Where Are The Gulls...

Antrim Marina - Monday 21st November 2022

Having experienced a poor showing from the Black-headed Gulls on last Monday's weekly visit, this week was just as bad.  It rained throughout the visit, and having to remain in the car to try and keep dry, no matter how I positioned my car, the rain still managed to get in through the open window.  On my arrival, just 19 Black-headed Gulls were present, and the first colour-ring read was that of -  2FIL  at 9:15.  More Black-headed Gulls arrived within no time at all, and by 10:12, the ring of -  2BRA , was the 18th to be read.  By now, at least 60 Black-headed Gulls were present, but then numbers started to drop off.  From this point, only a further six colour-rings were read, giving a total of 24 for the visit.

Of 41 colour-rings to look out for, this meant I had 17 absentees today, and no more returnees were recorded.  It was really boring, due to the lack of birds present, and as the rain began to fall even heavier around 12:30, I decided to leave for home.  I took a photo of the gulls present as I was leaving, with particularly all birds standing about the car park, these numbering around 40 altogether. 

Black-headed Gulls Spread Around Car Park on my Departure

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 21st November 2022

2FIL	2AAN	2FHX	2AAA	2FDK	2FFA	2ABL	2AAB
2ACV	2ABN	2CSB	2CJT	2FIF	2FFF	2CSA	2CSR
2FIA	2BRA	2AAK	2FFX	2FHJ	2FHP	2FIK	2CTC

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

2ABA	2ABS	2CSK	2CSL	2CSX	2FDJ	2FDX	2FFC	2FFL
2FFP	2FFT	2FHA	2FHC	2FHV	2FIH	2FIJ	2FIN

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On parking close to the slipway at the Marina, I noticed straightaway that there were only two cygnets present along with their parents.  Recently, one of the cygnets would stray away from the family group, but would re-join them later in the morning.  Of the two youngsters present, one along with it's mother walked up to my car looking for a feed of bread.  Eventually, the second youngster exited the river to make it's way over, but this one was limping very heavily, having to flap it's wings to keep it's balance.  This one plonked down beside my car, but after a while, I had to lift the bird and place it back onto the water for it's own safety.  

Shortly before I departed, a third youngster appeared.  At this point, a man with his dog approached the slipway, and though the dog was on a lead, he allowed the dog to confront the three 'hissing' cygnets.  Once again, we have a dog owner, who blatantly ignores the need to keep dogs away from wildlife.  It would not surprise me in the least, if the injured cygnet, was the result of being chased by a dog.

Around 11am, an adult Mute Swan swam in from Lough Neagh, only to be chased off by the resident pair.  I reckon that this may be the same bird that managed to come onto the slipway last week.

Mallard numbers continue to be shocking low.  17 were counted on my arrival, and at the time of my departure, only 12 birds remained.  Again, for this time of the year, upwards of a hundred ducks should normally be present.

One adult Common Gull was present throughout today's visit, and a second adult arrived at 10:55, followed by a juvenile at 11:03.  Still no sign of the Scottish metal-rung bird.  The resident Herring Gull arrived at 10:45 and was still present when I departed.

Just 2 Jackdaws and a male Pied Wagtail, were the only other species noted today.  What is going on with the birds at Antrim Marina - I've never known it to be so poor here.

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From Lindsay Hodges

Lindsay Hodges has been in touch again with a couple of ring sightings at Ballyholme and one at Kinnegar Beach.  Lindsay has recently moved into the Ballyholme area, so I suspect, that I will hear a lot more from him in the future.

In my previous post, I reported on two Black-headed Gull sightings made by Lindsay at Ballyholme, and in my reply, I stated that another regular that can be found at Ballyholme is -  2ABT .  No sooner said, when on the 18th November 2022, Lindsay spotted -  2ABT  at Luke's Point in Ballyholme, along with his second sighting of the Polish Black-headed Gull -  TRX9 .

 2ABT , has a long history of sightings, with this one being the 30th overall.  The gull was ringed as an adult male at Ballyholme on the 24th January 2013.  During the winter months since being ringed, the gull has often been recorded wintering at Ballyholme, but in the summer months the bird has been recorded on several occasions at Sandy Bay in Larne, Co. Antrim.  It was suspected that -  2ABT  may well be nesting on the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve on Larne Lough.  On the 3rd July 2022, I photographed -  2ABT  on the shore in front of Glynn railway station, which is as close as you can get to the island without the use of a boat.  The duration since being ringed, is now 9 years, 9 months and 25 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2ABT   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down  (18 Nov 2022)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Hodges)

As mentioned above, the second Black-headed Gull was the Polish -  TRX9 .  See my previous post for this birds account (read).

Black-headed Gull  -   TRX9   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down  (18 Nov 2022)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Hodges)

Whilst on my tea-break at work on the night of the 22nd November 2022, I received another email from Lindsay, this time containing a sighting of a Bar-tailed Godwit which was spotted earlier that day.  I recognised the bird as one which was recently spotted by Suzanne Belshaw at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, situated near to David's sighting on Kinnegar Beach on Belfast Lough.

