Gutted....

I am still having problems with my laptop, and a lot of effort has gone into getting this week's post out.  Since last weekend, I have refreshed my Browsers and de-fragmented my hard drive, but I'm still having problems with the laptop 'freezing up'.  I was going to purchase a new laptop this week, but have not really had a chance.  I think the broken hinge, which now shows wires leading to the screen, is my major problem, but the daunting task of setting up a new laptop scares me, as I know it takes up much time.

 

I did not get out last weekend for two reasons.  One, I did not think I would get my car back from my mechanic so soon, and the other, was I had to babysit the wife's cats, while she and her sister went market shopping in Belfast, which included an overnight stay in a hotel.

 

With getting this post published today, I'm now free to get out this weekend.  The Connswater mudflats in Belfast, and a Common Gull search in Millisle, Co. Down, will be my main targets.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 29th November 2021

I was full of expectation when I arrived at Antrim Marina at 09:15 this morning.  Over the weekend, Northern Ireland experienced some wet and windy weather, as we sat on the western fringes of Storm Arwen.  We got off pretty lightly, as compared to the damage that the storm caused in parts of Scotland and the north of England.  With such conditions, perhaps their gulls would have been pushed south or west away from the bad weather.  There's now a higher possibility that some ringed/colour-ringed gulls may now up in Northern Ireland, which under normal circumstances, would not be seen here.

At the Marina, I thought there would be a good turnout of Black-headed Gulls, which would be pretty hungry after the weekends weather.  A count of around 80 gulls on my arrival, remained more or less the same throughout this visit.  Maximum numbers this winter has seen as many as 120 to 130 present, though at this time of the year, those numbers should be reaching 200, or at the extreme 300.  By the time that I departed around 12:30, I was extremely disappointed by today's showing.

 

With the return of  -   2AFD  last week (from Latvia), and the capture of another juvenile -   2FIC , I was on the lookout for 51 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls altogether.  The first ring read at 09:20, was that of -   2ACV , and the 29th and final ring read, was that of -   2CSJ  at 12:13.  With 22 absentees, this is quite a high number, and not what I had expected.  Among the absentees, were the last two birds which I have recently ringed -   2FIA  and   2FIC .  I have a photo of -   2FIA , but I do not have a photo for the juvenile -   2FIC , which I ringed last Monday.

After arriving, I had noticed one Black-headed Gull lying flat out on the low wooden jetty.  The bird hadn't moved, when, at 09:56, I could see a leg showing a colour-ring which looked to be black from where I was sitting at my car.  Thinking I had a new bird here, I grabbed my camera and walked over.  I was gutted by what I saw next.  One of my star birds -   2FDV , has either badly damaged or broken it's left leg which carries it's colour-ring.  Even, by the time of my departure, the gull had not moved, and remained flat out on the jetty looking sorry for itself.  I'm really hoping that the bird survives, but in all reality, judging by it's behaviour, I am thinking 'it's a goner'.

  2FDV , is so special, as it arrived here last winter, having been metal-rung as a chick, on the 13th July 2020, at Marsh House Farm, Stockton-on-Tees, England.  I first recorded it here on the 19th October 2020, and managed to capture the bird on the 9th November 2020, at which point I fitted the colour ring.  After the 'second lockdown' was relaxed, -   2FDV  was still at the Marina on the 12th April 2021.  You can imagine my delight, when on the 11th October 2021, -   2FDV  returned for the second time.  I was looking forwards to the day, when -   FDV , would be reported back at it's natal colony.  This may never happen now.  The distance from Stockton-on-Tees, is 323 kms / 200 miles (W), and the duration as of today, is 1 year, 4 months and 16 days - hopefully not the end.

Black-headed Gull  -    2FDV   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (29 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 13th July 2020, at Marsh House Farm, Stockton-on-Tees, England)

Having had rain overnight, which had just cleared when I reached the Marina, the morning was cloudy, with a fairly strong breeze blowing in off the Lough.  Gulls that were present, were extremely hungry, and many got a good feed from passers by.  Shortly after 11am, I made a number of attempts at catching new birds to be ringed.  Sitting among the swans as cover, I dropped bread onto the ground, catching birds on four occasions.  Two of those, I had to let go, as they were already ringed -   2CJT  &   2ABK  .  When the birds sneak in between the legs of the swans, I cannot see whether they are ringed or not.  The other two birds caught, were both adults, now rung -   2FIF  &   2FIH .  This means, that I'm on the lookout for 53 colour-rings on my next visit.  

