Best Marina Turnout...

For the second weekend in a row, I remained at home on both Saturday and Sunday.  This past weekend saw strong winds blowing throughout both days, which is not ideal when using a telescope or camera, as these cannot be held still under such conditions.  The previous weekend saw Storm Franklin passing through, but I was able to make my weekly visits to Antrim Marina as normal.

A couple of sightings which could have made my last post, were held back for this week, which has been handy in adding further content for this post.  Graham McElwaine's visit to Antrim Marina has also helped to beef up the post.

Not sure whether I'll get out this weekend either.  My car is with my mechanic being prepared for it's MOT which is booked for Thursday 10th March.  I had hoped to get the car back this afternoon (Friday), but there was no word from my mechanic.  I'm left keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow morning as they only work till midday on Saturdays.  

Suzanne Belshaw has been in touch again, but her latest sightings will be added to my next post.

___________________________________________________________________________

From Graham McElwaine

On Thursday 24th February 2024, Graham McElwaine made a brief visit to Antrim Marina, where he recorded and photographed nine Black-headed Gulls belonging to my study on the site.  My study involves monitoring the winter population, and whenever possible, I catch and colour-ring new individuals as well.  Each winter, the Marina has a mix of resident Black-headed Gulls, as well as birds that arrive from foreign countries.  During migration, or at breeding sites, I hope for my gulls to be re-sighted and reported to me from the countries concerned.

Among Graham's nine gulls, is the re-sighting of one bird of interest which I had ringed this winter.   2FHV , was caught and ringed at the Marina, as an un-sexed adult, on the 8th November 2021.  I recorded the gull during my next two visits, on the 15th and 22nd November 2021, and it had not been seen again until now.  With no sightings for two months, I'm wondering if the bird remained in Antrim, or has been elsewhere.  As with all gulls colour-ringed over the last couple of winter's, it will take time to build up profiles concerning their movements.

Black-headed Gull  -    2FHV   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (24 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 8th November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

(Photo Courtesy of Graham McElwaine)

 2ACV  was among the nine ring sightings, and hadn't been seen since the 24th January 2022.  These small periods of absences are not unusual for this bird, but as a winter visitor, it normally departs in mid March.  Also still present, is -  2FDJ , which by this time last year had visited two locations in Scotland, before being spotted in eastern Estonia in April 2022.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Spotted by Graham McElwaine on February 24th 2022

2AAK	2CSR	2ACV	2AAA	2FDJ	2FHV	2FFL	2FIH	2FIA

My thanks goes to Graham for these sightings along with the photos.  The re-sighting of -  2FHV  proves how useful random visits made by other observers can be.

*******************************************************

Antrim Marina - Monday 28th February 2022

With my wife being off work today, I decided on a later start time for my visit to Antrim Marina, therefore I did not have to return home early for a couple of hours sleep, before starting my evening shift at work.  On my arrival to the Marina at 11am, Black-headed Gulls were all over the place, and I reckoned well over 100 birds were present.  After a quick count of the Mute Swans and Mallards present, I turned my attention back onto the gulls to begin reading colour-rings.  I was on the lookout for 55 colour-rings altogether, 40 of which were ringed over previous years, plus 15 birds that had been caught and ringed this autumn and winter.

I reassessed the number of gulls present after a short period of time, and I revised my estimate to 130 plus, as a fair number were also perched on the flat roof of the 'Gateway Centre'.  By 12:47, I recorded my 30th ring re-sighting, and by then, gull numbers had easily grown to the highest number this winter, with numbers somewhere between 150 to 170 gulls now present.  It wasn't until 14:00, that I recorded my 31st and final colour-ring for the visit.

After a very windy weekend, conditions today were very calm.  Although dry and very cloudy, the sun finally broke through for long periods towards the end of my visit.  Of note among today's sightings, are three gulls which have been reported from outside of Northern Ireland in the past.  Most notable again is -  2FDJ , who in February last year, was spotted at two locations in Scotland, and then reported in eastern Estonia in April.   2ACV , in the past, has been spotted at a breeding colony in Lancashire, England, while -   2CSL  has been recorded in Poland.  Past winter records for both -  2ACV  &  2CSL , show that they would remain at the Marina until early to mid March before moving on for the summer

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 28th February 2022

2BRA	2ABK	2CSK	2FIF	2CSR	2FFF	2CJT	2FDT
2FDJ	2FHL	2FFA	2FFX	2AAA	2AAB	2FHA	2ABN
2FHP	2AAN	2ABS	2FFL	2AAK	2CSJ	2CTC	2ACV
2ABL	2FIA	2CSL	2CSB	2FFP	2FHC	2CSA

One gull that was absent today, was the juvenile -  2FIC .  Caught and ringed this winter, when I recorded -  2FIC  last Monday, the youngster was limping very heavily.  The leg was not broken, so I'm hoping that the gull is still alive and will reappear again soon.  Another gull which did break it's leg, was the 2nd winter bird -  2FDV .  It had been metal-rung as a chick in Stockton-on-Tees in England, and shortly after arriving to Antrim Marina last winter, I added the colour-ring.  Having arrived back to the Marina this winter, it was last recorded on the 29th November 2021, so there is no doubting that it has died since then.

