Human Flu ???

After a busy week, last week, both at work and at home, this week has seen me grounded as I've caught a quite bad dose of either a cold or the flu (read below).  I'm almost over it now, but I'm still undecided whether it would be wise to get out into the field over the weekend.  I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning, but Antrim Marina on Monday, is a must do.

Talking of Antrim Marina, the 'barrier' problem has been resolved.  Unknown to me, a yearly application for access had to be renewed in November.  I'll be mindful on that next winter.

 

With having to remain at home on the sick, you wouldn't believe it, hardly any emails arrived, which has virtually left me with very little to do.  This post was finished a couple of days ago, but I had hoped for some more material to arrive.  Typical, when you have little time to spare, you're hammered, then with more time on my hands - nothing!!!

 

We are only a week away from Christmas Day, and I have many foreign colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls unaccounted for around Belfast.  I really need to search for these birds, and then on Christmas Day, I shall be making my customary visit to the Connswater Shopping Centre.  With all of the shops closed for the day, I then have to car park all to myself, in search of one particular colour-ringed BHG from Norway - my Xmas Day Gull - White J4TJ.  Normally, I'd be lucky enough to get the Dutch BHG - White EAK9 in the same car park as well.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 13th December 2021

For the second week running, I was unable to gain access to the front car park at Antrim Marina, and had to park in the main car park.  Last Monday saw me having my worst ever visit, having to brave strong winds that were so cold, on occasions I could not even feel my toes.  Today's visit had to be undertaken on foot again, though it was cloudy, but dry, with just a light wind.  It still meant a slightly chilly visit, but at least I could cope this time. 

Since last Friday evening, I've been coming down with a cold.  Not sure whether I caught it from my still at home living son, who is almost forty years of age, or whether I had caught a chill at the Marina.  He had been suffering for the best part of two weeks with the cold, but he did have a negative Covid test.  I stayed indoors over the weekend, but after my visit to the Marina today, my condition quickly worsened.

With having not ringed any more gulls last week, and with no further returnees, I was once again searching for a total of 53 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, 14 of which have been caught and ringed this winter.  Arriving at 09:15, -   2FHC  was the first ring read at 09:20.  By the time that I departed at 12:30, a total of 32 rings had been read, with -   2AAB  being the last, at 12:18.

 

About 60 Black-headed Gulls were present when I arrived, with numbers quickly rising to around 80 to 90 birds altogether.  Again, judging by the appearance of colour-ringed gulls, birds were clearly coming and going throughout my visit, but at no time did overall numbers exceed the 100 mark.  Now that we've reached mid December, I'm very surprised that no foreign rung gulls have appeared here so far.  I'm fairly certain, that not a winter has passed by in the past, without one or two making a show.  I can remember that last winter, a metal-rung juvenile Danish Black-headed Gull was recorded for several weeks, and I had hoped that youngster would have survived, and return again this winter.

 

I was again bitterly disappointed with the numbers, which should be in excess of 200 birds by this time of the year.  For the third week running,   2AAR , which we know breeds in Poland, has been absent.  Normally, this fella would be among the first to be recorded each week.  Today's total of absentees was 21, which makes up for around two thirds of the 53 rings that I was on the lookout for.  No further returnees were recorded today either.

 

On Wednesday I emailed the Antrim & Newtownabbey Council, asking about my status as to the Car Recognition System, as I could not get pass the barrier and into the front car park.  I had wondered if there was a fault to the system, or whether vehicles were being prevented from entering due to the Avian Flu outbreak which has hit several sites in Northern Ireland.

 

What I did not know, was that the system was reviewed every November, and I had to reapply to gain entry.  Happy days!!, all's sorted now, and I'll have no problems on my next visit.  My thanks to the Council for their continued support, which makes my surveying so much easier and comfortable.  With the car being parked closer to the gulls, it also becomes a handy ringing station, so hopefully a few more will be ringed soon, plus I will have a bit of much needed heat.

 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 13th December 2021

2FHC	2ABN	2FDK	2FFX	2ABK	2BRA	2CJT	2ABL
2CSL	2FFF	2AAA	2FHP	2FHA	2FIC	2FIH	2FFP
2CSA	2ABS	2CSK	2AAK	2CSR	2FHJ	2CTC	2ACV
2CSB	2FHL	2FFL	2CSJ	2FFA	2FFC	2FDJ	2AAB

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

2AAN	2AAR	2ABA	2AFD	2BRD	2CSX	2CTA
2FDT	2FDV	2FFJ	2FFN	2FFT	2FHF	2FHH
2FHK	2FHN	2FHT	2FHV	2FHX	2FIA	2FIF

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As the morning wore on, the Mute Swans became ever interesting, as I ended up recording the highest number this winter.  6 birds were on the slipway when I arrived, which were joined by another pair which swam in from the Lough at 09:40.  At 09:48, these 8 adults were then joined by 4 cygnets which flew in from the Lough.  I had four cygnets here last week, but now I have no idea, if these were original youngsters from earlier visits.  One of the male swans was not happy with the cygnets being about, and continually harassed them.  At 10am, they had had enough and slowly swam back out onto the Lough, passing a further three swans that were making their way in.