 

Glancing over my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet, I've noticed that one bird which is a year round resident, has not been seen since the 1st November.   2AAA, was the very first gull to be ringed belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Project.  It has been very rare, for -   2AAA  to go 'AWOL'.  Another bird which has not been seen since the 19th September, is -   2CSX .  We know this bird does go absent here for long periods of time, and when it does, we know it frequents the former waterworks in Cliftonville in Belfast.

 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 29th November 2021

2ACV	2FHC	2CJT	2FFA	2BRA	2ABL	2FFF	2AAN	2CTC	2CSA
2FHP	2FHL	2AAK	2FDK	2FDV	2ABN	2CSB	2FFX	2ABK	2CSL
2FFL	2FHJ	2FHX	2FHA	2FHT	2FDJ	2ABS	2AAB	2CSJ

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

2AAA	2AAR	2ABA	2AFD	2BRD	2CSK	2CSR	2CSX
2CTA	2FDT	2FFC	2FFJ	2FFN	2FFP	2FFT	2FHF
2FHH	2FHK	2FHN	2FHV	2FIA	2FIC

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

A single adult Common Gull was already present on my arrival this morning.  Soon afterwards, at 09:29, a further two adults arrived.  Throughout the morning, I had a high count of three adults, but it is hard to know if these involved the three seen from the start.  Two weeks ago, I had seven adults here at one point, which was the highest total seen this winter.  A juvenile Common Gull appeared at 10:10, but did not stay too long.  The Scottish-rung bird, was not among the three adults seen today.

 

A Herring Gull landed on the slipway at 09:56, and this one was the usual resident which I have not seen over the last few visits.  I know this is the usual adult, by the way he walks up to me for a feed of bread.  He remained throughout the remainder of my visit, and was joined briefly by a second adult at 11:54.  Posing together beside the concrete jetty, this second bird had a very slender neck and small head, so was obviously a female.  It will be interesting to see if she comes back over the next few weeks.

 

Shortly after my arrival, once I had a quick look for ringed Black-headed Gulls, I made a count of the Mallards, with a total of 47 present.  Numbers did not seem to increase, and a further count shortly before my departure, gave a total of 58 birds.  This is slightly lower than in recent weeks, and with most legs checked, there are still no ringed birds.

 

Just two adult Mute Swans, were present on my arrival, and once I parked my car, my friend quickly parked himself beside the car.  He can be a real nuisance at times.  Whilst sat in my car using my binoculars, he would stick his head in through the window and pull at my arms.  Out of the car, he follows me about everywhere.  A pair of Swans arrived in from the Lough at 10:05, stayed for about half an hour, and then swam upriver.  They arrived back again at 11:57, just as a further three swans arrived in from the Lough.  None of the seven birds were ringed.

 

A male Pied Wagtail, 5 Jackdaws, 1 Hooded Crow and 1 Magpie, were the only other species noted during this visit.

 

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From Kate McAllister

On Saturday 27th November 2021, Kate McAllister made her latest visit to Antrim Marina.  Arriving around midday, she recorded 11 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls.  Kate has made a number of visits to the Marina to record the colour-ringed gulls, and four birds from the new batch of 11 sightings, were firsts for Kate -   2AAB ,   2FFC ,   2FFF  and   2FFJ .  Two of those four, were absent during my visit two days later -   2FFC  and   2FFJ .

Random visits by other observers are always handy, as they have a chance of spotting a bird which has returned for the winter, or possibly a gull from another project which are just passing through.  During the winter months, I undertake one weekly visit, where I try to record as many rings as possible in a short space of time.

 

My thanks goes to Kate for these sightings, along with a photo for each bird concerned.  The photo record is of particular importance, in the event a bird has arrived which has previously gone un-recorded.  There is nothing better than a photo to back up a sighting.

