Spanish Godwit...

Antrim Marina

Due to a very bad kidney infection, I have had to remain at home for just over two weeks, so no birdwatching by myself has been done, and these include missing successive visits to Antrim Marina which were supposed to have between carried out on Monday's 17th & 24th October.  I shall be resuming my weekly visits beginning next Monday 31st October.

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From David Nixon

David Nixon has been in touch with his latest ring sightings along with photographs.  It did not register with me at the time, but then it dawned on me, that David has had his camera returned.  According to David, his camera was in 'hospital' having not 'bounced' too well.  On mentioning the photos, David replied to say that the 'surgery went well'.

On the 11th October 2022, David re-sighted two colour-ringed Herring Gulls, on the high tide roost at Dundrum Inner Bay (South) in County Down.   T6VE , was ringed as a chick, on the 3rd July 2019, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man.  The first re-sighting was made by Graham McElwaine, on the 27th July 2020, at Millquarter Bay in County Down.  Since then,  T6VE , has been recorded on 10 occasions, here on the high tide roost at Dundrum's South Inner Bay, which includes this latest sighting :-

19th August 2020 by Graham McElwaine, 9th September 2020 by David Nixon, 13th May 2021 by David Nixon, 9th August 2021 by Graham McElwaine, 22nd September 2021 by Graham McElwaine, 27th September 2021 by David Nixon, 7th October 2021 by David Nixon, 8th October 2021 by Graham McElwaine, 2nd April 2022 by David Nixon, and this latest sighting by David and Graham on the same day - 11th October 2022.

The duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 3 months and 8 days, and the distance from the Calf of Man, is 71 kms / 44 miles (WNW).

Recently, we have received an email from Jim Wells.  Jim organises boat trips with their owners, to visit various locations in Scotland and off the north Irish coast.  For 2023, a trip to the Calf of Man, will be a new destination, and I have put my name forward for this one.  This will present a great opportunity to meet Mark Fitzpatrick who is the ringing coordinator on the Calf, as well as photographing the colour-ringed gulls at their nests.  Mark and I have discussed in the past, that there are no out and out ring readers in the Isle of Man.  With the zoom capabilities of my Nikon P1000 (125x zoom), it will make short work at capturing codes from a distance, and should present a few first re-sightings.

Herring Gull  -   T6VE   -  Dundrum Inner Bay (South), Dundrum, Co. Down  (11 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 3rd July 2019, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

A Scottish-rung Herring Gull was also spotted on the high tide roost at Dundrum Inner Bay (South), this being the sixth time that it has been recorded there.  (White) 3W7:C, was ringed as a chick, on the 28th June 2014, at Horse Isle Nature Reserve, just off the coast from Ardrossan in North Ayrshire, Scotland.  The first re-sighting was made at Dundrum on the 31st March 2017.  The second sighting was made at Lady Isle Island in South Ayrshire, Scotland, on the 12th July 2018.

The other Dundrum sightings were made on the 7th October 2020 by David Nixon, 22nd September 2021 by Graham McElwaine, 27th September 2021 by David Nixon, and on the 25th October 2021 by Graham McElwaine.

This latest sighting made by David, takes the duration to 8 years, 3 months and 13 days since being ringed, and the distance from Horse Isle NR, is 167 kms / 103 miles (SSW).

Herring Gull  -  (White)  3W7:C  -  Dundrum Inner Bay (South), Dundrum, Co. Down  (11 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 28th June 2014, on Horse Isle NR, Ardrossan, Ayrshire, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

On the 14th October 2022, David spotted Black-headed Gull - (White) 2APK, on the high water roost at Dundrum's South Inner Bay, which was the second sighting of the bird this winter and the 13th record for the gull overall.

(White) 2APK, was ringed as a chick, on the 14th June 2015, at Broad Law in the Borders Region of Scotland.  All sightings for this gull have been made in Northern Ireland :-

2nd January 2017 - Castlewellan Forest Park - James O'Neill - 1y, 6m, 19d - 249 kms / 154 miles (SW).

26th June 2017 - Lurgan Park Lake - Suzanne Belshaw - 2y, 0m, 12d - 254 kms / 157 miles (WSW).

30th September 2018 - Castlewellan Forest Park - Graham McElwaine - 3y, 3m, 16d.

25th July 2019 - Castlewellan Forest Park - Graham McElwaine - 4y, 1m, 11d.

15th July 2020 - Dundrum Inner Bay (South) - David Nixon - 5y, 1m, 1d - 246 kms / 152 miles (SW).

17th September 2020 - Castlewellan Forest Park - Graham McElwaine - 5y, 3m, 3d.

10th July 2021 - Castlewellan Forest Park - Graham McElwaine - 6y, 0m, 26d.

30th July 2021 - Castlewellan Forest Park - Graham McElwaine - 6y, 1m, 16d.

22nd September 2021 - Castlewellan Forest Park - Graham McElwaine - 6y, 3m, 8d.

21st October 2021 - Castlewellan Forest Park - Graham McElwaine - 6y, 4m, 7d.

8th March 2022 - Lurgan Park Lake - Suzanne Belshaw - 6y, 8m, 22d.

16th September 2022 - Castlewellan Forest Park - Graham McElwaine - 7y, 3m, 2d.

