Having left my car with my mechanic on Thursday last week, I did not get the car back until the early afternoon on the Monday, so I never got out at all over the weekend, and worst still, it was far too late to go to Antrim Marina for my weekly visit. I had a problem with my windscreen washer, as the water barely reached the windscreen, the problem being a blocked filter inside the water bottle. I also requested for the fluids to be checked, which also saw two litres of oil being added. This was not surprising, as the engine oil was last topped up in January 2021.
Other than what was requested, my car went straight into it's MOT on Thursday this week, and failed. I have a faulty drop link that needs replaced, and a 'pitted' brake pipe running past the fuel tank towards the back wheels. These are minor defects, and my car is now booked in for next Thursday for the repairs to be made.
Having recorded nothing myself, this weeks post centres entirely by ring sightings made by Suzanne Belshaw, with an interesting couple of re-sightings among them.
The weather for this coming weekend is looking quite poor, but I still hope to get out and about. After a series of weekends, effected by storms or extremely high winds, last weekend saw calm and sunny conditions, and of course I had no car. Antrim Marina on Monday coming is a must do, seeing as several of my study Black-headed Gulls are due to depart.
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Suzanne Belshaw has been in touch with me on a couple of occasions lately concerning her latest ring sightings. In the first of two emails, the re-sightings of a Herring Gull and a Black-headed Gull were reported on. A metal-rung Herring Gull near Suzanne's home in Lisburn, County Antrim, posed a slight problem as Suzanne tried to photograph the ring number. Having seen the gull on the 24th & 27th February 2022, the full number was finally captured and read - GY32513 .
As it turned out, this gull was also recorded by Suzanne, on the 16th May 2021 and on the 15th August 2021 at the same location. Unlike colour-ringed birds whose colour-codes are relatively easy to capture, metal-rung birds pose a bit of a problem. Although you may suspect that a metal-rung bird spotted at a specific location, may perhaps be the same bird spotted there previously, there's no way of knowing for sure unless you recapture the number again in the event that it is a different bird entirely.
I have this same problem at Antrim Marina during each of my weekly visits. One Black-headed Gull at the site - 2ABL , managed to loose it's colour-ring some time ago now. Every time I see a metal-rung Black-headed Gull at the Marina, I scope the ring to determine if the bird is indeed - 2ABL , or another gull. This presents me with quite the headache sometimes, should - 2ABL be on site at the beginning of my visit. As time passes by, each time I see a metal, then I have to read the number again, which for 2ABL , is - EY37326 .
Suzanne's Herring Gull - GY32513 , was ringed as a chick, on the 12th July 2020, on Lighthouse Island, one of three islands that make up The Copeland Islands, situated just offshore from Donaghadee in Co. Down. Lighthouse Island is also home to The Copeland Bird Observatory, whose members ringed the gull.
The distance from Lighthouse Island to Lisburn, is 40 kms / 24 miles (WSW), and the duration, as of Suzanne's sighting on the 27th February 2022, is now 1 year, 7 months and 15 days.
Herring Gull - GY32513 - Drumbeg Drive, Lisburn, Co. Antrim (24 Feb 2022)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 12th July 2020, on Lighthouse Island, The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)
(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)
On the 26th February 2022, Suzanne visited Kinnego Marina, which is situated on the southern shores of Lough Neagh. Whilst there, she spotted Black-headed Gull - 2BPT . 2BPT , was ringed at Kinnego Marina, as an adult female, on the 31st October 2014, and belongs to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study.
A total of six Black-headed Gulls were caught and colour-ringed at Kinnego Marina in 2014, two of which have long since disappeared - these being a juvenile and the control (capture) of a metal-rung bird from Latvia. The remaining four had been re-sighted at Kinnego Marina every winter since 2014, though over the past couple of winters, few visits have been undertaken, possibly due to the 'Covid Lockdowns'. One of these four gulls, was last recorded in December 2019. In my email discussion with Suzanne, I suggested that between us, we should make an effort to visit Kinnego Marina, so as to obtain the current status for the other three gulls.
Non of the four birds have ever been recorded elsewhere, so we have no idea where they breed at. As wintering birds at Kinnego Marina, re-sightings are required to add more time onto their durations. The duration of - 2BPT , as of the 27th February 2022, is now 7 years, 3 months and 26 days.
Black-headed Gull - 2BPT - Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh (26 Feb 2022)
(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 31st October 2014, at Kinnego Marina)
(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)
Whilst I was at work on the evening of Tuesday 8th March, I received another email from Suzanne. Earlier that afternoon, Suzanne visited the lake at Lurgan Park in Co. Armagh, and hit 'gold' as she recorded five ringed Black-headed Gulls. This was Suzanne's fourth visit to the park since the beginning of 2022.
Among the five rings, were two birds from Denmark. The first was a juvenile Black-headed Gull with a metal ring which read - VA6587 . These new type metals are far easier to read, as the digits are repeated twice on the ring. On returning home, I emailed Kjeld Tommy Pedersen before I went to bed, and a reply was received before I woke on Wednesday morning.