 

Black-headed Gulls Recorded by Kate McAllister on Saturday 27th November 2021

2AAB	2AAK	2ABK	2BRA	2CSB	2CSJ
2FFA	2FFC	2FFF	2FFJ	2FFL

Black-headed Gull  -    2FFC   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (27 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 30th November 2020, at Antrim Marina)

(Photo Courtesy of Kate McAllister)

 

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From Anthony McGeehan

On the 23rd November 2021, Anthony McGeehan spotted a colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull at Groomsport Harbour in County Down.  He sent an email to Germany describing the ring as reading either -   AE1C  or -   AEIC , but his email bounced.

Anthony then contacted me to see if I could help.  Instantly, I recognised this bird as being -   AETC , which is no stranger to our shores.  I replied to Anthony, sending him a copy of the birds history, taken from my main Ring Reading Spreadsheet.  Anthony was of course delighted with the result, which led to numerous emails being exchanged between us covering various topics.  Mediterranean Gulls are a particular favourite with Anthony, and on the 28th November 2021, he wrote an article on his Facebook Account (Read).  On replying to Anthony, I also copied in Andreas Zours in Germany, who I knew would respond.

 

  AETC , was ringed in the Stade area of northern Germany, as an un-sexed 3rd Calendar year bird, on the 24th May 2008, which takes it's duration since being ringed, to 13 years, 5 months and 30 days.  It's first ever re-sighting was actually made in Northern Ireland, when Neal Warnock spotted the bird at Carnlough Bay in County Antrim.  Over the years, there have been numerous re-sightings here, as well as a few back home in Germany.  The last known sighting of -   AETC , was actually made by myself on the 22nd September 2019.  On that occasion, I spotted the bird on Kinnegar Beach, situated on the southern shore of Belfast Lough.  At the time, I was rather concerned for the bird's well-being, as a large 'debris ball' was attached to the middle toe on it's left leg (see photo below).

 

Unfortuantely, Anthony did not take a photo at the time of his sighting, but surely the gull has managed to discard that 'ball'.  As promised to Anthony, Andreas did reply a couple of days later.    AETC , had not been recorded since I last saw it here in September 2019.  I also submitted the sighting to the BTO, and the offical recovery gives a distance of 999 kms / 620 miles (W), from Stade to Groomsport Harbour.  The PDF File sent to Anthony by Andreas, giving the gull's full history, can be read here (PDF).

 

My thanks goes to Anthony for getting in contact.  So glad his original email bounced, as we had an excellent exchange of emails afterwards.  Hopefully, I'll hear from Anthony again sometime in the future.

 

Mediterranean Gull  -    AETC   -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (22 Sep 2019)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 3rd Calendar Year Bird, on the 24th May 2008, near Stade, N. Germany)

 

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From Suzanne Belshaw

Suzanne Belshaw has sent two emails recently, with her latest gull sightings.  The first, was for a Black-headed Gull, colour-ringed -   2HP4 , which she spotted on Whiteabbey Beach, County Antrim, on the 23rd November 2021.  I had been copied in, into an email sent to Iain Livingstone in Scotland.  However, although Iain has been in contact recently about other gull sightings, he has failed to reply to Suzanne.  On Wednesday 1st December, having received the second email from Suzanne concerning another two gull sightings, I decided to submit the sighting of -   2HP4  to the BTO, by it's colour-marks only.  Usually, the BTO prefers a metal number to be included, but I had a feeling that perhaps Suzanne's sighting had landed in Iain's 'Spam Box', hence being overlooked, and of course no metal number.

Later on Wednesday afternoon, the recovery details arrived for -   2HP4 .  The gull had been ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2020, at the Elvanfoot colony in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.  The recovery also gives the metal number -   EZ33465 , which I ran through my DemOn account.  It appears that Suzanne's sighting, is the first reported sighting since the bird was ringed, with the duration now being, 1 year, 4 months and 30 days.  The offical distance, is 166 kms / 103 miles (WSW), from Elvanfoot to Whiteabbey.

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2HP4   -  Whiteabbey Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (23 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2020, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

 

On Monday 29th November 2021, Suzanne recorded two colour-ringed Herring Gulls on Kinnegar Beach, situated on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, Co. Down.  The first of these, was that of a bird ringed locally.    B21:W , belongs to a project belonging to Katherine Booth-Jones who is a BTO Rep, here in Northern Ireland.  The project follows the movements of urban gulls which have been ringed whilst nesting on rooftops in the Belfast City centre.