By the time that I surfaced on the following day, David's sighting had already been sorted.  David had sent a copy of his photo to his brother who works for the RSPB in England, who suggested that the Godwit was from Norway.  The Norwegians were then contacted, and a reply quickly followed.

The bird, ringed with a plain 'red' ring on the left tibia, and a 'yellow flag' inscribed with the letters 'PVE' on the right tibia, was ringed as an unsexed juvenile, on the 21st August 2022, at the Revtangen Ornithological Station on the south-west coast of Norway.  The distance was given as 829 kms / 515 miles (WSW), and the duration since being ringed, was 3 months and 1 day.  Suzanne's sighting of this bird, was made on the 14th September 2022.

My thanks again goes to Lindsay for these sightings, along with the photos.  

Bar-tailed Godwit  -  R-Yf(PVE)  -  Kinnegar Beach, Belfast Lough, Co. Down  (22 Nov 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Juvenile, on the 21st August 2022, at Revtangen, Rogaland, Norway)

(Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Hodges)

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From David Knight

David Knight emailed me concerning a juvenile Common Gull that he spotted on the 19th November 2022 at Bessbrook Pond in Bessbrook, Co. Armagh.  The bird bore a White Darvic inscribed - JU434.  Knowing this was from Norway, I submitted the bird onto the live 'Norwegian Ringing Database', and instantly obtained the ringing details.

It was ringed as a chick, on the 7th July 2022, at Sortland in northern Norway.  David's sighting was the first for this young gull, having travelled a whopping 1,965 kms / 1,220 miles (SW).  The duration since being ringed, was 4 months and 12 days.

My thanks to David for reporting this sighting to me, and for allowing me to add this to my blog along with the photo.  This is David's second contribution, having reported a Herring Gull at the same site back in February 2022.

Juvenile Common Gull  -  (White)  JU434  -  Bessbrook Pond, Bessbrook, Co. Armagh  (19 Nov 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 7th July 2022, at Sortland, Nordland, Norway)

(Photo Courtesy of David Knight)

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Boring...

What a weekend!!!  Having checked out the County Antrim Coast from Cushendall to Belfast over Saturday and Sunday, not a single ringed bird was spotted.  Well, not exactly, as I did spot a metal-rung Common Gull at Carnlough Beach, though I stood no chance of reading that ring.

Monday's visit to Antrim Marina, was a poor one as well.  All in all, this was a very frustrating weekend.  The tides were not really in my favour, so hopefully with this weekends tides being more favourable, a few rings will be recorded.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 14th November 2022

On leaving my home in Ballymena, it was teeming down with rain which cleared as I approached the town of Antrim.  Due to heavy traffic, it took me 20 minutes to reach the Marina from Antrim's Junction One Shopping Centre, arriving at 9:15.  Just 8 Black-headed Gulls were present, which included two colour-ringed birds -  2FHX  and  2FIF .

The morning remained cloudy and calm, and it was really mild for this time of the year.  I was on the lookout for 41 colour-ringed Black-headed Gull which have been recorded here so far this winter, and included three birds caught and ringed over recent weeks.

As the morning wore on, it became evident that this was going to be another poor visit, as Black-headed Gull numbers just about reached the 60 mark altogether.  Only 23 colour-ringed birds were recorded, meaning I had 18 absentees, and no new returnees were recorded.  My attempts to catch one or two more gulls for ringing resulted in a complete failure.  Before this, a Chinese gent had arrived to feed the ducks with a shopping bag full of bread, but seeing as there were so few ducks about, the gulls had more than their fair share.

This was easily one of the most boring visits that I have ever made to Antrim Marina, and I was really glad to have several passers by stopping for a chat about what I was doing.  This helped to fill in the time, and these people parted with a better knowledge of the gulls and their movements.

I really do need a change in the weather, a few frosty nights should help in bringing the gulls back to the Marina.  On reflection, gull numbers here have seemingly dropped off by a long way since the building of the Gateway Centre.

Just as I was about to leave at 1pm, more Black-headed Gulls began to arrive, but I still had to head home to grab a couple of hours kip, before starting my evening shift at work.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 14th November 2022

2FHX	2FIF	2AAK	2FFF	2FFA	2FFX	2CJT	2BRA
2FHA	2ABL	2CTC	2FHJ	2FIL	2FIN	2FDJ	2CSR
2FFC	2AAA	2AAN	2ACV	2FDK	2CSA	2FHP

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

2AAB	2ABA	2ABN	2ABS	2CSB	2CSK	2CSL	2CSX	2FDX
2FFL	2FFP	2FFT	2FHC	2FHV	2FIA	2FIH	2FIJ	2FIK

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

The first thing that I noticed on parking beside the slipway, was that there were no Mallards.  By the time that I departed at 1pm, only 12 Mallards were present - so what is going on with the ducks?  At this time of the year, numbers should be reaching the 100 mark.  I thought last Monday's total of 20 birds was poor, but it was even worse today.

Barring 8 Black-headed Gulls, a juvenile Herring Gull and the Mute Swan family, with just three of the four cygnets present, the Marina was eerily quite.  The fourth cygnet eventually arrived at 10:15 from upriver to join the rest of the family.

