Gobsmacked...

 

Antrim Marina - Monday 15th August 2022

Today's visit to Antrim Marina was undertaken in cooler, cloudier conditions, with a light wind and occasional light showers.  Just 19 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, with a high of around 60 gulls being recorded around 11am.  On a couple of occasions, there were no Black-headed Gulls present at all.  I arrived just after 9am, and departed at 1pm.

Having read the colour-rings of 30 Black-headed Gulls during my first two visits, there was only the single addition today, with the appearance of -  2BRA  at 10:12.  Altogether, in the region of 50 colour-ringed gulls should be recorded over the coming weeks.  While I was out and about yesterday, I came across -  2ANS  in the centre of Antrim Town.  This bird was ringed here at the Marina as a juvenile back in the Autumn/Winter of 2015/2016, and was last seen here on the 11th November 2019.  Now that I know it is still alive and well, I'm hoping that it will visit the Marina soon.  An account for my sighting of -  2ANS  can be read below.

 2BRA , was one of four gulls ringed at Antrim Marina, on the 1st February 2015, which was the first time I met up with Adam McClure.  Over the year's since being ringed,  2BRA  is known to be a year round resident to Antrim Marina, so it breeds locally, possibly on the nearby former 'Torpedo Platform'.  Today's sighting of -  2BRA , is the 241st record sighting here at the Marina, and the duration since being ringed, is now 7 years, 6 months and 14 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2BRA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (15 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 1st February 2015, at Antrim Marina)

 2FFX , was absent last week, but was recorded the previous week when I began this winter's weekly visits.  It was ringed here at Antrim Marina as a juvenile/1st winter bird, on the 21st December 2020.  My last sighting for the 2020/2021 winter occurred on the 12th April 2021, when I made a visit to the Marina after the 'Covid Lockdown' restrictions had been lifted.  The lockdown came into affect after my visit on the 4th January 2021, so I missed the departure dates for many of the gulls.

 2FFX  was not seen again during the 2021 breeding season, but returned to the Marina for it's second winter, on the 9th August 2021, and was recorded throughout the 2021/2022 winter, with the last sighting being recorded on the 14th March 2022.  Although it was still an immature bird, I discovered -  2FFX  at a breeding colony at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, on the 26th June 2022.  I was there trying to read the colour-ring of a Mediterranean Gull that I discovered breeding on nesting platform one on the reserve.  Next year,  2FFX  will be of breeding age, so it will be interesting to see if I can discover it breeding for the first time on the WoW Reserve.  The duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 7 months and 25 days. 

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFX   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (15 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 21st December 2020, at Antrim Marina)

Today also saw the return of an un-ringed Black-headed Gull which appeared here last winter.  This gull introduced itself by hovering right in front of me, looking for a share of the bread that I had in my hand.  This bird only had one leg (left leg), reminiscent to another one-legged - left-legged Black-headed Gull which was here years ago, though it had obviously died due to it's failure to return one winter.  As with last winter, the gull return announced it's return by once again hovering in front of me.  Having just the one leg, places the bird at a disadvantage when people throw bread onto the ground for the ducks.  My new 'One-Leg', would fly in circles to grab bread that I throw into the air for it a piece at a time.  When it has had it's fill, the bird would land having enjoyed the feast.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 15th August 2022

2FFA	2CSB	2AAK	2ACV	2FIJ	2BRA	2FFX
2ABS	2FHV	2FFF	2AAB	2FFC	2ABL	2CJT
2FHX	2FHP	2AAA	2AAN	2CSA

Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina this Autumn/Winter but Absent Today

2ABA	2ABN	2CSK	2CSL	2CTC	2FDK
2FFP	2FHA	2FHC	2FIA	2FIF	2FIH

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On my arrival this morning, no ducks or swans were present.  The usual pair of Mute Swans along with their four cygnets, swam in from the Lough at 09:50, and spent most of their time on the slipway through to my departure.  The first two Mallards flew in around 10:10, and a count around 12:50 numbered 31 ducks altogether - I departed from the Marina at 1pm.