 

  B21:W , was caught and ringed as an adult breeding male, on the 23rd May 2019, on the rooftop of the City's Metro building.  Away from the Metro building, there has been three previous re-sightings, all made by myself - August 2020 on Kinnegar Beach, October 2020 on the north shore of Belfast Lough, and on the 15th August 2021 at Belfast's Whitehouse Lagoon.

 

The duration, as of Suzanne's latest sighting, is now 2 years, 6 months and 6 days, since being ringed.  The distance from the Metro building to Kinnegar Beach, is a mere 6 kms / 3 miles (NE).  Katherine has informed me, that there is a new email address, for reporting sightings of her gulls, as well as Herring Gulls colour-ringed on the Copeland Islands - research.sightings@bto.org.

Herring Gull  -    B21:W   -  Kinnegar Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (29 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as an Adult Breeding Male, on the 23rd May 2019, on the Metro Building (roof), Belfast)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

 

The second Herring Gull spotted on Kinnegar Beach, was a juvenile.  This bird rung -   K12:M , is from the Isle of Man, and was likely ringed as a chick during the past summer.  Suzanne reported her sighting to Mark Fitzpatrick, but unlike Mark, there has been reply as yet.  It's not often, that Isle of Man gulls are recorded so far north on our coast.  Most reports of colour-ringed birds come in from County Down.  My thanks as always goes to Suzanne, who regularly shares her sightings and photos.

 

Juvenile Herring Gull  -    K12:M   -  Kinnegar Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (29 Nov 2021)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

 

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From David Nixon

David Nixon has been in touch again recently, about a ring sighting that nearly 'got away'.  In David's own words :-

On the 25/11/21, I was at Dundrum South Inner Bay.  In fast fading light at the high tide roost in the southern end of the Inner Bay, I had a BHG with a red ring and white digits.  Only saw it fairly briefly, right at the extent of the range of my scope.  I, without much conviction, wrote 2P91 in my notebook but was so unsure of it, I wasn't going to report it.

 

It is only tonight, I discovered that I had 2P91 in the Bay in March this year, so I am now happy to report it again.

 

I re-directed David's email to Iain Livingstone in Scotland, and then submitted David's re-sighting to the BTO.

 

  2P91 , was ringed as a chick, on the 18th June 2019, at the Elvanfoot colony in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.  David's initial sighting on the 5th March 2021, here at the South Inner Bay at Dundrum, was a first re-sighting since the gull was ringed.  As yet, we have had no reply from Iain, so we do not know whether the bird has been seen since last March.  The duration, as of the 25th November 2021, is now 2 years, 5 months and 7 days since being ringed, and the distance from Elvanfoot to Dundrum, is 192 kms / 119 miles (SW).

 

My thanks to David for sharing this sighting - always good to hear of another bird returning for the winter.  I have added the photo taken by David back in March 2021.  

 

Black-headed Gull  -    2P91   -  Dundrum Inner Bay, Strangford Lough, Co. Down  (05 Mar 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2019, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

 

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From Graham McElwaine

A couple of ring sightings have been reported to me by Graham McElwaine.  Actually, Graham has reported several ring sightings over the past couple of months, but I don't always find the time to include them all.

 

On the 20th November 2021, Graham recorded one of my Rathlin Island Project Common Gulls -   2BBC , at the high tide roost, at the South Inner Bay at Dundrum, on Strangford Lough, Co. Down.    2BBC , was ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2017, at Arkill Bay on Rathlin Island, County Antrim.

 

It's first re-sighting was made by David Nixon, though he was not 100% sure about the code.  This sighting was made on the 22nd May 2018, here at the South Inner Bay at Dundrum.  Graham's recent sighting adds strength to David's sighting, which proves that -   2BBC  does frequent this area.

 

After David's sighting in May 2018, the bird was not seen again until the 3rd April 2020, when Ric Else, who works with the RSPB on Rathlin, spotted -   2BBC  at the island's Doon Bay colony.  The gull was also recorded at the colony by Ric, on the 8th April and 30th May 2020, but it is not known whether the gull actually nested.

 

During this past summer, I made my first two sightings of -   2BBC , having recorded the gull back at Doon Bay, on the 8th and 14th June 2021.  The Common Gulls on Rathlin have experienced two poor breeding seasons in a row, and I could not confirm whether -   2BBC  had actually bred, although he was part of a pair on the site.