The resident adult Herring Gull appeared at 10:21, and immediately found a dead fish on the small sandy beach to feed on.  Shortly afterwards, Council Wardens arrived to clear up the debris lying strewn across the beach, and they found a total of three dead fish.  One is understandable, but three!!!

By coincidence, mid morning saw the arrival of the Fisheries Protection Agency, along with a man from the NIEA (Northern Ireland Environment Agency), and they went out onto Lough Neagh in a small 'Rib'.  When they later arrived back to the Marina, I learnt that they were taking water samples to be examined.  They too, were surprised to learn of the three dead fish, which they collected to be examined as well.

A juvenile Common Gull arrived at 9:55, and remained for about an hour.  A second adult Herring Gull appeared at 10:39, followed by two adult Common Gulls around 11am.  Neither Common Gull was ringed, so I'm still awaiting the small Scottish-rung bird.

A juvenile Great-Crested Grebe, was spotted fishing close to the slipway at 10:05, at which point, I realised I had forgot to bring my camera.  A Kingfisher was spotted zooming along in front of the Marina on three occasions.

A pair of Hooded Crows appeared briefly, and just four Jackdaws were noted.  Jackdaw numbers are really low as compared to previous winters.  A male Pied Wagtail, was the only other species to be recorded otherwise.

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From Suzanne Belshaw

Suzanne Belshaw has been in touch concerning her latest Black-headed Gull re-sightings.  The first of the three was made in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, where she spotted -  2ACP  on the 6th October 2022.   2ACP , was amongst the first Black-headed Gulls to be ringed belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study, which I now respond to.

It was ringed as an unsexed adult, on the 9th February 2013, in the car park of Sprucefield Shopping Centre, situated 2 kms / 1 mile away from Suzanne's sighting in Lisburn.  This latest sighting, is now the 33rd record for the gull, having been spotted either at Sprucefield or in Lisburn during the autumn and winter months.  Since being ringed, it has been recorded at least once every winter.  The duration now stands at 9 years, 8 months and 28 days.  I wonder where this bird breeds during the summer months.

Black-headed Gull  -   2ACP   -  Lisburn, Co. Antrim  (06 Nov 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 9th February 2013, at Sprucefield Shopping Centre, Co. Down)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

On the 8th November, Suzanne visited the lake at Lurgan Park in County Armagh, where she recorded two Black-headed Gulls, both of which were re-sightings.  The first, a metal-rung bird -  EZ02451 , was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2017, at the Elvanfoot colony in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

This latest sighting, is the 13th overall since the gull was ringed, with 12 of these having been made by Suzanne here at Lurgan Park.  The location of one sighting is unknown, as I found the record on the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database, though I'm fairly certain that this was also at Lurgan Park and the date was given as the 13th October 2017.

The first ever sighting since being ringed, was made on the 7th September 2017, when the then juvenile was spotted by Suzanne.  The gull has been recorded at Lurgan Park at least once every winter since 2017, with it's last sighting before today, having been made on the 12th January 2022.

The duration since being ringed, is now 5 years, 4 months and 19 days, and the distance from Elvanfoot, is 202 kms / 125 miles (WSW).  Normally, the Clyde Ringing Group, would colour-ring their Black-headed Gulls at the Elvanfoot colony (Red Darvics), but I can remember an email conversation that I had with Iain Livingstone, that, on that particular day, they ran out of colour-rings, as there were far more chicks around than had been expected, and this was why -  EZ02451  was given a metal ring only.

Black-headed Gull  -   EZ02451   -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (08 Nov 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2017, at Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire, Scotland)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

The second Black-headed Gull -  2FCK , is a juvenile that would have been ringed as a chick in June 2022.  Suzanne fell in with the youngster on the 26th October 2022, and reported her sighting to Ben Dolan from the West Midlands Ringing Group.  Ben redirected Suzanne to report her sighting via their new online database.  Suzanne did so, with the results being a trifle vague.  The first line, that would normally give the ringing details, gave sighting 07-06-2022, Marsh Lane, Meriden, also the code -  2FCK .  It did not state whether the bird was ringed as a chick, nor was a metal-number given.

On a personal note, I have had problem's with these type of online reporting systems, especially the lack of a metal number.  One ringing coordinator said I should use the colour-code as an index on my spreadsheets, but the problem here is with the code.  Several ringing projects will use the same combination of numbers and letters, the only difference being the colour of the ring.  For example, here in Northern Ireland, I have three - 2BBC's -  2BBC  on a Black-headed Gull,  2BBC  on a Common Gull and  2BBC  also on another Common Gull.  If it weren't for the metal numbers, the records for each of the BBC's would end up getting mixed amongst each other.  This shows how important it is to obtain the metal number in order to keep each birds history together as individuals.  Even the BTO regards the metal number as being more important than the colour-rings used.

With this latest sighting of -  2FCK , Suzanne was left with the dilemma as what to do with this sighting.  I decided to submit the sighting directly to the BTO in the hope that they could generate a recovery by the colour-marks only.  Unfortunately, they were not able to find a match on their system, which means that the ringing details have not been submitted or submitted without the colour-marks.  In turn, they sent an email to Ben Dolan, to supply me with the bird's ringing details and ring number.  I have not heard from Ben as yet, but I have a feeling that he will redirect me to their website, which is pointless.

