Torpedo Meds???

At this time of the year, I should be out and about reading rings.  I could not go anywhere on Sunday, but on Saturday, I was with Peregrine enthusiast Jim Wells.  Now that the Peregrine breeding season has ended, Jim is now checking sites where Peregrines formerly nested, just to see if there are any signs at all of occupation over the summer months.  Here, with the use of my new drone, we were spared a lot of leg work when checking sites.  I was able to fly within feet of the former nest ledges, looking for droppings or signs of kills.  Being able to take videos of the flights, the resulting film can be scrutinised on a larger screen back at home.  Jim was delighted by the results, and said it was a 'game changer' when checking high cliffs.

My weekly visits to Antrim Marina have begun, albeit, I slept in on Monday.  On Saturday and Sunday night, I did not sleep too well, as I was suffering from midge bites, which caused large itchy bumps, having got these when out on Saturday.

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Antrim Marina - Tuesday 2nd August 2022

I was supposed to begin this winter's weekly visits to Antrim Marina yesterday, but having turned off my alarm clock, I dozed off and by the time I woke up again, it was a trifle too late to think of going to the Marina.  No such problems today, and what a good visit this was.

Dry and Sunny, though slightly on the windy side, this first weekly visit produced a nice haul of 27 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, which included 5 of the 15 birds that were caught and ringed here last winter.  Overall numbers at any time were not great, and never exceeded the 60 mark at any one time, though the gulls themselves were clearly coming and going.  On my way to the Marina, I had noticed a large number of gulls feeding on the playing fields of the nearby Antrim Forum, and whilst I was at the Marina, the gulls were also seen in good numbers in and around the Caravan Park close by.

One thing that I noticed, was the fact that there were very few juvenile Black-headed Gulls around.  Just five youngsters were seen at any one time, which is surprising, given that a large population breeds on the nearby former 'Torpedo Platform'.

Of today's sightings, the outstanding one of these, was that of -  2CSL .  Although not confirmed, this gull likely breeds in Poland, having been spotted at Olsztyn, on the 29th March 2018, which remains as the only sighting away from Antrim Marina.   2CSL , was ringed at Antrim Marina, as an unsexed adult, on the 24th December 2017.  I last saw the bird that winter, on the 19th March 2018, just 10 days prior to it being seen in Poland.

Return and departure dates are as follows:-

24th December 2017 - Ringed.  Departed after 19th March 2018.

29th March 2018 - Spotted in Olsztyn, Poland.

20th August 2018 - Returned.  Departed after 11th March 2019.

19th August 2019 - Returned.  Departed after 13th March 2020.

25th October 2020 - Returned.  2021 Departure unknown due to 'Covid Lockdown'.

18th October 2021 - Returned.  Departed after 21st March 2022.

Today's sighting is by far the earliest return date so far, but of note are the late return dates in 2020 and 2021.  The duration since being ringed, is now 4 years, 7 months and 9 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2CSL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (02 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed adult, on the 24th December 2017, at Antrim Marina)

Another two noteworthy sightings was that of -  2ABA  and -  2FFC .  Both of these gulls would go AWOL for long periods of time each winter, but exactly where they go to is unknown, especially as I have not come across them at any other sites around the town of Antrim.

 2ABA , is one of the earliest gulls to be ringed at Antrim Marina by Adam McClure.  Ringed as an adult male, on the 28th December 2012, the duration for this gull, is now 9 years, 7 months and 5 days.  I consider -  2ABA , to be a winter visitor, but as yet, no breeding season sightings have been reported.

 2FFC , was a gull that I ringed at Antrim Marina as an unsexed adult, on the 30th November 2020.  Since then,  2FFC  has only been recorded here on 13 occasions including today's sighting.  Although, not much to work with, it seems likely that -  2FFC  may also be a winter visitor.  The duration since ringing, is 1 year, 8 months and 3 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFC   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (02 Aug 2022)

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

 2ACV  and  2ABN , have long been established as winter visitors to Antrim Marina, with both being recorded on today's visit.  In April 2016,  2ACV  was spotted on the RSPB's Leighton Moss Reserve in Lancashire, England, so presumably it breeds there.  This remains as the only sighting of -  2ACV  outside of Northern Ireland.

Return and Departure dates for -  2ACV  are as follows :- 

21st October 2013 - Ringed.  Departure after 10th November 2013.

31st August 2014 - Returned.  Departure after 2nd April 2015.

23rd July 2015 - Spotted at Sprucefield Shopping Centre, Co. Down.

28th July 2015 - Returned.  Departure after 20th March 2016.

24th April 2016 - Spotted at Leighton Moss, Lancashire, England.

28th July 2016 - Returned.  Departed after 26th February 2017.

3rd September 2017 - Returned.  Departed after 12th March 2018.

5th August 2018 - Returned.  Departed after 25th March 2019.

19th August 2019 - Returned.  Departed after 16th March 2020.

2nd August 2020 - Returned.  2021 Departure unknown due to 'Covid Lockdown'.