David's latest sighting takes the duration to 7 years and 4 months.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  2APK  -  Dundrum Inner Bay (South), Dundrum, Co. Down  (14 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 14th June 2015, at Broad Law, Moorfoot Hills, Borders Region, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

The best of the four ring sightings, was that of a Black-tailed Godwit.  Spotted on the mudflats at the North Inner Bay at Dundrum, Co. Down, the four colour-rings, were all positioned on the birds right leg - single red above the knee, and yellow, red, yellow below the knee, with the metal ring was fitted on the birds upper left leg.  The sighting was reported to me, just as I was about to leave home to go to work.  I had a quick look on the International Wader Study Group database, but could not find the relevant colour-ringing project.  I then hurriedly re-directed David's email to wader expert - Richard Du Feu.

Within no time at all, Richard sent a reply to David, stating that the bird had been ringed in Spain, and included the email address of the project owner.  David thanked Richard, and duly reported the sighting to Spain.  Although the bird was spotted on the 5th October, a reply finally arrived on the 15th October.

R-YRY, had been ringed as an un-sexed 2nd Calendar Year bird, on the 18th January 2019, at Arnosa, on the Spanish west coast.  Since being ringed, David's sighting was the 33rd sighting record for the bird, with all but two being reported locally to where it was ringed.  The other two sightings were reported by Tom Cooney, on the 3rd September 2021, and again on the 2nd October 2021, at Dundalk Bay in County Louth, Republic of Ireland.

David's sighting at Dundrum, comes 3 years, 8 months and 17 days since being ringed, and the distance is 1,332 kms / 827 miles (NNE).  I would be fairly certain, that this is the first Spanish ringed Black-tailed Godwit, to be recorded here in Northern Ireland.

My thanks to David for the sighting, and to Antonio Fernández Cordeiro, who is the coordinator for the Anduriña Ringing Group.

Black-tailed Godwit  -  R-YRY  -  Dundrum Inner Bay (North), Dundrum, Co. Down  (05 Oct 22)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Second Year Bird, on the 18th January 2019, at Arnosa, Spain)

(Photo Courtesy of David Nixon)

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From Suzanne Belshaw

On the 12th October 2022, Suzanne re-sighted two Black-headed Gulls during a visit to the former Belfast Waterworks at Cliftonville in Belfast.  (White) 2717, was ringed as a chick, on the 18th June 2021, on Lough Ree, Co. Longford in the Republic of Ireland.  It's first re-sighting, was made by Suzanne, here at the Waterworks, on the 22nd June 2022.  On the 10th September 2022, I recorded (White) 2717, on the Dargan Mudflats on Belfast Lough.

This third sighting takes the duration since being ringed, to 1 year, 3 months and 24 days, and the distance from Lough Ree to Belfast, is 179 kms / 111 miles (NE).  According to Brian Burke, who is the projects ringing coordinator, 12 Black-headed Gulls from the Lough Ree project have now been recorded in Northern Ireland.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  2717  -  Belfast Waterworks, Cliftonville, Belfast  (12 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2021, on King's Island, Lough Ree, Co. Longford, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

The re-sighting of a Norwegian Black-headed Gull by Suzanne at the waterworks, is the second for this winter, and the fourth in Northern Ireland overall.   J7L8 , was ringed as an adult male, on the 12th April 2017, at Lake Engervannet on the outskirts of Oslo.  All four NI sightings have been made here at the waterworks - 11th October 2019 by Paul McCullough, 1st September 2020 by Suzanne, 20th September 2022, and this latest sighting.  There was one 2022 sighting in Norway, and this was made on the 7th April 2022 in Oslo.

The duration since being ringed is now 5 years and 6 months, and the distance to Belfast Waterworks, is 1,148 kms / 713 miles (WSW).

Black-headed Gull  -   J7L8   -  Belfast Waterworks, Cliftonville, Belfast  (12 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 12th April 2017, at Lake Engervannet, Oslo, Norway)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Suzanne's sighting of a Black-headed Gull, on the 13th October 2022, at Kinnegar Beach on Belfast Lough, was really pleasing to get.  The bird concerned -  2AJF , belongs to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Project, which I now respond to.

 2AJF , was ringed as a chick, on the 19th June 2014, at the WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre in County Down.  The gull went unrecorded until 2018, when I made the first of seven re-sightings for this bird :-

12th May 2018 - RSPB Window on Wildlife Reserve, Belfast - 3y, 10, 23d - 17 kms / 10 miles (NW).

9th December 2018 - former Dargan Landfill Site, Belfast - 4y, 5m, 20d - 18 kms / 11 miles (NW).

17th February 2019 - Kinnegar Shore, Belfast Lough - 4y, 7m, 29d - 16 kms / 9 miles (NW).

2nd March 2019 - RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast - 4y, 8m, 11d.

9th March 2019 - RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast - 4y, 8m, 18d.

30th March 2019 - RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast - 4y, 9m, 11d.

13th April 2019 - RSPB WoW Reserve, Belfast - 4y, 9, 25d.