On my arrival, a number of other gull species were already on site.  3 were adult Herring Gulls, which also included the bird with the injured wing.  It was still on the long wooden jetty, and was also there during my two previous visits.  Two juvenile Herring Gulls, included one bird with an injured foot.  An adult Common Gull and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull were also present.  A very small juvenile Common Gull appeared at 9:44, and was similar in size to Common Gull -  EY64036 , which spends each winter around Lough Neagh and the Marina.  Another two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived at 11:11.

The only other species noted today, were 6 Jackdaws, 2 of which were juveniles and one adult Hooded Crow.

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Sunday 14th August 2022

With high tide forecasted for around 1:30pm, I waited at home until that time before leaving to head to Belfast.  On my way, I planned to stop by the town of Antrim, to check on a couple of sites, especially as most car parks would be fairly quiet.

My first stop in Antrim, was at the Junction One shopping centre, where a handful of Black-headed Gulls revealed no rings.  I then drove to the Castle Way car park in the centre of the town, to see if there was any sign of two particular birds -  2AFD , which belongs to my Antrim Marina Study, and a German metal-rung bird.  On throwing out bits of bread, a Black-headed Gull with an Orange Darvic landed - was this -  2AFD  back from Latvia already?

Zooming in to take a couple of photos, I was really and truly gobsmacked when I read the code -  2ANS .  This gull also belongs to my Antrim Marina Study, but I had not seen it at Antrim Marina since the 11th November 2019.  I did however, recorded -  2ANS , on the 22nd March 2020, on the foreshore at Glynn on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim, where the bird likely nested on the nearby RSPB Blue Circle Island Reserve.  That was the last sighting until now.  On my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet, I had thought of declaring the bird as deceased, but decided to leave it's column open.  I'm hoping now, seeing as the bird is alive, it will make an appearance at the Marina at some time over the coming weeks.

Adam McClure, ringed -  2ANS  at Antrim Marina, as a juvenile/1st winter bird, on the 12th November 2015.  After being ringed, it had been recorded on 50 occasions at the Marina, and would often go AWOL for periods at a time.

I was really pleased to see that it is still alive, and the sighting highlights the efforts that goes into 'Ring Reading' - as you never know what you'll turn up.  The duration since being ringed, is now 6 years, 9 months and 2 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2ANS   -  Castle Way Car Park, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 12th November 2015, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

My next stop in search of the German Black-headed Gull, was at Antrim's KFC outlet, where I have also seen it at before.  There was no sign of it, but another metal-rung Black-headed Gull was spotted.  I could tell by the colour of it's legs, that this was a second calendar year bird, so it would have hatched during 2021.  The bird was quite nervy, and moving about, so it was difficult to follow it with my camera.  Having took several photos of the ring, I paused to check what I had captured and quickly found that I had the whole ring number -  EA65722 .

I submitted the bird to the BTO, along with the other seven sightings that I recorded today.  Just before I went to work on Monday evening, I received a list of recoveries from the BTO, including that of this new sighting.

 EA65722 , was ringed as a chick, on the 26th June 2021, at Marlingford Hall, which is just west of Norwich in Norfolk, England.  The distance was given as 536 kms / 333 miles (WNW) to reach Antrim, and the duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 1 month and 19 days.  I think I'm correct in saying, that this is the most easterly ringed British Black-headed Gull that I have recorded here in Northern Ireland.

Black-headed Gull  -   EA65722   -  Antrim KFC Car Park, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 26th June 2021, at Marlingford Hall, Norfolk, England)

Leaving the KFC car park, I then drove to Antrim's Baptist Church.  Not a single gull was to be seen, so I then headed on to Belfast.  Stopping at Kinnegar Beach on the Co. Down shore of Belfast Lough, the tide was only beginning to go out, so I went to the nearby RSPB Window on Wildlife Reserve.  