The Polish -  2AAR , arrived back to the Marina on the 18th October 2021.  Normally one of the first birds to be recorded here from week to week, my last sighting was made on the 22nd November 2021, and it's continued absence since, fuels my belief the bird is now dead.  I have no concerns about -  2ABA  or  2CTA , as both gulls are infrequent visitors.   2BRD , was seen at Lurgan Park Lake in Co. Armagh, on the 17th February 2022, but we do know it goes there prior to the onset of the new breeding season.   2CSX , was last recorded here on the 19th September 2021, but is known to visit the former Waterworks in Belfast, and would normally return to Antrim Marina during March.  The Waterworks in Belfast had been closed to the public due to an outbreak of 'Bird Flu', though I suspect that it has reopened by now.

The gulls in the absent list from -  2FHF  onwards, have all been ringed this winter at the Marina.  A mix of adults, 1st winter birds and juveniles, some could have been passing through at the time of their capture.  A few remained on site for a couple of weeks, but have now seemingly moved on.

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

2AAR	2ABA	2AFD	2BRD	2CSX	2CTA	2FDK	2FDL
2FDV	2FFC	2FFJ	2FFN	2FFT	2FHF	2FHH	2FHJ
2FHK	2FHN	2FHT	2FHV	2FHX	2FIC	2FIH	2FIJ

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

With so many Black-headed Gulls present on my arrival today, I made a quick count of the Mute Swans and Mallards, before returning my attention back onto the gulls to read colour-rings.  A total of 14 swans and 4 cygnets were present.  At 11:40, a cygnet arrived in from the Lough on it's own, followed by another pair of swans, though I'm certain they were not a family group.  As more and more gulls arrived, I was really kept busy looking for rings, and missed further swan arrivals.

At around 12:55, I noticed that there were a heck of a lot of swans about, and a renewed count gave 30 birds, plus 5 cygnets.  This was by far, the highest total recorded this winter, and not all birds were lured off the water.  Among those that did come onto the slipway, just one was ringed.  This was -  Z78580 , which had been ringed here as a juvenile on the 15th November 2020.  The bird arrived back to the Marina on the 6th December 2021, having last being seen here on the 26th April 2021.  Since it's return, it has been recorded during most of my weekly visits.

I was disappointed that not all of the swans could be lured ashore, as I was hoping to re-sight a metal-rung bird that was last seen here in March 2020.   W34156 , was ringed here as an adult male, on the 17th March 2014, by Ken Perry who came to the Marina to teach trainees to ring swans.  Since being ringed, there was no re-sightings at the Marina in 2015 or 2017, but arrival dates of 24th January 2016, 5th February 2018, 25th March 2019 and 23rd March 2020, have been recorded.  Whether -  W34156  returned last spring (2021), is not known, as the second 'Covid Lockdown', lasting from early January until early April, prevented me from visiting.

29 Mallards were counted on my arrival, with 60 to 70 birds present at the time of my departure.  Though numbers are slightly higher than over previous weeks, I would normally expect to see the hundred plus mark being passed.  

A juvenile and an adult Common Gull were on the long wooden jetty when I arrived at 11am.  A further two adults arrived together at 12:30, followed by a 2nd juvenile at 1pm, and a 4th adult at 13:10.  Numbers for these birds are still well down from previous winters.  No sign of the small Scottish-rung female, but I'm hoping for at least one more sighting before the bird departs for the summer.  Having arrived back to the Marina on the 16th August 2021,  EY64036  has been recorded on just five occasions altogether, with the last sighting having been made on the 3rd January 2022.

A Lesser Black-backed Gull arrived at 12:51 this morning, which heralds the return of this species from their wintering grounds in southern Europe and North Africa.  Earlier at home, as I was preparing to leave for Antrim, a Lesser Black-back flew over my house, which alerted me to their return.  It has escaped my mind that they were due back, so before leaving Ballymena, I called into my local park.  Every spring since discovering -   GC27112  at The Peoples Park, they gull would visit the park for a few weeks before moving on to it's breeding site, wherever that may be.  No sign of the gull this morning, but it's earliest ever return date was recorded on the 17th February 2017.  The gull was ringed as a chick in Ayrshire, Scotland in 2006, and probably visited my local park every spring before it was first spotted there.

My resident Herring Gull arrived at 14:00, along with his new partner.  The very slimly built female arrived here fairly recently, and for a while they went into a courtship display.

For the third week running, a Chaffinch was seen feeding close to the slipway.  This time, it was a female, with a male been recorded over the previous two weeks.  A male Pied Wagtail, 6 Jackdaws and 1 Hooded Crow, were the only other species spotted today.  The pair of Ravens, which seemingly moved into the trees further upriver from the Marina, have now gone very quite.  If they have nested up there somewhere, the female will likely to be on eggs now.  With Ravens being one of my favourite species, at some point over the coming weeks, I would love to track down the nest.