Since 2019, this gull has gone unrecorded until now.  My sightings of -  2AJF , at the RSPB Reserve, saw the bird being recorded on nesting platform two.  Although the platform has been monitored since 2019, there has been no sign of -  2AJF .  Many Black-headed Gulls nest around the edges of the lagoon at the reserve, so it may be likely that is where the gull is nesting at now.  Suzanne's sighting, takes the duration to 8 years, 3 months and 24 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2AJF   -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (13 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 19th June 2014, at WWT Castle Espie NR, Strangford Lough, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

On the 18th October 2022, Suzanne fell in with a colour-ringed Redshank, which she has recorded twice previously at the same site on Tyrella Beach in County Down.  Suzanne's first encounter, was made on the 9th November 2021, with the second having been made on the 1st February 2022.

Unfortunately, neither the BTO or the International Wader Study Group, could identify the owner of the colour-ringing project as seemingly, it had not been registered.  A handful of birdwatchers here in Northern Ireland, knows who the culprit is, and it's sad to be saying this, the individual concerned is actually funded to carry out several projects.  He is ringing many birds but has not been submitting the ringing details to the BTO, and they therefore, cannot produce recoveries.

I have also recorded one of these Redshanks, two colour-ringed Oystercatcher and a colour-ringed Herring Gull, belonging to the same person.  Having submitted Suzanne's redshank sightings, plus my own birds by their colour-marks only, the BTO has recently removed these birds from my DemOn account, therefore, we will have no chance in obtaining the ringing details.  I was told to re-submit the sightings whenever I can obtain a metal-number for each bird respectively

By doing this, the BTO are letting the ringer concerned, 'get away with his activities', which will only add to the frustration when 'ring readers' spend much time in the field recording colour-ringed birds belonging to the said person, and not obtaining any outcome.  Although I informed the BTO and the IWSG who the ringer is, their emails to that individual have not been answered.

Redshank  -  W(HCA)-Y  -  Tyrella Beach, Co. Down  (18 Oct 22)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

On the 23rd October 2022, Suzanne fell in with a colour-ringed Herring Gull -  B91:D  in Lisburn, Co. Antrim.  Having reported her sighting to Graham Prole, who is the ringing coordinator for the Irish Midlands Ringing Group, a quick reply duly followed.   B91:D , was ringed as a chick, on the 1st July 2021, on the roof of St. James Hospital in the City of Dublin.

The first re-sighting of this bird, was recorded on the 19th September 2022, when Jan Rod recorded the gull at Bray Harbour in County Wicklow.  Suzanne's sighting takes the duration since being ringed, to 1 year, 3 months and 22 days.  The distance from Dublin to Lisburn, is kms / miles ().

2nd Calendar Year Herring Gull  -   B91:D   -  Lisburn, Co. Antrim  (23 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 1st July 2021, at St. James Hospital, City of Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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Three Marina Returnees...

Antrim Marina - Monday 10th October 2022

Ahead of my visit to Antrim Marina on Monday 10th October, I received an email from Suzanne Belshaw on Sunday evening.  Whilst shopping in Antrim town on Saturday 8th October, as Suzanne was in the area, she made two visits to Antrim Marina.  Not a lot was happening during the first visit, but when Suzanne called back, a total of 15 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls were recorded.  No doubt comparing the sightings with those on my recent posts, Suzanne noted that one bird stood out -  2FDX .

On checking my spreadsheets, I was delighted, as this was a first sighting.   2FDX , had been ringed as a juvenile/1st winter bird, at Antrim Marina, on the 23rd November 2020.  After being ringed, the young gull simply disappeared until Saturday past.  I never got to taking a photo of the then juvenile, but look at it now.  It has been 1 year, 10 months and 15 days since the bird was ringed.  Many juveniles fail to survive through their first winter, so this was a very pleasing sighting.  Another juvenile that I ringed at the Marina last winter, had a first, and so far the only sighting, in May 2022, in Staffordshire, England.  I wonder if that gull will also make it back to the Marina this winter.  

With the addition of -  2FDX , I was now on the lookout for 36 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls on Monday, that have recorded at Antrim Marina this winter, a total that includes one bird caught and ringed in September 2022.

My thanks to Suzanne for these sightings and photos.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FDX   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 23rd November 2020, at Antrim Marina)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina by Suzanne Belshaw on Saturday 8th October 2022

2ABL	2ABS	2CJT	2CSA	2CTC	2FDK	2FDX	2FFA
2FFF	2FFP	2FHP	2FHV	2FHX	2FIA	2FIK

I arrived at Antrim Marina today, on the lookout for 36 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls which have been recorded here so far this winter, which now included the recent sighting of -  2FDX  by Suzanne Belshaw.  The early morning saw about 80% blue sky with sunshine, and practically no wind.  It was a bit chilly to start with, as temperatures must have close to freezing.  One heavy shower of rain at 12:15, lasted for around 10 minutes.

Parking up beside the small concrete jetty, my first sighting was that of -  2FHC , at 09:14 on the rails in front of me.  It was one of five birds present, but as I was noting the gull on my checklist, a flock of gulls suddenly appeared.  Numbers slowly built up, and at 10:49, I had a returnee -  2FDJ , this being the 16th to be recorded.  I was delighted to see the return of this bird, as it is Antrim Marina's furthest flyers.

 2FDJ , was ringed at Antrim Marina, as a second calendar year bird, on the 18th November 2019.

Below are the key sightings for -  2FDJ  :-

Ringed on the 18th November 2019, departed after the 9th March 2020.

Returned on the 25th October 2020, departed after the 4th January 2021 (Covid Lockdown).