From 'Hide One', I could see plenty of Terns resting on the wooden perches in front of 'Hide Two', so I walked around to that hide.  Here, I spotted four colour-ringed birds, but only managed to confirm two of those.  An Oystercatcher and a Black-tailed Godwit, were standing on one leg, so the colour-rings on the other leg could not be seen.  The Oystercatcher, was rung Orange over Orange on it's left leg, which indicated to me, that this was likely to be a bird from Iceland, and should have a coded 'Two Letter' White Darvic on it's right leg.  On the Black-tailed Godwit, I could see a red ring on it's left leg, but in all likelihood, there should have been another coloured ring above it, which could not be seen.  I reckon this is one of two possibilities of Godwits which were caught and ringed here on the reserve.  The hidden right leg, should have had a solid Orange Ring with two Black Stripes.  The birds would be either Green/Red - Orange (=), or Blue/Red - Orange (=).

On the 21st April 2021, Kendrew Colhoun, along with Kerry Mackie, caught 24 Black-tailed Godwits on the WoW Reserve, including the above mentioned birds.  On my spreadsheet - Blue/Red - Orange (=), has been re-sighted here on two occasions since being ringed, whilst I do not have any re-sightings for Green/Red - Orange (=).  I eventually lost sight of both the Godwit and the Oystercatcher, which was a pity.

The two colour rings that were confirmed, belonged to Common Terns.  First to be spotted was -  P7C , followed by -  PCF .  On returning home, and having made a search on my spreadsheet, both birds have been recorded in Northern Ireland before.

 P7C , was ringed as a chick, at the Port of Dublin, on the 19th June 2020.  The first re-sighting of this bird occurred last month, when spotted by Cameron Moore at Whitehead in County Antrim, situated slightly north of Belfast (20th July 2022).  The distance from Dublin to the WoW Reserve, is 145 kms / 90 miles (N), and the duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 1 month and 26 days.

Common Tern  -   P7C   -  RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast Harbour Estate  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 19th June 2020, at the Port of Dublin, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

 PCF  was ringed as a chick, on the 23rd June 2015, at the Port of Dublin.  One previous re-sighting, was again made by Cameron Moore at Whitehead, on the 10th August 2021.  The distance to the WoW Reserve, is again, 145 kms / 90 miles (N), and the duration since being ringed, is 7 years, 1 month and 22 days.

My thanks goes to Tara Adcock at Birdwatch Ireland, for confirming that these are the only sightings of both birds to date.

Common Tern  -   PCF   -  RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast Harbour Estate  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 23rd June 2015, at the Port of Dublin, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

After spending far longer at the WoW Reserve than I had intended, I went back to Kinnegar Beach, to find that the tide was now well out.  There was nowhere near as many gulls or waders around as I had expected there to be, but this may have been the result of people having walked out onto the shore.

Scoping at long distance, I eventually spotted a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull.  Zooming out with my camera, I was able to capture the code -  2HFH .  My first thoughts, was that this may well have been the same bird spotted by Suzanne Belshaw last year.  Checking my spreadsheet at home, my thoughts were correct, and there was also a sighting before Suzanne's.

 2HFH , was ringed as a chick, on the 15th June 2021, at Marsh Lane Nature Reserve in the West Midlands area of England.  The first re-sighting was made here on Kinnegar Beach, on the 1st September 2021, made by David Stirling.  At that point, it had been only 2 months and 17 days since the young gull was ringed.  Suzanne's sighting was made on the 29th September 2021, at the McDonalds Fast Food Outlet at Knocknagoney, a short distance away from Kinnegar Beach.  The duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 1 month and 30 days, and the distance from Marsh Lane NR, is 371 kms / 230 miles (NW).

Black-headed Gull  -   2HFH   -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 15th June 2021, at Marsh Lane Nature Reserve, West Midlands, England)

Next stop, was at the Connswater Mudflats, also on the Belfast Harbour Estate.  There were very few gulls or waders here, but this has been a 'hotspot' for ring sightings in the past.  I did not take too long to scope every bird, and I drew a blank for rings.

I then drove round to the Dargan Mudflats on Belfast Lough, where I recorded two colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwits, both from the same catch as mentioned above.  The first bird - Green/Green - Orange (=), has three previous re-sightings on my spreadsheet.  The first was made by myself, on the 29th August 2021, at the nearby Whitehouse Lagoon, which is situated just over the Motorway from the Dargan Mudflats.  Derek Polley recorded the bird back at the WoW Reserve, on the 21st October 2021, and on the 24th March 2022.