 

I now had 11, white swans altogether, though I could tell by the colour of the beak on one bird, that it was a youngster from last year.  On tempting this one out of the water, it was -   Z78580 , which had been ringed as a cygnet here last winter.  At 10:55, a group of 6 swans which included a cygnet were then spotted at the breakwater at the edge of the Lough.  They were passing left to right and then suddenly turned and swam in slowly towards the Marina.  Some cautiously made their way onto the slipway, with one also being a second year bird.  The cygnet was very striking, as it had a very dark brown / blackish head, a youngster I hadn't seen before.

 

I now had 16 white swans and one cygnet.  Some of these swans would not exit the river, so I just had the one ringed bird.  Just before departing, I made a final count, and suddenly realised another cygnet had appeared without me detecting it's arrival.  A total of 18 altogether, this was the highest total for swans so far this winter.

 

Mute Swan  -    Z78580   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (13 Dec 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Juvenile, on the 15th November 2020, at Antrim Marina)

 

Around 40 Mallards present on arrival, saw numbers slowly increasing to around 70 birds altogether, but still no rings.  Again, for this time of year, numbers should be in excess of 100.

 

A single adult Common Gull seen on the long wooden jetty on my arrival, was quickly joined by a second adult.  Throughout the morning, the two would come and go, so I presumed they were the same two on each occasion.  A juvenile Common Gull appeared at 11am, but it did not hang about for too long before heading back out towards the Lough.

 

Just 8 Jackdaws today, but I did record pairs of Hooded Crow, Magpie, Pied and Grey Wagtail.  All through the morning, I could hear the calls of Ravens in the woodland opposite the Marina, and in the woodland slightly upriver, the calls of Buzzards were heard every now and again.  At this time of the year, Ravens would be in the process of selecting a nest site, and to begin building their nests.  I'm very fond of Ravens, having ringed hundreds of chicks back in the 80's, so it will be interesting to see if the pair across from the Marina stay on site.

 

All morning, a Kingfisher flashed up and down the river on numerous occasions.  A pair is known to be on the river here, but they are more often to be seen further upriver.

 

Kingfisher - Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (13 Dec 2021)

 

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From Geoffrey Wood

Late on Wednesday afternoon, I received an email from Geoffrey Wood, who lives in Holywood, Co. Down.  No sooner had Geoffrey taken photos of a returning Herring Gull to his house, they were then quickly attached onto the email and dispatched.

 

 0C:W , had been ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 22nd May 2014, on Big Copeland Island, also in County Down.  Back in February 2021, Geoffrey was in the process of downloading photos from his camera, when he suddenly realised that a photo that he had taken of a Herring Gull in his back garden, bore a coloured ring -  0C:W .  In his search online, trying to find out more about the gull, Geoffrey came across my blog and then contacted me.

 

I had a copy of the ringing information from Shane Wolsey, and was able to inform Geoffrey, that his sighting was actually the first since the bird was ringed.  On checking the 'Properties Details' for the photos, in order to submit the date and time of the sighting to the BTO, I discovered that the photos had been taken on the 24th July 2018, and on checking the validity of these with Geoffrey, he had taken them back in July 2018, but at that time he never noticed the ring.

 

Better late than never, the duration at the time, was 4 years, 2 months and 2 days.  As I say, that 2018 sighting was reported in February 2021, but on the 12th March 2021, Geoffrey was in touch again, to say that -  0C:W , had appeared in his garden again earlier that day.  The duration this time, was 6 years, 9 months and 18 days.

 

The next news of   0C:W , came in October 2021, as I had been copied into a reply to a Pete Leonard, but his original reporting email was not included, so I had no knowledge of where and when the gull was spotted.  I emailed Katherine Booth-Jones, who is a BTO Northern Ireland Rep., to ask if she could supply the sighting information.  It was only recently, that I found out that Pete had spotted the gull on the 18th October 2021, at Helen's Bay in County Down, which is only a short 'glide' away from Geoffrey's home in Holywood.

 

This latest sighting on the 15th December 2021, is now the fourth sighting report, with the duration now 7 years, 6 months and 23 days.  The distance from Big Copeland Island to Geoffrey's house, is 17 kms / 10 miles (W).

 

Once again, my thanks goes to Geoffrey for his sightings and photos.  Amongst the selection, I picked out a rooftop view this time.

 

Herring Gull  -    0C:W   -  Holywood, Co. Down  (15 Dec 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 22nd May 2014, on Big Copeland Island, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Geoffrey Wood)

 

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