Spotted on the 5th February 2021, Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell, Scotland.

Spotted on the 11th, 13th & 14th February 2021, at Kay Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland.

Spotted on the 4th April 2021, at Tartu, eastern Estonia (2,060 kms / 1,280 miles (E).

Returned on the 16th October 2021, departed after the 28th February 2022.

Returned today, 10th October 2022.

As the sighting in eastern Estonia was just 44 kms away from the Russian border, it is unknown as to which country the gull actually bred in.  The duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 10 months and 22 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FDJ   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (10 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a 2nd Winter Bird, on the 18th November 2019, at Antrim Marina)

By 11am, there were easily 100+ Black-headed Gulls spread throughout the Marina.  At 12:10, my 25th sighting of the day, was a second returnee -  2FFT .  It was standing on the ground of the car park, and as was about to take a photo, all the gulls lifted into the air.  Two ladies appeared onto the concrete jetty and began throwing bread into the water for the ducks.  It took a while, but I eventually managed to get my photo.

 2FFT , was ringed at Antrim Marina, as an unsexed adult, on the 21 December 2020.  Since being ringed, re-sightings here are a bit of a rarity, with today's sighting being only the 5th altogether.  Previous sightings were made on the 8th & 15th November 2021, 31st January 2022, and on the 7th February 2022.  Despite the bird not being a regular visitor, it was good to see that it is still alive and well.  The duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 10 months and 17 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (10 Oct 2022)

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

My 27th and final sighting was that of -  2ABA  at 12:25, and by this time, overall numbers had dropped to around the 60 - 70 mark.  Today was clearly a good day to try and catch one or two new birds to ring, as they were clearly 'biting'.  To my dismay, a Chinese couple in their forties arrived with a shopping bag each, full of broken up bread.  Throwing it around the car park for the gulls, they soon had their fill and a lot of bread remained uneaten.

With the recent returnees -  2FDX ,  2FDJ  &  2FFT , my overall total of colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls has risen to 38 for my next visit.  I was going to predict the return of -  2FDJ  in this post, but the bird has beaten me to it.  Looking through my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet, two birds that are absent, are  2FFJ  &  2FFL .  Last winter, both were recorded from August onwards, so I'm wondering, what has happened to them.  The first was an adult when ringed in December 2020, while the second was a juvenile, also ringed in 2020.

One other gull 'stuck out' from today's sightings, and that was -  2FFC , recorded at 11:56.  There are times, when it could be absent for weeks at a time, so today's 5th sighting for this winter was a good one to get.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFC   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (10 Oct 2022)

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

In my last couple of posts, I forgot to mention two other Black-headed Gulls.  The one legged (left leg) bird which hovers at my car window to announce its arrival, has disappeared recently.  It first appeared late on last winter, but returned early this winter.  Then we have a bit of a runt - this scrawny looking juvenile, is around half the size of a normal Black-headed Gull, so would obviously fair poorly in the scrums for food.  Today, for the third week in a row, it would walk right up to me sitting in my car, and I would feed it bits of brown bread.  The youngster has no fear, and casually strolls right to my feet.  I could easily lift it to ring, but for now, I'll leave it well alone just to see how it progresses. Should I decide to ring it, I will give it a metal only, unless it grows large enough to add a Darvic.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 10th October 2022

2FHC	2FHX	2FHP	2FFF	2CSA	2CSR	2AAB	2FFA	2ACV
2ABN	2CTC	2FIF	2AAK	2FDK	2BRA	2FDJ	2FHV	2ABL
2FHA	2FIK	2CJT	2CSB	2AAN	2FFC	2FFT	2FFP	2ABA

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina This Autumn/Winter but Absent Today

2AAA	2ABS	2CSK	2CSL	2CSX	2FDX
2FFX	2FHJ	2FIA	2FIH	2FIJ

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

My usual adult Herring Gull arrived at 9:39 this morning, having been absent last Monday.  A juvenile Herring Gull appeared at 10:07, and this same bird has been recorded here in recent weeks.  It too, would easily come right up to me in the car, and the adult Herring Gull tolerates the youngsters begging calls.  At 10:05, two adult Common Gulls arrived together, and a third arrived at 11:05.  None were ringed, which leaves me still waiting for the return of the small Scottish-rung female.

Having just parked on my arrival, I noticed a Mute Swan party in the distance at the breakwater leading into Lough Neagh.  Looking through my binoculars, it was our usual family with the four cygnets.  They swam right past the Marina, heading upriver, though one of the cygnets broke away and came ashore onto the slipway.  A short time later, the family returned onto the slipway.  At 11:13, I spied a further three cygnets swimming in from Lough Neagh, and these to headed off upriver.  At 11:30, they came back down and alighted onto the slipway.  The two adults were unfazed by their presence, and they mingled in with the other four cygnets.  After a while, the three slightly larger cygnets returned towards Lough Neagh.  I was surprised by them, as they easily came to my hand for a feed of bread.  Someone, somewhere, has been feeding them.

Around 40 Mallards were present on my arrival, with numbers quickly increasing to at least 70 birds altogether.  As usual, most legs were checked, but still no rings.

A single Hooded Crow arrived at 10:13, and the 'pied' Hooded Crow, which first appeared two weeks ago, arrived at 10:33.  This 'pied' bird, is still slightly nervous being around people.  Just two Jackdaws today - what is going on with this species?  In the past, numbers would have been higher than this.