23rd August 2021 - Returned.  Departure after 21st March 2022.

 2ACV , was ringed as a juvenile/1st winter bird, at Antrim Marina, on the 21st October 2013.  Of note that winter, was it's early departure date.  Some juveniles tend to wander about during their first winter, and there was no doubting that -  2ACV  was just one of those to do so.  The duration since being ringed, is now 8 years, 9 months and 12 days.

 2ABN , was ringed at Antrim Marina, as an adult female, on the 23rd January 2013.  Long established as being a winter visitor to Antrim Marina, we had no idea as to where this gull was breeding, until earlier this year.  My final sighting was at the Marina, on the 28th February 2022.  On the 15th March 2022, Ronan Owens reported -  2ABN  at Peatlands Park in Co. Armagh, which is 36 kms / 22 miles (SW) from Antrim Marina.  Whether the gull bred in that area is unknown, though it could have travelled further south-west, which would have seen the gull reaching County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland.

Return and Departure dates for -  2ABN  are as follows :- 

23rd January 2013 - Ringed.  Departure after 15th March 2013.

18th September 2013 - Returned.  Departure after 21st February 2014.

26th September 2014 - Returned.  Departure after 22nd March 2015.

9th August 2015 - Returned.  Departure after 28th February 2016.

15th July 2016 - Returned.  Departure after 12th February 2017.

8th June 2017 - Returned.  Departure after 5th March 2018.

30th July 2018 - Returned.  Departure after 11th March 2019.

19th August 2019 - Returned.  Departure after 2nd March 2020.

2nd August 2020 - Returned.  Departure after 12th April 2021.

9th August 2021 - Returned.  Departure after 28th February 2022.

15th March 2022 - Spotted at Peatlands Park, Co. Armagh.

Of note here, are the early return dates in 2016, 2017 and 2018.  The exceptionally early return in June 2017, may possibly be due to a failed breeding attempt.  The duration since being ringed, is now 9 years, 6 months and 10 days.

It was great to record -  2AAA  and  2AAB  today.  They were the first and third birds to be ringed, belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study.  Between them, was -  2ADJ , which has long since perished.   2AAA  and  2AAB , are year round residents to Antrim.   2AAA  was ringed on the 12th November 2012, as an adult male - the duration since being ringed, is now 9 years, 8 months and 21 days.   2AAB , was ringed as an unsexed adult, on the 11th December 2012 - the duration since being ringed, is now 9 years, 7 months and 22 days.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 2nd August 2022

2FFF	2FIH	2FDK	2FHP	2ABA	2FFX	2FIA	2CTC	2ABN
2FFC	2FFA	2CJT	2FIF	2FHC	2AAB	2ABL	2AAA	2CSB
2CSK	2AAN	2FFP	2FHA	2CSA	2ACV	2CSL	2AAK	2FHX

Over the coming weeks, I will write about the other gulls, plus those of other returnees.  For now, here are a few more photos taken during today's visit.

Black-headed Gull  -   2CSK   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (02 Aug 20220

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed adult, on the 17th December 2017, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (02 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 23rd November 2020, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFP   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (02 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 21st December 2020, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHX   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (02 Aug 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 2nd Winter Bird, on the 8th November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

Other Birds Recorded at Antrim Marina

The Mute Swans are usually the first birds that I look out for on each visit to Antrim Marina, as I would take advantage of their numbers when trying to catch and colour-ring Black-headed Gulls.  At present, all seabird ringing activities within Northern Ireland are still suspended due to 'Bird Flu', but this does not stop me looking at the swan numbers for potential ringing - just habit I suppose.  Today, there was just the one pair of Mute Swans, along with four medium sized cygnets.  It goes to show, that the cygnets are already confiding in people, as two of the four were quite happy to take brown bread from my hand, as well as both of their parents.

Mute Swan Pair with Four Cygnets, Antrim Marina  (02 Aug 2022)

Mallard numbers were fairly good with around 60 to 70 birds present.  A couple of near full grown chicks were noted among the birds.  As usual, most were checked for rings.

Before looking for colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, I had a quick look round for other gull species.  Present on my arrival, were two Common Gulls - an adult, plus a juvenile.  A second adult arrived at 11:50, and three adults were present at 2:49, along with the juvenile which remained on site throughout my visit.

Two adult Herring Gulls were also present throughout my visit, though one had an injured left wing and stayed on the long jetty.  It made no attempt to move away as I approached it, and readily accepted some bread thrown out to it.  Talking of the long jetty, a new gate has been erected, so access to the whole jetty has now been cut in half.  I meant to take photos of the gate and to investigate it further, but I forgot, so I'll try to mind this on my next visit.

A juvenile Herring Gull arrived onto the slipway at 12:08, and this youngster gave me quite of a surprise.  I was sitting sideways in my car with my legs on the ground and the bird calmly walked right over to me.  I offered it some bread, and it slowly edged up to me and took it from my hand.  I hadn't expected that to happen.  A short time later, a family appeared with bread to feed to the ducks, and the gull then ran over to a young girl, who also threw down some bread.  I was really surprised at how confiding this young gull was, and it also remained throughout my visit today.