Other Sites around Antrim Town

As I was in no rush to return home, I visited some sites around the town of Antrim looking for ringed Black-headed Gulls.  First stop was at the Castle Way car park, where I was hoping to see -  2AFD , who was absent at the Marina today.  A large number of gulls were perched on the rooftops close by, but on throwing out bread, only half came down to feed, but no rings were seen.

Just a few gulls were present at both the Elim Church and the KFC car park, but again no rings.  Normally by this time of the year, a gull which winters at Carrickfergus -  2ADD , would normally be at the KFC car park by now.  Having failed to record -  2ADD  at Carrickfergus Harbour this winter, and now with it's continued absence here in Antrim, I'm certain that the gull has now died.

My last stop was at Antrim's Baptist Church.  I have made several visits here over the winter which has been a regular wintering spot for a colour-ring Black-headed Gull from Poland - (White) TY43, and a metal-rung Black-headed Gull from Scotland -  EW39319 .  Today, just a handful of gulls were present.

(White) TY43, was ringed as an un-sexed calendar year bird, on the 9th February 2012, at Olsztyn i Poland.  It was first recorded in Northern Ireland, when spotted by Adam McClure at Antrim Marina, on the 29th October 2013.  It then went unrecorded here until October 2017, when I first came across the gull at the Baptist Church.  I then recorded it's return every winter, and this winter, it returned on the 30th October 2021.  Despite numerous visits to the Church this winter, (White) TY43, has not been seen since.  It now looks very likely, that this gull has now died as well. 

At times, gull numbers on the Church roof can be quite high, but so far this winter not a single bird with a metal ring has been seen.   EW39319 , was first discovered at the Church in December 2017.  It's ring was always very hard to photograph as the bird was very wary, but I completed the number on six occasions, the last, being on the 17th February 2020.   EW39319 , was ringed as a chick in June 2009, at Black Rock, on the Sound of Jura in Scotland.  For now, I'll not rule out this bird as having died, as it would be an irregular visitor to the Church.  My latest ever Spring sighting was recorded on the 18th February 2019, so if it is still alive, I'll have to wait till next winter for another sighting.

*******************************************************

From Declan Clarke

Declan Clarke copied me into an email to Mark Fitzpatrick on the Isle of Man, concerning his sighting of an immature Herring Gull at Ardglass Harbour, colour-ringed -  T7WR .  Mark replied to say that the gull was ringed as a chick, on the 8th July 2020, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man.  Declan's sighting on the 19th February 2022, was the first record of the bird since being ringed.  The duration as of Declan's sighting, was 1 year, 7 months and 11 days, and the distance from the Calf of Man, is 57 kms / 35 miles (WNW).  Declan managed a photo using his mobile phone.  My thanks to Declan for copying me in, and to Mark for the reply.  As with all of the Isle of Man gull sightings in Northern Ireland, Mark asks me to submit these, as I have the localities already entered onto my BTO DemOn account.

Herring Gull  -    T7WR   -  Ardglass Harbour, Ardglass, Co. Down  (19 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 8th July 2020, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man)

(Photo Courtesy of Declan Clarke)

*******************************************************

From David Knight

On Thursday 24th February 2022, I received an email from a new contact - David Knight who apparently works for Northern Ireland Water.  David Nixon, who regularly contributes to my blog, suggested to David Knight, that he should contact me regarding the sighting of a juvenile Herring Gull, which he spotted on the 22nd February 2022, at Bessbrook Pond in the village of Bessbrook in County Armagh.  The juvenile, colour-ringed -  L44:D , belonged to the Irish Midlands Ringing Group, so I copied in the ringing coordinator Graham Prole, into my reply to David.

It took a while for Graham to get back to us, as he had a backlog of ringing sightings to work through.  Graham runs a colour-ringing project concerning Mute Swans in the Dublin area, and is constantly 'bombarded' with sightings.   L44:D , had been ringed as a chick, on the 21st June 2021, on Lambay Island, in County Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland.  David's sighting at Bessbrook, was the first record of the bird since being ringed, with the duration now 8 months and 1 day.

The sighting at Bessbrook, meant I had to create a new site on my DemOn Ringing account, but a bug in the system prevented me from creating the site until today.  The sighting has now been submitted to the BTO, but I we will not receive the recovery until Monday or Tuesday.  Due to this, I went onto Google Maps, to work out this distances, which from Lambay to Bessbrook, is 81 kms / 50 miles (NNW).

My thanks goes to David Knight for the sighting report and the excellent photograph, as well as giving me permission to add these onto the blog.

Juvenile Herring Gull  -    L44:D   -  Bessbrook Pond, Bessbrook, Co. Armagh  (22 Feb 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 21st June 2021, on Lambay Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of David Knight)

*******************************************************