pair of Mute Swans, swam in from Lough Neagh at 09:45, and today, not a single cygnet was to be seen.

 

Just 24 Mallards were present on my arrival, with numbers quickly increasing.  As usual, most legs were checked for rings.  Later in the morning, I became too pre-occupied with the gulls, and somewhat ignored the ducks.  A quick glance round as I departed, I reckon the overall total reached the 100 mark.

 

The first of three adult Common Gulls arrived at 10:23, the second at 11:00, the third at 11:18.  Again, there is no further sign of the small Scottish-rung female.

 

At 09:53, as I was sitting in my car, I could hear the chirping of a Dipper.  I got out in time to see it flashing by the jetty flying out towards the breakwater at the entrance to the Lough.  I have seen Dippers here in the past, but sightings are a rare event.

 

Just 1 Hooded Crow, and six Jackdaws, were the only other species to be seen here today.

 

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From Suzanne Belshaw

Back in late September, Suzanne Belshaw copied me in, to a Ringed Plover sighting, which she reported to it's owner in Germany.  Recently, Dominic Cimiotti replied to Suzanne's sighting.  The bird was ringed as an adult male, on the 26th May 2021, at the Beltringharder Koog Nature Reserve, close to the border with Denmark, in northern Germany.  Apparently, the plover was also fitted with a 'GPS Radio Tracker', which, looking at Suzanne's photos, has clearly fallen off, as there is no sign of the antenna.

The bird is ringed White over Black on both it's Tarsus, with Red on the left Tibia, and the metal ring is on the right Tibia.  Suzanne's sighting was the first for the bird, occurring 4 months and 4 days after being ringed.  I submitted Suzanne's sighting to the BTO, but so far the offical recovery details have not arrived back.  I estimate the distance as being 945 kms / 587 miles (W).

My thanks to Suzanne for this sighting report, along with the photos.  Incidentally, this is the first Ringed Plover to be entered onto my spreadsheet.

 

Colour-ringed Ringed Plover - Tyrella Beach, Co. Down  (30 Sep 2021)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 26th May 2021, at Beltringharder Koog Nature Reserve, N. Germany)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

 

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From David Nixon

David Nixon has been in touch again, with another big gull re-sighting.  On the 6th November 2021, Herring Gull -   952:D , was spotted at the high tide roost, at Dundrum's South Inner Bay, on Strangford Lough, Co. Down.  This is the bird's second Northern Ireland sighting, as David previously spotted the gull at Ardglass Harbour in County Down, on the 26th March 2021.

   952:D , was ringed as a chick, on the 22nd June 2019, on Lambay Island, just off the County Dublin coast, in the Republic of Ireland.  The gull's first re-sighting, before David's two sightings, was made on the 26th October 2020, when Jan Rod recorded the gull at the Skerries Beach in County Dublin.

 

The duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 4 months and 15 days.  The distance from Lambay to Dundrum, is 86 kms / 53 miles (N).

 

My thanks to David, for this latest sighting report, along with the photos.

 

Herring Gull  -    952:D   -  Dundrum Inner Bay, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (06 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 22nd June 2019, on Lambay Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

 

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From Cameron Moore

Cameron Moore was recently in touch about a gull sighting which he made at Rhanbouy Park on the outskirts of Carrickfergus in County Antrim.  Having checked the attached photos in his email, I ran the ring number through my spreadsheet, only to discover that the photos were the same ones sent to me back on the 4th January 2021.  The bird concerned was that of a juvenile Black-headed Gull from Denmark, which was metal-ringed -   VA5454 .

None the wiser, about what gull Cameron had spotted recently, I replied, stating he had sent me photos of a juvenile from earlier this year.  A couple of days passed, and then another email arrived.  Apologizing about the previous photos, the latest photos was that of the same bird -  VA5454 .

 

Returning now for the second winter in a row,   VA5454 , had been ringed as a chick, on the 25th May 2020, on Hirsholm Island in Denmark.  The distance from Hirsholm, is 1,064 kms / 661 miles (WSW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 5 months and 10 days.

 

These new type metal rings are really good and easy to read, as the code reads upwards, and is repeated twice around the ring.  I also recorded a juvenile Danish Black-headed Gull at Antrim Marina last winter.  At one point, that juvenile was just inches away from being caught and colour-ringed.  Looking at the records on my spreadsheet, Danish Black-headed Gulls tend to be late arrivals into Northern Ireland, usually from November onwards.  With this in mind, perhaps my bird will return to Antrim Marina.

 

My thanks again to Cameron, for this latest sighting of -   VA5454 , along with the correct photos.  For comparison, I've also added Cameron's photo of the bird taken in January 2021.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    VA5454   -  Rhanbouy Park, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim  (04 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 25th May 2020, at Hirsholm Island, Denmark)

(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)

 

Juvenile Black-headed Gull  -    VA5454   -  Rhanbouy Park, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim  (04 Jan 2021)

(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)

 

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From Jonathan Clark

Jonathan Clark has been in touch recently, with the sighting of a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull at the WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre in County Down.    2ARL , was spotted on the Wader Lagoon at the Wetland Centre on the 9th November 2021, and had been ringed as a chick at Castle Espie, on the 15th June 2015.  The bird belongs to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study, where 214 Black-headed Gulls were ringed at Castle Espie altogether.

I now respond to sightings of Adam's former project birds, but these day's, sightings are few and far between.  Not many winter sightings of gulls belonging to Castle Espie arrive with me, but many of the colour-ringed gulls tend to be reported at the Castle Espie colony during the breeding season.  Jonathan's sighting, is only the sixth confirmed record since -   2ARL  was ringed as a chick, and the first winter sighting which would confirm that the bird is a likely year round resident to that area.

The first two re-sightings occurred in May 2018, followed by two in April 2019, where -   2ARL  was spotted within the breeding population, though no breeding season reports came in for 2020 or 2021.  Outside of the breeding season, Suzanne Belshaw spotted -   2ARL  at the nearby Islandhill car park, on the 31st August 2020, and I had a 'dodgy' sighting on the 29th August 2021, where I took a long distance photo of the gull on the mudflats in front of the hide at Castle Espie.

This sighting by Jonathan, confirms that the gull is still alive, and the duration since being ringed, is now 6 years, 4 months and 25 days.  Such sightings are important, as they add many days to the longevities for each bird.

 

My thanks goes to Jonathan for this sighting report, along with the photo.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2ARL   -  WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (09 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 15th June 2015, at Castle Espie)

(Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Clarke)

 

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