I am assuming that -  2FCK  was ringed as a chick, on the 7th June 2022, today's sighting would therefore take the duration to 5 months and 1 day.  I went onto Google Maps to work out the distance, which is around 382 kms / 237 miles (NW).

Suzanne, also brought to my attention, the sighting of another colour-ringed Black-headed Gull which was recently spotted at Lurgan Park Lake.  This bird, rung -  2HCJ , was spotted on the West Midlands Ringing Group Twitter account by Suzanne, and was posted on the 14th October 2022.  I sent an email to the finder - Ronan Owens, requesting any details that he had received for his sighting, but Ronan has not replied.

My thanks goes to Suzanne once again for these latest sightings along with the photos.

Juvenile Black-headed Gull  -   2FCK   -  Lurgan Park Lake, Lurgan, Co. Armagh  (08 Nov 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 7th June 2022, at Marsh Lane Nature Reserve, West Midlands, England)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

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From Lindsay Hodges

On Wednesday 16th November 2022, I received an email from Lindsay Hodges concerning his sighting of a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull -  2CLV , at Luke's Point in Ballyholme, Co. Down.  Initially, Lindsay reported the sighting to my Ringing Trainer - Richard Donaghey, who knew that I responded to sightings of these BHGs belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Study.  Also in the email, was the sighting of a Polish Black-headed Gull, also recorded at Luke's Point a few days earlier.

The Polish bird -  TRX9 , was spotted on the 10th November by Lindsay, but is no stranger to Luke's Point.  Ringed as a chick, on the 5th June 2019, on Lake Rynskie near Ryn in north-east Poland,  TRX9  was first recorded in Northern Ireland last winter, having been recorded at Luke's Point on the 12th September 2021 by a John O'Boyle.  A further three sightings were reported by George Gordon (x2) and Anthony McGeehan in October and December 2021, and in February 2022.  The final sighting of the 2021/2022 winter, was made by Suzanne Belshaw on the 17th March 2022, with the gull remaining at Luke's Point.

At that time, I wondered if - TRX9  would return for a second winter, and the gull duly arrived back to Ballyholme on the 19th July 2022, when recorded by David Bellamy & Robert Fisher.  The next two sightings before this latest sighting by Lindsay, was made by Suzanne Belshaw on the 6th August 2022, and by myself, on the 28th August 2022.

The duration since being ringed, is now 3 years, 5 months and 5 days, and the distance from Ptasia Wyspa Island to Luke's Point, is 1,760 kms / 1,093 miles (W), as given in the BTO Recoveries.  Before being recorded in Northern Ireland, the gull's first re-sighting was made on the 4th August 2019, when the then juvenile was spotted at Ringstone Edge Reservoir in West Yorkshire, England.

Black-headed Gull  -   TRX9   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down  (10 Nov 2022)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Hodges)

Lindsay's sighting of Black-headed Gull -  2CLV  at Luke's Point (15th November 2022), was warmly welcomed, as this was now the 8th sighting record overall since being ringed.   2CLV , was ringed as a chick, on the 16th June 2017, at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  The then juvenile's first re-sighting was made by Cameron Moore on the 28th August 2017, in the coastal town of Whitehead in County Antrim, 10 kms / 6 miles (SE) from Larne Lough.

The gull then went unrecorded until the 27th February 2019, when it was spotted here at Luke's Point by Suzanne Belshaw.  There were no sightings in 2020, and then in January 2021, George Gordon recorded -  2CLV  at Luke's Point on the 4th & 7th.

A breeding season sighting was reported by Peregrine enthusiast - Jim Wells, having spotted the gull at Bangor Harbour in County Down, on the 16th June 2021.  This left me wondering - where was this gull nesting, as the nearest breeding colonies that I know of, would be at Groomsport Harbour, Big Copeland Island, the RSPB's WoW Reserve in Belfast or WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, all rather distant, except for Groomsport Harbour.  In the past, I have seen a Black-headed Gull on the island at Groomsport Harbour on a couple of occasions, but was unable to capture the code on the Orange Darvic, due to the distance from the shore.  Could this possibly be -  2CLV ?

Before this latest sighting by Lindsay, George Gordon recorded two further sightings at Luke' Point, on the 3rd October 2021 and on the 17th February 2022.  Overall, there are really few sightings altogether, which suggests that -  2CLV  is wintering in the Ballyholme area, but infrequently visits Luke's Point.  The duration since being ringed, is now 5 years, 4 months and 30 days, and the distance from Larne Lough, is 19 kms / 11 miles (SE).

My thanks goes to Lindsay for these sighting reports, and for his permission to add these to my blog along with the photos.  I informed Lindsay of another Black-headed Gull to watch out for at Luke's Point, this one being -  2ABT , which has a good re-sighting record.

Black-headed Gull  -   2CLV   -  Luke's Point, Ballyholme, Co. Down  (15 Nov 2022)

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

(Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Hodges)

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Record High...