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Saturday 8th October 2022

My main targets for today, were two colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls - a Norwegian bird which frequents the Kilroot Power Station (Shore) and Carrickfergus Leisure Centre, and one at Whiteabbey belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Project.

At Kilroot, I timed my arrival to coincide with an outgoing tide.  I wanted to be settled into position on the seawall, so as not to appear threatening to the seabirds as they arrived.  A small freshwater river flows over the beach, where the gulls would come to bathe and drink freshwater.  Having sat for about threequarters of an hour, the waders and then gulls, began to arrive.

An Orange Darvic on a Herring Gull was the first ring to be spotted, and I knew this was going to be another sighting of a Scottish-rung bird.   A:H58 , was ringed as a chick, on the 12th July 2018, on Lady Isle Island, near Troon in Ayrshire, Scotland.  All re-sightings for this bird has been made here at Kilroot - 29th November 2020, 3rd October 2021, 10th September 2022, and today's sighting.  The duration since being ringed, is now 4 years, 2 months and 26 days, and the distance from Lady Isle to Kilroot, is 111 kms / 68 miles (SW).

Herring Gull  -   A:H58   -  Kilroot Power Station, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (08 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 12th July 2018, on Lady Isle, Ayrshire, Scotland)

After a while, I noticed two Herring Gulls with Yellow Darvic's.  I knew both birds were from the Copeland Islands, as I could just about see -   :W , poking above the waterline.  One gull was standing in a pool of water, but as the tide retreated the second ring was revealed -  0V:W .

 0V:W , was ringed as an unsexed adult, on the 23rd May 2014, on Big Copeland Island in County Down.  The first re-sighting, was made on the 6th November 2014, when Cameron Moore spotted the gull at Ballycarry Bridge on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  I made the second re-sighting here at Kilroot, on the 29th November 2020.  Today's latest sighting, takes the duration to 8 years, 4 months and 15 days since being ringed, and the distance from Big Copeland Island, is 15 kms / 9 miles (WNW).  I entered the metal number onto the BTO DemOn Ringing Database, which confirmed that these three sightings, are the only ones to be submitted so far.

Herring Gull  -   0V:W   -  Kilroot Power Station, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (08 Oct 2022)

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

Whilst waiting for my second Copeland Herring Gull to arrive, I noticed a distant colour-ringed Oystercatcher.  I immediately wondered if this was an Icelandic bird that I recorded here back in 2020.  Zooming out with my camera, I recognised the colour rings - Black over Black on the left leg, and White(CC) on the right leg - NN-W(CC).

The bird was metal-ringed only, as an adult breeding female, on the 11th June 2009, at Hvalfjarðareyri in south-west Iceland.  On the 2nd June 2019, it was again captured whilst breeding and the colour rings were fitted.  Although it has been recorded on numerous occasions in Iceland, the only sighting away from that country was made here at Kilroot, on the 29th November 2020.  I tried several times to re-sight this bird last winter without any luck.

Having reported my latest sighting to Boddi Þórisson in Iceland, he replied to say that - NN-W(CC) had a predated nest during this past summer, though this has yet to be entered onto the PDF File (read).  The duration since being ringed, is now 13 years, 3 months and 27 days, and Kilroot lies 1,390 kms / 863 miles (SE) from Hvalfjarðareyri.

Oystercatcher  -  NN-W(CC)  -  Kilroot Power Station, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (08 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as an Breeding Adult Female, on the 11th June 2009, at Hvalfjarðareyri, SW. Iceland)

Having secured my Icelandic Oystercatcher, I refocused on the second Copeland Herring Gull.  It was still standing in the same pool of water with just -  :W  showing on its colour-ring.  In the distance, I could see a small party of people, along with two dogs walking in my direction.  My gull never moved, and once the party reached my position, all of the birds took to the air and my chance of a second Copeland colour-ring was gone.  The small group were 'armed' with large plastic bags, and began picking up plastic rubbish on the high tide line.

With the tide well on its way out, I decided to make a quick dash to the beach at Whiteabbey and decided to visit Carrickfergus Leisure Centre later in the day instead of now.  Arriving at Whiteabbey, I was keen to re-sight one of Adam's McClure's Black-headed Gulls belonging to his former Northern Ireland Project  This bird, ringed -  2CPN , was last seen here on the Whiteabbey shore, on the 19th February 2022.  Over the last couple of months, both Suzanne Belshaw and myself have visited the shore here at Whiteabbey, but no sign of -  2CPN .

Scoping through the Black-headed Gulls, I noticed one with a Red Darvic in the distance.  Moving to the footpath beside the main road, I had a better angle of the bird and duly captured the code -  2HP4 .  I had a feeling, that this was the same bird previously recorded here by Suzanne and myself.  On returning home, I checked my spreadsheet, and Suzanne had the first ever re-sighting on the 23rd November 2021, whilst I recorded the gull on the 16th January 2022.

 2HP4 , was ringed as a chick, on the 24th June 2020, at the Elvanfoot colony in South Lanarkshire, Scotland by the Clyde Ringing Group.  The distance to Whiteabbey, is 166 kms / 103 miles (WSW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 3 months and 14 days.  I emailed Iain Livingstone who is the ringing coordinator, but I would be fairly sure, that these three sightings are the only ones for this bird so far.