Black-tailed Godwit -  GG-O(=)  -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 21st April 2021, at the RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast Harbour Industrial Estate)

The second bird, ringed Yellow/Green - Orange (=), has two previous re-sightings.  It was also recorded by me at Whitehouse Lagoon, on the 29th August 2021, and then spotted back at the WoW Reserve on the 31st March 2022, when recorded by Derek Polley.

Black-tailed Godwit  -  YG-O(=)  -  Dargan Mudflats, Belfast Lough  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 21st April 2021, at the RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast Harbour Industrial Estate)

The Dargan Mudflats, are situated just 2 kms / 1 mile (W) from the RSPB WoW Reserve, and the duration for both birds, is now 1 year, 3 months and 24 days.

By now, the afternoon was quickly disappearing, so my last stop of the day was at Whitehouse Lagoon.  This time, there were plenty of gulls to search through, and eventually I spotted a Black-headed Gull in the distance with an Orange Darvic.  This one turned out to be -  2BHB , a bird belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study.

 2BHB , was ringed as a chick, on the 2nd June 2014, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve, on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  Since then, today's and thirteen previous re-sightings have been recorded in and around Belfast Lough.  The first two re-sightings were made on the 11th September 2016, when I spotted -  2BHB  here at Whitehouse Lagoon, on the County Antrim side of Belfast Lough, then a few hours later, Robin Vage recorded the gull on Kinnegar Beach, on the County Down side of Belfast Lough.  I then recorded -  2BHB  for a second time at Whitehouse Lagoon on the 27th November 2016.

The next five sightings were made at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in 2017 and 2018.  These sightings in March 2017, April 2017, May 2017, and twice in March 2018, indicated that this gull was breeding on nest platform two on the reserve.  The next two sightings were made in October 2018 (Whitehouse Lagoon) and the north shore of Belfast Lough, on the 27th October 2019.

On the 29th June 2020,  2BHB  was once again spotted on nest platform two at the WoW Reserve, and in November 2020, it was back on Whitehouse Lagoon.  Likely due to 'Covid Lockdowns', the bird went unrecorded for a period of time, but in February 2022, it was spotted by David Nixon on the shore at Whiteabbey, just a short distance along the coast from Whitehouse Lagoon.

This summer, I made several visits to the WoW Reserve, in search for -  2BHB ,  2BAL , and  2AFF , each known to have bred at the Reserve in the past, but had no joy in finding any of them.  I last saw -  2BAL  at it's wintering site at Donaghadee in County Down on the 15th November 2020, though I noticed on the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database, that -  2BAL  had been sighted on the 31st January 2021.  Unfortunately DemOn does not reveal the sighting locations.   2AFF , was last recorded at the WoW Reserve in April 2019.

This latest sighting of -  2BHB , takes the duration since being ringed, to 8 years, 2 months and 12 days, and the distance from Blue Circle Island, is 20 kms / 12 miles (SSW).

Black-headed Gull  -   2BHB   -  Whitehouse Lagoon, Belfast Lough  (14 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 2nd June 2014, at RSPB Blue Circle Island Nature Reserve, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

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From Suzanne Belshaw

Suzanne Belshaw has been in touch again, with her latest batch of ring sightings.  On the 6th August 2022, Suzanne visited Ballyholme in County Down, where she recorded two returning Black-headed Gulls at Luke's Point.