Antrim Marina - Monday 7th November 2022

When I departed from my home in Ballymena to drive to Antrim Marina, is was raining quite steadily, but thankfully on my arrival it had stopped.  It was cloudy and windy throughout my visit, with a forecast of more rain and stronger winds later in the day.

Just 18 Black-headed Gulls were counted on my arrival shortly after 9am, with -  2ABN  being the first ring to be read at 9:10.  Numbers quickly built up, with 16 colour-rings having been read by 10:01.  The maximum number of BHGs was estimated to be around the 100 mark, which for this time of the year, is still quite low.  Some of the colour-ringed gulls were clearly coming and going, so overall numbers would have been slightly higher.

I arrived with a list of 41 colour-ringed gulls to look out for, which included three birds that have been caught and ringed this winter.  No further returnees were recorded this week, and altogether 24 colour-rings were read by the time that I departed just after 12:30.  Ever thickening cloud made it look quite dark by this time.   2FFL , which was a returnee recorded last Monday, was recorded again today.  Of the two gulls that were caught and ringed last Monday ( 2FIL  &  2FIN ), only  2FIL  was spotted today.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 7th November 2022

2ABN	2AAK	2FIL	2AAA	2FHX	2FIF	2FFF	2FFA
2CTC	2FHP	2CSB	2CJT	2CSA	2CSR	2ABL	2FIK
2AAN	2FHC	2FDK	2FFP	2FDJ	2FFL	2ABS	2FIH

With 17 absentees, I was not particularly happy with my visit today.  In recent days around my home town of Ballymena, I have noticed large flocks of Black-headed Gull feeding in grass fields.  I'm now wondering if the amount of rainfall that has fallen over the last week or so, may perhaps be making it easier for the gulls to find food.  If this is also the case around Antrim, it would explain why I had so many missing gulls.

When I arrived this morning, little 'runty' was walking along the car park close to the in/out barrier, and I had to laugh to myself, when the gull saw me parking in my usual spot, those little legs worked at top speed as it walked back across the car park to my car.  I gave the gull it's fill of brown bread and I'm really pleased to see that it has survived so far.

I mentioned that the one-legged Black-headed Gull has not been seen recently, but at 9:15, whilst 'runty' was getting it's feed, the one legged gull started hovering in front of me looking for a feed as well.  Later, before I departed, I made another attempt to catch another gull or two for ringing.  Due to a few people having arrived to feed the ducks, they were not keen to come near me whilst I fed the swans, hoping to make a catch in the process.

As I finish this post on Friday afternoon (11th November), the news gave that last night saw a record high temperature for November in Northern Ireland.  Perhaps a few frosty nights would help to increase the number gulls visiting the Marina.

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

2AAB	2ABA	2ACV	2BRA	2CSK	2CSL	2CSX	2FDX	2FFC
2FFT	2FFX	2FHA	2FHJ	2FHV	2FIA	2FIJ	2FIN

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On parking at my usual spot beside the short concrete jetty, very few birds were present.  Other than the 18 Black-headed Gulls, the Mute Swan family with the four cygnets and just 20 Mallards were counted.  Over the course of the morning, the most noticeable non event, was the lack of Mallards arriving.  A further count just before I departed around 12:30, again gave a total of 20 birds.  What's going on here?, as numbers should be reaching anywhere from 60 to 100+ ducks at this time of the year.

Except for a short stint upriver, the Swan family were present throughout my visit.  Again, for this time of the year, more Mute Swans would normally be present.  Perhaps, over the last couple of months, other swans have arrived only to be chased off by the resident pair.  With one brief weekly visit, what does happen here concerning the swans, cannot be accessed properly.

The first adult Common Gull arrived at 9:30, followed by two other adults at 9:50 and 11:40.  All three were still present when I departed, and there is still no sign of the Scottish metal-rung bird.  The resident adult Herring Gull arrived at 9:50, with a second adult, a female arriving at 11:25.  A juvenile Herring Gull appeared at 11:55, and judging by it's reaction, this bird has not been here before.  It was keeping it's distance from people and eventually decided to park itself on the roof of the Gateway Centre.

A pair of Hooded Crows, 6 Jackdaws and a single Pied Wagtail, were the only other species noted today.

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From Luke Geraty

Recently, I received an email from my 'Ring Reading' counterpart in Dublin - Graham Prole, who redirected an email from a Luke Geraty.  Whilst visiting the Grangecastle Business Park in the City of Dublin on the 5th November 2022, Luke spotted two colour-ringed gulls, one a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull belonging to the Isle of Man -  G74:M , with the second bird being a Black-headed Gull -  2CJF , which belongs to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Study, which I now respond to.

Just for interest, Mark Fitzpatrick, who is the ringing coordinator for Manx ringed gulls replied to Luke concerning -  G74:M .  The bird was ringed as a chick, on the 4th July 2022, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man.  Luke's sighting was the first for this gull, coming 4 months and 1 day since being ringed.  The distance is roughly 134 kms / 83 miles (SW).

 2CJF , was ringed as a chick, on the 3rd July 2016. at the RSPB's Blue Circle Island Reserve on Larne Lough, Co. Antrim.  The first re-sighting was made by myself, on the 26th August 2018, when I came across -  2CJF , on the shore of Kinnegar Beach situated on the Co. Down side of Belfast Lough.  From March 2019 to September 2021, the gull was recorded on Kinnegar Beach, or at the nearby RSPB Window on Wildlife Reserve where it nested on nesting platform two (9 sightings in total).  