Black-headed Gull  -   2HP4   -  Whiteabbey Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (08 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 24th June 2020, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)

Continuing to scope through the gulls, I then spotted a Black-headed Gull with a Blue Darvic.  This one turned out to be one of my Antrim Marina study birds -  2FFN , and this was my second sighting of the gull here on Whiteabbey Beach.   2FFN , was ringed as an unsexed adult, on the 14th December 2020, at the Marina.  The first re-sighting, was made at Antrim Marina, on the 11th October 2021, which remains the only sighting at the Marina so far.  I fell in with -  2FFN  for the second time, on the 27th August 2022, here at Whiteabbey.  This third sighting altogether, takes the duration since being ringed, to 1 year, 9 months and 4 days.  The distance from Antrim, is 23 kms / 14 miles (ESE).  Will it return to Antrim Marina at some time this winter?

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFN   -  Whiteabbey Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (08 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 14th December 2020, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

With no more rings spotted at Whiteabbey, I drove to the nearby Whitehouse Lagoon.  The tide was well out by now, and very few birds were to be found on the Lagoon.  A distant colour-ringed Oystercatcher was spotted, which I instantly recognised as being an Icelandic bird, with just two colour-rings remaining.  This bird, was originally ringed with Green over White on the left leg, and had a Green Flag over a Black ring on the right leg.  According to Boddi Þórisson, many of the Icelandic Oystercatchers managed the remove the 'Flags' themselves, hence the introduction of White-coded Darvics in later years.  Not only, had my bird here at Whitehouse Lagoon, lost its 'Flag' on the right leg, but the plain Green ring on the left leg, somehow managed to slip inside the plain white ring on the same leg (I managed to obtain a photo showing this some time ago now).

GW-GfN, was ringed as an unsexed breeding adult, on the 5th June 2015, at Mjóanef, Eystri Rangá, in Southern Iceland.  It's first ever re-sighting was recorded by me, here at Whitehouse Lagoon, on the 6th September 2015, and the bird has returned every winter since.  The duration since being ringed, is now 7 years, 4 months and 3 days, and the distance from Iceland, is 1,294 kms / 804 miles (SE).  Boddi sent me an updated PDF File, which can be read (PDF).  He also stated that the access to the birds breeding site was closed off during the summer, due to some dispute concerning landowners.  Boddi, is hoping that it will be resolved next summer, and they plan to catch both adults and give them new colour-rings.

Oystercatcher  -  GW-GfN  -  Whitehouse Lagoon, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (08 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Breeding Adult, on the 5th June 2015, at Mjóanef, S. Iceland)

With the mudflats at Dargan, not being that far away, I decided to head there next.  The good thing about these mudflats, is that the land runs parallel to the outgoing tide.  Lots of Black-headed Gulls were spread throughout the area, but after a very long scoping session, not one ring was to be seen.  By now, the sun was low in the west, so it was a little too late to be heading back to Carrickfergus, instead, it was off to home. 

Footnote

A further email has been received from Suzanne Belshaw, with sightings of two gulls that she forgot to report, having spotted the birds at Whiteabbey Beach, on the 27th September 2022.  One of these was the Black-headed Gull that I had been looking for -  2CPN  as mentioned above.

 2CPN , had last been seen here on the 19th February 2022.  The bird was ringed as a chick, on the 16th June 2017, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve, on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  It was first spotted on the Whiteabbey shore, on the 24th September 2017, and has been recorded here at least once every winter since.  The duration on the 27th September, is 5 years, 3 months and 11 days, since being ringed, and the distance from Blue Circle Island, is 19 kms / 11 miles (SSW).

Black-headed Gull  -   2CPN   -  Whiteabbey Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (27 Sep 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 16th June 2017, at RSPB Blue Circle Island NR, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

The second gull is also a regular winter visitor to the shore at Whiteabbey - Common Gull -  2AIP .  Although I looked at several Common Gulls during my visit, I could not find it.

 2AIP , was ringed as a chick, on the 11th June 2012, on Big Copeland Island in County Down.  Its first sighting was made by me on the 10th October 2015, here at Whiteabbey, and it too, has been recorded at least once every winter since.  The duration, is now 10 years, 3 months and 16 days, and the distance from Big Copeland Island, is 23 kms / 14 miles (W).

Common Gull  -   2AIP   Whiteabbey Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (27 Sep 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 11th June 2012, on Big Copeland Island, The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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Ringing Recovery

In my previous post, I reported on a Black-headed Gull ringed - 22L5.  The gull was spotted by Steven Fyffe on the 29th September 2022, at Lady Bay, on Lough Neagh, Co. Antrim.  The code on the ring was not clear judging the photos, though Steven thought it could be either - 1215 or 1715.  If the was a British-rung bird, the code would start with the number 2.  I copied in Suzanne Belshaw, in my reply to Steven, and on the following day (30th September), Suzanne located the gull and captured the code -  22L5 .

An email was sent to Colin McShane of the Belvide Black-headed Gull project, and after a few days, no reply was received, so I therefore reported the gull to the BTO by it's colour-marks only.  On the 7th October, a reply finally arrived from Colin, offering his apologies, as they had been at an annual ringing camp on the Algarve (nice).