A single Lesser Black-backed Gull. was presumably the same bird which would come and go fairly frequently.

A highlight of today's visit, was the arrival of a juvenile Mediterranean Gull at 12:01.  This youngster moved around the Marina in the company of the Black-headed Gulls, and it too, had no fear of people being about.  A few weeks back, Suzanne Belshaw had alerted me to the fact that Mediterranean Gulls had been caught on a 'Live Camera', at the nearby former 'Torpedo Platform'.  I've no idea whether Med Gulls actually bred on the platform, if they have done so, this may possibly answer the question of where my young Med Gull has come from.

The live footage from the 'Torpedo Platform', can be seen on YouTube, and has a 'Play List', that covers every day throughout the summer.  It would take weeks to view the whole breeding season, to see whether or not the Meds did breed there.  I'll add a link (here), and if anyone spots nesting Med Gulls, please let me know, giving the date and time when filmed.  Should it be confirmed that Mediterranean Gulls have bred on the 'Torpedo Platform', then this will be a new breeding site for the species here in Northern Ireland.

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull, Antrim Marina  (02 Aug 2022)

6 Jackdaws were the only other species to be noted at Antrim Marina today.

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From David Nixon

David Nixon emailed me, concerning his sighting of a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull which he spotted on the 29th July 2022.  David lives in Dundrum in County Down, but happened to be at the Sprucefield Shopping Centre near Lisburn, when he spotted -  250B .  David's camera is 'in hospital' as he put it, having dropped it.  His insurance company insisted that the camera can be repaired, so it has been sent to the manufacturer to see what they can do with it.  David sent me a heavily cropped photo of -  250B , which was a first sighting for him, though he thought I would already have details on this bird.

How right he was, as he has now broken Suzanne Belshaw's monopoly on sightings for this bird.  Suzanne herself had reported the return of - 250B  to Sprucefield Shopping Centre, just four days prior to David's sighting.  An account for -  250B , can be read in my previous post.  My thanks goes to David for this latest sighting record.

Black-headed Gull  -   250B   -  Sprucefield Shopping Centre, Co. Down  (29 Jul 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 6th June 2008, at Lough Mask, Co. Mayo, Republic of Ireland)

(Mobile Phone Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

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From Jim Wells

Also on the 29th July 2022, I received a text message from Jim Wells, who spotted a colour-ringed Herring Gull at Bangor Harbour in County Down.  He reported the gull as -  ONW  or possibly as -  DNW , and stated that the ring was in poor condition.

Straight away, I knew this was a bird from the Copeland Islands in County Down, and is actually rung -  0N:W .  In fact, Jim himself had reported the same gull at Bangor Harbour on the 30th June 2022, having correctly reported it's correct code on that occasion.

 0N:W , was ringed on Big Copeland Island on the 23rd May 2014.  Other than Jim's two sightings, there are two earlier sightings.  The first was just given as Bangor, Co. Down on the 8th February 2020, and the second, was made by Suzanne Belshaw at Bangor Harbour, on the 29th August 2020 (photo below).

Bangor Harbour, is just 8 kms / 4 miles (W) from Big Copeland Island, and the duration since being ringed, is now 8 years, 2 months and 6 days.  Although nothing spectacular about this bird, at least more time has been added to it's longevity.

My thanks goes to Jim for his sighting report, and to Suzanne Belshaw for the inclusion of her photo.

Herring Gull  -   0N:W   -  Bangor Harbour, Bangor, Co. Down  (29 Aug 2020)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 23rd May 2014, on Big Copeland Island, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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From John Smyth via Declan Clarke

Myself, and a few others, were copied in to an email sent to Mark Fitzpatrick who is the ringing coordinator for the gulls ringed on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man.  The email concerned a colour-ringed Herring Gull, which landed on the boat of Lobster Fisherman John Smyth.  John took a photo of -  T9WY , and duly sent the details to Declan Clarke who then passed on the sighting.

 T9WY , is a gull that was already on my spreadsheet, so I replied with the details that I had.  We have not heard from Mark on the Isle of Man since early June, so he is perhaps very busy ringing this year's gull chicks on the Calf.

 T9WY , was ringed as a chick, on the 30th June 2020, on the Calf of Man.  The first re-sighting was made by an unknown observer on the 12th October 2020, when the then juvenile was spotted at Dunmore East in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland.  On the 10th April 2022, Declan recorded the gull at Ardglass Harbour in County Down.

This latest sighting made by John, was just off the County Down coast at Coney Island Bay, which is a short distance away from Ardglass.  The distance from the Calf of Man, is 57 kms / 35 miles (WNW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 1 month and 1 day.

My thanks to Declan for relaying John's sighting, and to John for the photograph taken with his mobile phone.

Herring Gull  -   T9WY   -  At Sea, Coney Island Bay, Co. Down  (31 Jul 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 30th June 2020, on The Calf of Man, Isle of Man)

(Photo Courtesy of John Smyth)

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