 2ABT , was caught and ringed at Ballyholme, as an adult male, on the 24th January 2013.  Over the years since, it has been firmly established that the gull winter's around Ballyholme.  However, during the breeding season,  2ABT  can be found at Sandy Bay in Larne, Co. Antrim.  We have presumed that it bred at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve on Larne Lough, which is a short distance to the south of Larne.  This presumption was further cemented on the 3rd July 2022, when I discovered -  2ABT  on the shore at Glynn, very close to the island.  Suzanne's latest sighting, is the gull's 29th sighting record since being ringed, and the duration, is now 9 years, 6 months and 13 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2ABT   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down  (06 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 24th January 2013, at Luke's Point)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

The second Black-headed Gull was that of a Polish-rung bird -  TRX9 .  The first sighting of -  TRX9  in Northern Ireland, was recorded by John O'Boyle, here at Ballyholme, on the 12th September 2021.  At the time, I had wondered whether this gull was passing through on passage, as it had been ringed as a chick in 2019 and was previously unrecorded here.  Further sightings throughout last winter, through to the 17th March 2022, saw -  TRX9  staying at Ballyholme all winter.

Suzanne and myself, already knew that -  TRX9  had returned to Ballyholme, as we both check the 'Live' Polish Ringing Database.  It's return was recorded on the 19th July by two observers who I do not know, and will therefore in the meantime, remain un-named.  There were no summer sightings of -  TRX9 , so we do not know whether it had returned to Poland.

Ringed as a chick, on the 5th June 2019, at Lake Rynskie in N.E. Poland, the only sighting outside of Poland or Northern Ireland was made on the 4th August 2019, when spotted at Ringstone Edge Reservoir in West Yorkshire, England.  The duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 2 months and 1 day, and the distance from Lake Rynskie to Ballyholme, is 1,760 kms / 1,093 miles (W).

Black-headed Gull  -   TRX9   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down  (06 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 5th June 2019, at Jezioro Rynskie, Ptasia Wyspa, Ryn, Poland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Three large gulls recorded by Suzanne on the 10th and 14th August 2022, were all first re-sightings in Northern Ireland.

At Ardglass Harbour on the 10th August, Suzanne spotted an immature Great Black-backed Gull rung -  R77:D .  Having reported her sighting to Graham Prole, who is the ringing coordinator for the Irish Midlands Ringing Group, Graham replied with the ringing details.  The gull was ringed as a chick, on the 13th June 2021, on Dalkey Island in County Dublin, Republic of Ireland.  This sighting made by Suzanne, is the first to date, with the duration since being ringed, now 1 year, 1 month and 28 days.  The distance from Dalkey Island to Ardglass, is 116 kms / 72 miles (NNE).

Great Black-backed Gull  -   R77:D   -  Ardglass Harbour, Ardglass, Co. Down  (10 Aug 2022)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

A second Dublin-rung bird was also spotted on the 10th August by Suzanne, though this time it was a Herring Gull rung -  290:D , at Killough in County Down.  Graham also supplied the ringing info for this bird.   290:D , was ringed as a chick, on the 21st June 2019, on Ireland's Eye Island in County Dublin, Republic of Ireland.  The bird was recorded on five occasions within the City of Dublin, and according to Graham, went AWOL after the 25th July 2020.  Graham was pleased to know the gull is still alive, and the duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 1 month and 20 days.  The distance from Ireland's Eye to Killough, is roughly 99 kms / 61 miles (NNE).

Our thanks goes to Graham for supplying the ringing and history details for both of these gulls.

Herring Gull  -   290:D   -  Killough, Co. Down  (10 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 21st June 2019, at Ireland's Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Another colour-ringed immature gull was spotted by Suzanne on the 14th August 2022, this time, at Kilkeel Harbour in County Down.  In Suzanne's email, she did not name the species of gull, so was obviously 'side-stepping' on this one.  From the photo, it is not hard to see why - is it a Herring Gull or a Great Black-backed Gull?  I re-directed Suzanne's email to Graham McElwaine for his opinion, and between us, we have settled for a Herring Gull.

The gull, rung -  J64:M , is from the Isle of Man, and appears to be a second calendar year bird.  It has been reported to Mark Fitzpatrick, who is the ringing coordinator for the Isle of Man, but we have not heard from him since early June.  At present, we are waiting on the ringing details for another couple of Isle of Man gulls, but Mark is probably still busy with the gulls on the Calf of Man, and no doubt will reply to our sightings in due course.

Herring Gull  -   J64:M   -  Kilkeel Harbour, Kilkeel, Co. Down  (14 Aug 2022)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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