The bird's wintering site was unknown until December 2021, when it was spotted by Graham Prole at the Grangecastle Business Park in the City of Dublin.  The gull was still at the Business Park on the 19th January 2022 when recorded by Tom Carroll.  On the 24th February 2022,  2CJF  was back on Belfast Lough, having been spotted by Ronnie Doggart back on Kinnegar Beach.  During the past summer, I made several attempts to record -  2CJF , back on the RSPB WoW Reserve or on the Kinnegar Shore without any luck.

This latest sighting made by Luke at the Grangecastle Business Park, was brilliant to receive, as it now proves the gull is still alive and well, and also adds much time onto the bird's longevity.  The duration since being ringed, is now 6 years, 4 months and 2 days, and the distance from Larne Lough to the City of Dublin, is 171 kms / 106 miles (SSW).  My thanks goes to Luke for his sighting and for his permission to allow me to report on the sighting along with the photo.

Black-headed Gull  -   2CJF   -  Grangecastle Business Park, Dublin City, Republic of Ireland  (05 Nov 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 3rd July 2016, at RSPB Blue Circle Island NR, Larne Lough, Co. Antrim)

(Photo Courtesy of Luke Geraty)

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Sunday 6th November 2022

Having remained at home over the past three weekends due to being ill, I was looking forwards to getting out this weekend, but ended up going out on Sunday only.  I decided to visit sites around Belfast, but on the way, I called into the town of Antrim to check out a few sites.  In Antrim, I recorded two re-sightings, and in Belfast, I had no luck until I reached the Connswater Mudflats, where I had three re-sightings.

The first of two Black-headed Gulls to be found in Antrim, was my third record sighting of -  EA65722 , at the KFC car park.  It was ringed as a chick, on the 26th June 2021, at Marlingford Hall in Norfolk, England.  My sightings for this gull are the only ones so far, having previously recorded the gull at the KFC car park, on the 14th and 19th August 2022.  The duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 4 months and 11 days, and the distance from Norfolk to Antrim, is 536 kms / 333 miles (WNW).  It appears that -  EA65722  will remain in Antrim over the coming winter.

Black-headed Gull  -   EA65722   -  Antrim KFC, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (06 Nov 2022)

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

On reaching Antrim's Baptist Church, I was shocked to record the Polish-rung Black-headed Gull - (White) TY43.  A regular winter visitor to the church, I decided that the gull had died, as last winter, it was recorded on just the one occasion - 30th October 2021.  Even, over the past summer, I checked on a number of occasions on the 'Live Polish Ringing Database', to see if the gull had returned to Poland, but there were no entries.

(White) TY43, had been ringed as an unsexed 2nd Calendar Year Bird, on the 9th February 2012, in the Olsztyn area in Poland.  The first ever re-sighting, was made by Adam McClure, on the 29th October 2013, when he spotted the gull at Antrim Marina.  From then, this gull went unrecorded here in Northern Ireland, until the 16th October 2017, when I fell in with (White) TY43, here at the Baptist Church, which is now it's favoured wintering site.  Since 2017, I have now recorded the gull every winter at the church.  Back in Poland, the gull has been recorded back in the Olsztyn area in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The duration since being ringed, is now 10 years, 8 months and 28 days, and the distance to Antrim, is 1,725 kms / 1,071 miles (W), from Olsztyn.  Having already made several visits this winter to the church this winter, I really did not expect this sighting.

Black-headed Gull  -  (White)  TY43  -  Antrim Baptist Church, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (06 Nov 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 2nd Calendar Bird, on the 9th February 2012, at Olsztyn, Poland)

In Belfast, I was a trifle frustrated with no ring sightings until I reached the Connswater Mudflats on Belfast Harbour Industrial Estate.  Here, I re-sighted two Black-headed Gulls belonging to Adam McClure's former NI Study, with both birds being regular winter visitors to the area.  On these same mudflats, in the past, I have recorded colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls from Norway, Poland, Germany, Holland and Denmark.

The first of Adam's Black-headed Gulls to be recorded today, was -  2AJV .   2AJV , was ringed as a chick, on the 19th June 2014, at the WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre in County Down.  As a juvenile, it was first re-sighted on the 30th October 2014, by Scott O'Hara, at the Connswater Shopping Centre car park, which is fairly close to the mudflats here, and the nearby Victoria Park.  From 2015, with the exception of 2017 and 2019,  2AJV , has been recorded wintering mainly on the mudflats, but occasionally recorded at Victoria Park.  The only summer sighting, was made on the 25th May 2019, when the gull was spotted back at it's natal colony at Castle Espie.

The duration since being ringed, is now 8 years, 4 months and 18 days, and the distance from Castle Espie to the Connswater Mudflats, is 16 kms / 9 miles (NW).