VA6587 , was ringed as a chick, on the 27th May 2021, on Hirsholm Island, which lies just offshore from the Danish north coast. Suzanne's sighting was the first since the youngster was ringed, the duration being 9 months and 9 days. I also submitted the sighting to the BTO, and their official recovery gave a distance of 1,106 kms / 687 miles (WSW), from Hirsholm. My favourite ring sightings belong to birds ringed with 'metals only', so well done Suzanne for capturing this one.
Juvenile Black-headed Gull - VA6587 - Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh (08 Mar 2022)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 27th May 2021, at Hirsholm Island, Denmark)
(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)
The second Danish Black-headed Gull was colour-ringed - (White) 9MT, a bird I instantly recognised, as I could remember seeing it for myself at Lurgan Park. Back at home and checking my spreadsheet, I had recorded the gull at Lurgan Park, on the 17th March 2019. (White) 9MT, had been ringed as an unsexed adult, on the 31st March 2018, in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. The gulls first six re-sighting were all recorded at Bray Harbour in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, between July and October 2018, followed by my sighting in March 2019.
Having also mentioned Suzanne's sighting to Kjeld, an updated PDF File was returned. Despite no sightings back home in Denmark, (White) 9MT, returned to Bray Harbour in the winters of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021. This latest sighting by Suzanne, clearly shows that the gull is now making it's way northwards towards Denmark to breed this coming summer. The distance from Copenhagen to Lurgan Park Lake, is 1,207 kms / 749 miles (W), and the duration since being ringed is now 3 years, 11 months and 5 days.
Black-headed Gull - (White) 9MT - Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh (08 Mar 2022)
(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 31st March 2018, at Copenhagen, Denmark)
(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)
A Polish Black-headed Gull - T58T , is a regular winter visitor to Lurgan Park Lake. The bird was ringed as an un-sexed adult, on the 16th July 2016, at Świnoujście, situated in the north-west corner of Poland, bordering Germany. The very first re-sighting of - T58T , was made by myself on the 15th December 2016, here at Lurgan Park. The bird has returned to Lurgan Park every winter since 2016, and usually arrives back in December, though I have one record of the gull returning on the 26th November 2020, when recorded by Suzanne.
This winter, the first re-sighting of - T58T , was made on the 12th January 2022, by Suzanne. There's no doubt in my mind, that the gull had arrived before that date, but a lack of visits would be the reason for the bird not being spotted earlier.
During the summer months, T58T , has been recorded back home at Świnoujście (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021), and in the summer of 2019, the gull also strayed over the border into Germany on a couple of occasions.
The duration since being ringed, is now 5 years, 7 months and 20 days, as of the 8th March 2022, and the distance from Świnoujście, is 1,334 kms / 828 miles (WNW).
Black-headed Gull - T58T - Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh (08 Mar 2022)
(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 16th July 2016, at Świnoujście, Poland)
(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)
Suzanne's sighting of Black-headed Gull - (White) 2APK, was her second record for the bird at Lurgan Park, on the 8th March 2022, having previously recorded the gull there on the 26th June 2017. (White) 2APK, was ringed as a chick, on the 14th June 2015, at a colony at Broad Law on the Moorfoot Hills, in the Borders Region of Scotland. The gull went un-recorded until the 2nd January 2017, when spotted by a James O'Neill by the lake at Castlewellan Forest Park in County Down. Since then, the gull has established itself as a winter visitor to Castlewellan, having been recorded there every winter since. This winter, it's return was confirmed by Graham McElwaine, during his visit to the Forest Park, on the 22nd September 2021.
Although (White) 2APK was ringed in Scotland, whether it returns there to breed is not known. A series of July sightings made at Castlewellan Park, and at nearby Dundrum Inner Bay (also in Co. Down), in 2019, 2020 and 2021, suggests that the bird may well be breeding in Northern Ireland. It would be fantastic to 'nail down' the bird's breeding site, whether here or in Scotland.
Suzanne's sighting at Lurgan Park, on the 8th March 2022, suggests that the bird is moving northwards towards it's breeding site, and the duration since being ringed, is now 6 years, 8 months and 22 days. The distance from Broad Law to Lurgan Park, is 254 kms / 157 miles (WSW).
Black-headed Gull - (White) 2APK - Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh (08 Mar 2022)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 14th June 2015, at Broad Law, Moorfoot Hills, Borders Region, Scotland)
(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)
The last of the Black-headed Gulls recorded at Lurgan Park Lake, on the 8th March 2022, was that of - 2BRD , one of my study birds that was ringed at Antrim Marina, on the 1st February 2015. Over the years at Antrim Marina, the gull has a very 'patchy' winter re-sighting history, but for a long time now, we know that it visits Lurgan Park prior to the onset of the new breeding season. Normally, 2BRD returns to Lurgan Park in March each year, though in 2018 it was recorded there on the 23rd February. My last sighting of - 2BRD this winter at Antrim Marina, was made on the 14th February 2022, and three days later on the 17th February, Suzanne spotted - 2BRD here at Lurgan Park.
This latest sighting, takes the duration to 7 years, 1 month and 7 days, since being ringed, and the distance from Antrim Marina, is 28 kms / 17 miles (SSW).
Black-headed Gull - 2BRD - Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh (08 Mar 2022)
(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 1st February 2015, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)
(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)
My thanks goes to Suzanne for these latest sighting records, along with the photos. You have 'saved the day', otherwise, I would have had nothing for this weeks post.
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