 

The duration since being ringed, is now 4 years, 4 months and 27 days, and Dundrum lies 115 kms / 71 miles (S) from Rathlin Island.  Graham rarely takes photos, so I've added one of my own taken in June 2021, at the Doon Bay colony.

 

Common Gull  -    2BBC   -  Doon Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim  (08 Jun 2021)

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

 

On the 24th November 2021, Graham spotted a Herring Gull -   1M:W , at the Strangford Lough Floodgates, just outside of the County Down town of Newtownards.  This sighting was of interest, as it was a first re-sighting for the gull, six years after it had been ringed.

 

  1M:W , had been ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 6th May 2015, on Big Copeland Island which lies just off the coast of County Down.  The distance from Big Copeland to the floodgates is a mere 13 kms / 8 miles (SW), and the duration is 6 years, 6 months and 18 days.  I still find it amazing how these big gulls move about un-noticed.

 

Iain Livingstone has been in touch regarding the sighting of a juvenile Great Black-backed Gull - (White) 6C7:C, which Graham spotted at Mill Bay on Carlingford Lough in County Down, on the 5th October 2021.  Sending his apologies, Iain had to wait for the data from the ringer concerned.

 

(White) 6C7:C, was ringed as a chick, on the 28th June 2021, on the Isle of Pladda, which is situated just offshore on the southern coast of the Isle of Arran in Ayrshire, Scotland.  I submitted Graham's sighting to the BTO, but as yet, there has been no ringing recovery.  No doubt, the ringing details have not reached the BTO.  Via Google Maps, I estimate the distance as being 165 kms / 102 miles (SW), and the duration since being ringed, was 3 months and 7 days.

 

Better late than never, at least it clears this sighting.  My thanks to Graham for these, and to Iain for the belated details.

 

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From Chris Feenan via Declan Clarke

Declan Clarke has been in touch, regarding a colour-ringed gull spotted by a Chris Feenan at Ardglass Harbour in County Down.  The gull concerned, is the third sighting this autumn/winter of a juvenile Great Black-backed Gull, ringed -   R72:D .

The bird was ringed as a chick, on the 13th June 2021, on Dalkey Island, just off the County Dublin coast in the Republic of Ireland.  It's first sighting was made on the 6th October 2021, by Francis Young, who photographed the bird at Portavogie Harbour in County Down.  Three days later, on the 9th October, John Smyth had the pleasure, when   R72:D , landed on his boat a short distance offshore from Ringland Point, also in County Down.

 

This latest sighting by Chris, takes the duration since being ringed, to 5 months and 15 days, and Ardglass Harbour is 116 kms / 72 miles (NNE) from Dalkey Island.  My thanks goes to David for re-laying this sighting from Chris, who I'm sure will not mind me adding his photo.  Graham Prole, who is the ringing co-ordinator for the Irish Midlands Ringing Group, sent an updated PDF File (Read).

 

Juvenile Great Black-backed Gull  -    R72:D   -  Ardglass Harbour, Ardglass, Co. Down  (28 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 13th June 2021, at Dalkey Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Chris Feenan)

 

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From Cameron Moore

Cameron Moore has been in touch concerning the sighting of a Common Gull at Whitehead in County Antrim.  I really liked this sighting, as Cameron managed to capture the code on the colour ring.  Despite the ring being in very poor condition, the indented characters could be read.  Although Cameron reported the gull as being -   ZABC , the code actually reads -   2ABC .

Cameron does not keep records of his ring sightings, so he'll be surprised to learn that he read the ring on this same gull, back on the 20th October 2015, also at Whitehead.    2ABC , belongs to Shane Wolsey's former Common Gull Project based on the Copeland Islands in County Down, and I now respond to the re-sightings for these gulls  The bird was ringed as a chick, on the 1st June 2010.  Cameron photographed -   2ABC , on Monday 29th November 2021, therefore the duration since being ringed, is now 11 years, 5 months and 28 days.  The distance from Big Copeland Island to the seafront at Whitehead, is 17 kms / 10 miles (NW).

 

Cameron's two sightings are the only ones since being ringed.  My thanks to Cameron for this sighting report along with the photo, I really appreciate the effort to capture that code.

 

Common Gull  -    2ABC   -  Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (29 Nov 2021)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 1st June 2010, on Big Copeland Island, The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)

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