Black-headed Gull  -   2AJV   -  Connswater Mudflats, Belfast Harbour Industrial Estate  (06 Nov 2022)

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

The second of Adam's Black-headed Gulls was -  2AKJ .   2AKJ , was ringed as a chick at Castle Espie, on the 15th June 2015.  The first re-sighting was made by myself on the 4th September 2016, when I came across the gull at Belfast's Victoria Park.  My next encounter was made on Christmas Day 2018, whilst feeding the gulls with bread at the car park on Connswater Road.  This car park serves to easily access both the Connswater Mudflats and Victoria Park.  During the winters of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, I recorded -  2AKJ  on the Connswater Mudflats.

The next series of sightings were made in the summer of 2021, and again during this past summer, when the gull was spotted back at it's natal colony at Castle Espie.  Although, I tried to locate -  2AKJ  last winter around Connswater and Victoria Park, I failed to locate the bird.  This winter, I fell in with the gull at Victoria Park on the 27th August, with today's sighting being the second for this winter.  The duration since being ringed is now 7 years, 4 months and 22 days, and the distance from Castle Espie, is 16 kms / 9 miles (NW).

Black-headed Gull  -   2AKJ   -  Connswater Mudflats, Belfast Harbour Industrial Estate  (06 Nov 2022)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 15th June 2015, at WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Co. Down)

On the mudflats, the number of Black-headed Gulls present, was the largest I have seen here, possibly pushing towards the 200 mark.  As it was quite late into the afternoon, more and more gulls steadily arrived.  This led me into prolonging my visit, and having already secured Adam's two gulls, a young couple stopped to ask if there was anything special.  They were quite interested, when I explained that I was looking for colour-coded rings on the gulls.  I even stated about a colour-ringed Scottish Oystercatcher which I was hoping to record, but I mistakenly said if got, the bird would be something like 18 years of age.

After a long chat, they proceeded on their way and were not even out of sight, when a small flock of Oystercatchers arrived.  Scoping through them, there was my Scottish bird, which hurriedly walked to the fresh water outlet to bathe.  The waiting game had now started, and I was a bit worried, as the light was beginning to go.  Eventually, the bird exited the river and I managed to capture the code.  On the left leg, a plain red ring was placed above the metal ring, and on the right leg, the red coded ring read - Y1 - (R-R(Y1).

R-R(Y1), was originally ringed with a metal ring only ( FA73649 ), as an unsexed adult, on the 29th March 1996, on the River Spey in Newtonmore, in the Highlands Region of Scotland.  The bird was caught on the 17th March 2018 at the same location, and was given a new metal ring ( FP48164 ), as well as having the colour-rings fitted.  Since then, all sightings of this bird has been recorded by myself.

I first came across - R-R(Y1), on the 11th August 2019, on Kinnegar Beach, which is only a few minutes drive away from the Connswater Mudflats.  Further sightings have all been made on the mudflats - February 2020, November 2020 and February 2022.  My latest sighting, actually takes the duration, to 26 years, 7 months and 8 days since the original ringing date (sorry folks if your reading this, as you left with a card for my blog).  The distance from Newtonmore, is 295 kms / 183 miles (SSW).

Oystercatcher  -  R-R(Y1)  -  Connswater Mudflats, Belfast Harbour Estate, Belfast  (06 Nov 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 29th March 1996, at Newtonmore, Highland Region, Scotland)

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On The Go Again...

Antrim Marina - Monday 31st October 2022

Having had to postpone my last two Monday visits to Antrim Marina due to a very bad kidney infection, I was looking forwards to my visit today.  With the schools being off for Halloween, it was a very quick trip from Ballymena to the Marina.  I arrived just before 9am, the weather conditions being cloudy with a light wind.

I was on the lookout for 38 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, which have been recorded here since the beginning of August, one of which, was caught and ringed this winter.  The first ring read at 9am, was that of -  2AAN  which was ringed here as an adult female back in December 2012.  Altogether, I read 30 colour-rings during today's visit, with 22 having been read by 10am.

Around 80 Black-headed Gulls were present when I arrived, with a max total of 120 being present as the morning wore on.  During each visit, the codes which have been recorded this winter are pre-written, so I only have to add the time for each bird spotted during my current visit.  At 9:10, I recorded -  2FFL , which was not on the list, so I instantly knew this gull was another returnee.

 2FFL , was caught and ringed here at the Marina, as a juvenile/1st winter bird, on the 14th December 2020.  It was subsequently recorded through to the 26th April 2021.  On resuming my weekly visits in August 2021,  2FFL  was recorded on the 9th August 2021, through to the 5th April 2022.  Seeing as I have not recorded this bird until now, I'm left wondering, could this gull be of foreign origin?

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (31 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 14th December 2020, at Antrim Marina)

As usual, some of the gulls were clearly coming and going, therefore the maximum total of 120 birds, would have been much higher if all had remained.  I noted that there was no sign of the one-legged (left leg) BHG, and I was pleased to see that little 'Runty' is still alive and well.  As soon as I parked my car in my usual spot, 'Runty' was very quick to arrive at the door for a feed of bread.  Although I have missed two visits, it has not forgotten me.

Among today's sightings was -  2CSK .  This gull was recorded during my first visit for this autumn/winter season at the start of August, but has been absent here until today.  I did however, spot -  2CSK , on the 19th August 2022, at the Junction One Shopping Centre on the outskirts of Antrim Town.