 22L5 , was ringed as a chick, on the 8th June 2019, at Belvide Reservoir, in Staffordshire, England.  Its first re-sighting was made on the 4th May 2020, when the bird turned up at Portmadog Harbour, in Gwynedd, Wales.  The gull then returned to the Belvide Reservoir and was seen twice in April 2021, and again in March 2022.  Suzanne's sighting on the 30th September, takes the duration to 3 years, 3 months and 22 days since being ringed.  The recovery has not arrived from the BTO, so I worked out the distance as being, 340 kms / 211 miles (NW).

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Unlucky Dutch...

Antrim Marina - Monday 3rd October 2022

My 10th weekly visit to Antrim Marina, saw another poor showing by the Black-headed Gulls.  With over a 120 birds being present last Monday, overall numbers present at any one time today never exceeded the 60 mark.  It was a dull, cloudy day with a slight breeze and occasional spits of rain at first, but by 12:30 the rain came on pretty heavily.

On my arrival, about 50 Black-headed's were present, and numbers went up and down like a yoyo.  The colour-ring of -  2CSR , was the first to be read at 09:05, with -  2FDK , being the 11th ring read at 09:38.  After this time, there were large gaps in ring sightings, with the 19th and final ring of -  2AAA , being read at 12:03.  I'm always glad to record -  2AAA , as it was the first gull to be ringed belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Study.  At 9 years, 10 months and 21 days since being ringed, I'm hoping -  2AAA  will surpass the 10 year mark.

When I arrived, I was on the lookout for 35 colour-rings which have been recorded so far this autumn/winter, which includes one bird that was caught and ringed last month.  I had 16 absentees altogether today, which is quite a high number, and no new returnees were recorded.

All in all, this visit was very slow and boring.  Conversations with a couple of Antrim folk, saw them telling me of high numbers of gulls in some of the towns housing estates.  This is no good to me, as I cannot go round peoples houses looking for ringed birds.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 3rd October 2022

2CSR	2FHX	2FFA	2FHV	2FHP	2CSB	2FIF
2FFF	2AAB	2FIA	2FDK	2CTC	2FFX	2FIK
2ABL	2AAK	2CJT	2ABN	2AAA

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina This Autumn/Winter but Absent Today

2AAN	2ABA	2ABS	2ACV	2BRA	2CSA	2CSK	2CSL
2CSX	2FFC	2FFP	2FHA	2FHC	2FHJ	2FIH	2FIJ

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

There were no Mute Swans present when I arrived today, but the usual four cygnets arrived without their parents at 10:55.  They quickly came to hand for a feed of bread, and at 12:10, their parents arrived.

Mallard numbers remained fairly static with around 50 on my arrival, with possibly the same number present when I departed just after 12:30.

The only Common Gull seen during my visit, arrived at 09:33 and was still present when I departed.  Really surprised by the lack of visiting birds at this stage of the autumn season, and still no sign of the metal-rung Scottish bird.  No sign of the resident Herring Gull, but the one that appeared at 11:09, is likely to be the same bird that appeared here last Monday.

A single Hooded Crow and just four Jackdaws were recorded, and a small flock of Long-tailed Tits fed amongst the branches of the Crack Willow tree for a short period. 

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From Steven Fyffe and Suzanne Belshaw

On the 29th September 2022, I received an email from Steven Fyffe, which contained several photos of a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull, spotted at Lady Bay, on Lough Neagh, Co. Antrim.  Steven thought the Orange ring might have read - 1215 or possibly 1715.  Looking through the series of photos, I was sure that the colour-ring was Red, but I could not make out the code.  If it was a British-rung bird, the code would begin with the number 2, which is the case for all colour-ringed British-rung Black-headed Gulls and Common Gulls - this I explained to Steven in my reply.  I suggested that the bird could be Scottish, as the Borders Ringing Group, use Red Darvics at their Elvanfoot site in South Lanarkshire.

I also copied Suzanne Belshaw into my reply, with the hope that she would visit the site if she had time, and could perhaps 'nail' this one.  Suzanne has a Nikon P900 camera, which like my Nikon P1000, can zoom out over long distances.  Suzanne duly obliged, and on the following day found the gull at Lady Bay, and captured the code -  22L5 .  Having sent an email to the project involved and with no reply being received, I submitted the bird to the BTO by its colour-marks only.

At the same time, I submitted another couple of ring sightings, and I have already received recoveries for those birds, but nothing for -  22L5 .  With it now being Friday 7th October, there is still no word of a recovery for this bird, which makes me think, that the original ringing details have not as yet, been submitted to the BTO and therefore a recovery cannot be generated.  In these circumstances, the BTO will contact the ringer or ringing group, to request the details.

Black-headed Gull  -   22L5   -  Lady Bay, Lough Neagh, Co. Antrim  (30 Sep 2022)

(Waiting for the Ringing Details)

(Photo by Suzanne Belshaw)

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From Cameron Moore

Cameron Moore has been in touch regarding a juvenile Herring Gull that he spotted on the Whitehead seafront in County Antrim.  Later, after the photo arrived, I emailed Graham Prole who is the ringing coordinator for the Irish Midlands Ringing Group.

 K09:D , was ringed as a chick, on the 18th June 2022, on Ireland's Eye Island in County Dublin, Republic of Ireland.  21 days later, the gull was still on the island when spotted on the 9th July.  Cameron's sighting on the 1st October 2022, comes 3 months and 13 days since being ringed.  The distance from Ireland's Eye to Whitehead, is 151 kms / 94 miles (N).

My thanks to Graham for supplying the details, and to Cameron for his sighting report and photo.  A couple of weeks ago, Cameron was on the phone to me, to state that things have been very quiet at Whitehead as regards to ring sightings, especially those of Sandwich Terns.  I have read reports that some Sandwich Tern colonies were severely affected by outbreaks of 'Bird Flu', which may have had led to the lack of birds spotted on passage this autumn.

Juvenile Herring Gull  -   K09:D   -  Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (01 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2022, on Ireland's Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of Cameron Moore)

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Death of -  T61:D

Whilst browsing through the European colour-ring Birding (cr-birding) Facebook account, I came across a photo showing the remains of a Juvenile Great Black-backed Gull -  T61:D .  The entry date was given as the 22nd September 2022, but the photographer Hilary Thompson gave no details as to where the bird was found.  In the comments, I asked for the location of the find, but have not found any reply.

The gull was ringed as a chick, on the 18th June 2022, on Ireland's Eye Island in County Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland.  It's was first re-sighted by James Young, on the 12th September 2022, when the young gull landed on his fishing boat, just off the coast from Portavogie in County Down.  The duration at the time, was 2 months and 25 days since being ringed, and the distance from Ireland's Eye, was 124 kms / 77 miles (NNE).  

I will not add Hilary's photo, as I have not received permission to add it to this post.  Looking at the photo of -  T61:D  taken by James Young, the bird looks to be perfectly healthy, but at the latest, 10 days had passed when the gull was found dead.

Juvenile Great Black-backed Gull  -   T61:D   -  At Sea, Portavogie, Co. Down  (12 Sep 20220

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2022, on Ireland's Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

(Photo Courtesy of James Young)

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Ballykelly and Myroe Levels

On Saturday 1st October, and again on Sunday 2nd October, I visited Ballykelly and the nearby Myroe Levels situated on the shores of Lough Foyle in County Londonderry.  Saturday saw strong winds with occasional heavy showers of rain, whilst Sunday was fairly calm.  Two weeks ago, I recorded 10 colour-ringed gulls at these same sites over two days, and having noted thousands of gulls, this spurred me on to have another go looking for rings this weekend.

It became a frustrating two days, as having scoped many hundreds of legs, I only found one colour-ringed bird on each day.  On Saturday, I found a colour-ringed Oystercatcher on the Myroe Levels, and on Sunday, re-sighted a Black-headed Gull which I recorded at Ballykelly a fortnight ago.

I took a very long distance photograph of the Oystercatcher on the Myroe Levels, which had it's metal ring placed on the right tibia, with one yellow ring on each tarsus.  I made a search on the International Wader Study Group Database, in order to find out where this bird had come from.  The only match that I could find, was that of a Spanish project, where the yellow ring on the right tarsus should have numerals inscribed onto it.

A Spanish Oystercatcher in Northern Ireland did not seem right to me, so I emailed Wader expert Richard de Fue, for his opinion.  Richard replied to say that this bird was likely to be from the Waddensea area in the Netherlands, and both rings should have letters.  Looking at these rings, it would appear that the lettering has worn away.  Even at that, if the letters were still present, I doubt if I could have captured them from the distance between the bird and myself.  Pity about this one, as it would have been my first Dutch Oystercatcher.

Colour-Ringed Oystercatcher  -  Myroe Levels, Lough Foyle, Co. Londonderry  (01 Oct 2022)

The Black-headed Gull that I re-sighted at Ballykelly was that of -  2JH7 .  Two weeks ago, I first came across this bird on the shore at Ballykelly, and today it was feeding in a field just inland from the same shore.  I managed to capture the code, despite this being one of the longest distance photos that I have ever taken, successfully capturing the code.

 2JH7 , was ringed as an adult male, on the 28th February 2021, at Blackness Castle in Falkirk, Scotland.  My two sightings are the only ones for this bird, with the duration since being ringed now being 1 year, 7 months and 4 days.  The distance to Ballykelly, is 246 kms / 152 miles (WSW).

Black-headed Gull  -   2JH7   -  Ballykelly, Lough Foyle, Co. Londonderry  (02 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 28th February 2021, at Blackness Castle, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland)

Two weeks ago here at Ballykelly, I spotted a Black-headed Gull colour-ringed -  2Y37 .  I submitted this bird by its colour-marks, but have yet to receive a recovery.  However, while on my BTO DemOn account, I noticed that a metal number had been added to my sighting, which meant the BTO has the ringing details, though a recovery has yet to be sent.  I used the metal number as if entering a new sighting and found a ringing date - 12th June 2021, with the bird having been ringed as a chick.

This ties in with two other Black-headed Gulls on my Ring Reading Spreadsheet -  2Y57  &  2Y52 , both having been recorded in Northern Ireland.  All three of these gulls were ringed as chicks, on the 12th June 2021, at the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust Nature Reserve at Martin Mere, in Lancashire, England.

Despite not having a recovery, I was able to add the duration and distance for -  2Y37 .  Spotted on the 17th September 2022, the duration is now 1 year, 3 months and 5 days since being ringed, and the distance to Ballykelly, is roughly 314 kms / 195 miles (NW).

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