The 9th gull to be recorded today, was -  2AAA .  This gull was the very first bird to be colour-ringed here at Antrim Marina, belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study.  Ringed as an adult male, the duration as of today, is 9 years, 11 months and 19 days.  Since those early day's of Adam's project, many individuals have since died, but -  2AAA  is now close to becoming the first gull to surpass the 10 year mark.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 31st October 2022

2AAN	2CTC	2FFA	2ABL	2CJT	2ACV	2FDK	2FHC	2AAA	2ABA
2FIF	2CSR	2FFL	2ABN	2FHP	2FFP	2CSB	2FHA	2AAK	2FFF
2FFX	2FHX	2BRA	2CSK	2CSA	2FDJ	2FIK	2FHJ	2FFC	2ABS

Also among today's re-sightings was -  2FHJ .  It was first recorded back at the Marina on the 22nd August 2022, with it's last appearance having being recorded on the 26th September 2022.  This gull was caught and ringed here as a juvenile/1st winter bird, on the 6th September 2021.  The duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 1 month and 25 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHJ   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (31 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 6th September 2021, at Antrim Marina)

Among today's absentees is -  2CSL .  So far this autumn/winter season,  2CSL  has only been recorded on the one occasion at the Marina - (2nd August 2022).  I fell in with this gull at Antrim's KFC outlet on the 8th September 2022, but have not seen it since.  This bird was ringed at Antrim Marina as an unsexed adult, on the 24th December 2017, and on the 29th March 2018, it was spotted in Olsztyn in Poland.  In Antrim, it has been recorded on 84 occasions since being ringed, so I'm hoping nothing has happened to this bird. 

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

2AAB	2CSL	2CSX	2FDX	2FFT	2FHV	2FIA	2FIH	2FIJ

Each Monday visit to the Marina normally lasts for four hours - roughly 9am to 1pm.  On arrival, most of my time is used to record the colour-rings on the Black-headed Gulls, but later, once most rings have been read, I would then try to catch one or two new birds to add to my project.  How successful I would be, depends on other visitors to the Marina.  With the use of the swans, I would entice the gulls by dropping bread at the feet of the swans, and as the gulls try to nip in to grab the bread, I would grab a bird and take it back to my car to be ringed.

However, on most occasions, people arrive to feed the ducks on bread, and sometimes the gulls would gain more of their share, making them harder to catch.  By this time of the year, the gulls are finding it harder to obtain natural food and would therefore make it easier to catch them.  Today, despite several feeds by visitors, I did manage to catch two second calendar year birds.  As they would have hatched during 2021, at least these gulls are of known age.  I do like to ring a number of juveniles each winter, though some might not survive through to the spring.  Although full adults cannot be aged, by ringing them, they are experienced birds and therefore likely to be recorded here for a number of years, though a few might just happen to be passing through on route to their wintering sites when captured.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (31 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 2nd Calendar Year Bird, on the 31st October 2022, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIN   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (31 Oct 2022)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 2nd Calendar Year Bird, on the 31st October 2022, at Antrim Marina)

With today's returnee, plus the two newly ringed birds, I will now be on the lookout for 41 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls on next Monday's visit.  Now that we are entering the month of November, I'll be especially looking for another two returnees.   2AFD , which was ringed here at the Marina in February 2014, is known to visit the Latvian capital of Riga (2015 & 2016).  Having been recorded back at Antrim last winter, it's last sighting was in Riga, on the 27th March 2022.

The second bird that I'm especially keen to record it's return is -  2FDL .  The last sighting of this bird was at a nesting colony at Råstasjön Nature Reserve, on the outskirts of Stockholm, on the 3rd April 2022.   2FDL  was caught and ringed at the Marina, as an unsexed adult in November 2019.  It was last recorded that winter on the 20th January 2020 and never appeared at all in 2021.  The gull reappeared here on the 31st January 2022, and was recorded for a second time on the 7th February 2022, before being spotted in Sweden.  With these ringing and sighting dates, this gull could return at any time from November to January, but I'm really hoping it will complete the circle from the Marina to Sweden and back to the Marina.

Other birds at Antrim Marina

The first thing that I noticed on parking beside the slipway at the Marina, was the Mute Swan family and they were missing a cygnet, fearing the worst, the 4th cygnet joined up with the rest of it's family at 10:24.  A rough count of the Mallards, gave me a total of around 50 birds on my arrival, with numbers rising slightly to a max of around 70 to 75 birds.  Still no rings on these birds.

The resident adult Herring Gull was present throughout my visit, and a juvenile made a brief appearance at 11am.  Common Gull numbers are still very low, with one adult appearing at 10:20, with a second adult appearing at 11:48.  Still no sign of the small Scottish metal-rung bird, which first appeared here as a juvenile in February 2014, and has been recorded every winter since.  Last winter, this gull made it's earliest ever return, having been recorded on the 16th August 2021.  My last sighting of this gull was made on the 3rd January 2022.

4 Hooded Crows, 1 Rook and 6 Jackdaws were noted today, as well as a pair of Pied Wagtails.

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