Sightings Galore....

I have had a very busy week in one way or another, hence publishing this post later than I had wanted to.  A multitude of ring sightings have been reported to me, so much so, that I am still trying to process everything.  On Rathlin Island, resident Ric Else, along with Hazel Watson, have reported a number of Common Gulls from my study on the island, having returned onto their breeding sites.  An email from David Nixon, saw a 'bumper' 8 colour-ringed Great Black-backed Gulls recorded on the same date at Ardglass Harbour in County Down.  

Among other sighting reports, was a Black-headed Gull having been spotted back at it's natal colony at Castle Espie, over 8 years after being ringed there as a chick in June 2014.  Other sightings, have included colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwits at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, where another sighting of my -  2FFX  has been reported, along with another sighting of the Dutch Med Gull - (White) 3NYT.  A metal-rung Med Gull has also been spotted at the Reserve.

Finally, I have just received a second batch of ring sightings from Suzanne Belshaw.  Its all taking time to add to my spreadsheets, working out durations, submitting to the BTO, and replying to all of the emails received.  I now have loads of photos.  They have been labelled, but all have still to be edited to crop out the rings, resize these, and paste them back onto the photos.  Far too much work involved, but perhaps over the next couple of weeks, I will get these onto the blog.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 20th March 2023

Once again, I opted for a later arrival to Antrim Marina to undertake this week's weekly visit.  As I was not expecting to see too many gulls, I decided on a three hour visit, lasting from mid-day till 3pm.  It was a cloudy day, with a light breeze, and the temperature gauge in my car showed 13°C.  Parking in my normal spot beside the slipway, around 30 Black-headed Gulls were present, with one colour-ringed bird spotted -  2FIK , which was caught and ringed last September as an unsexed adult.

That total of 30 was not surpassed, as numbers dropped off slightly, and at times, no Black-headed Gulls were present at all.  Just four of my study gulls were recorded today, as well as -  2FIK ,  2FJC  was spotted at 12:32,  2AAA  at 12:45, and finally -  2CSK  at 1:34.

 2FIK , was the first of nine Black-headed Gulls to be ringed this winter, whilst -  2FJC , was the ninth bird.   2AAA , was the first gull to be ringed here back in November 2012, and was also the first belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland BHG Study.  A year round resident to Antrim Marina, it is now 10 years, 4 months and 8 days, since -  2AAA  was ringed as an adult male.

At 12:34, I also recorded -  2K48  for the third week running.  This gull was ringed in Southport in Merseyside, England, in January 2022, and arrived at Antrim Marina in March 2022.  It now seems certain that -  2K48  has arrived back as a breeding adult.

Black-headed Gull  -   2K48   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (20 Mar 2023)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 25th January 2022, at Southport, Merseyside, England)

Yesterday, I visited the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve for the third time in recent weeks.  There, I was looking for another of my study birds -  2FFX , which was last seen here on the 28th February 2023.  The gull was spotted at the RSPB Reserve last summer, though it had not reached breeding age.  Yesterday, I recorded -  2FFX  at the Reserve (read below).

All in all, today's visit was very poor regarding the Black-headed Gulls.  On taking a look at the distant former 'Torpedo Platform', I was surprised by the low numbers of gulls on it.  Many of my study gulls will now be 'winging it' towards their respective nesting sites, so hopefully emails will begin to arrive from distant places.

Although I had planned to depart at 3pm, today's visit ended at 1:45, when two lorries came on site.  The guys had arrived to power hose the jetties, so there was no point hanging around.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 20th March 2023

2FIK	2FJC	2AAA	2CSK

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Over recent weeks, there have been large numbers of Mute Swans at the Marina, and today was no exception.  On my arrival, 23 were present, but no cygnets from last summer.  On a couple of occasions, all were out of the water, with the usual -  Z78580  being the only ring noted.   Z78580 , was ringed here as a juvenile in November 2020.

Mallard numbers were low throughout today's visit, with a maximum count of just 19 birds.  I'm not sure whether all legs were checked, as the ducks were in and out of the water like 'yoyo's'.  Those that were checked had no rings. 

The pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a juvenile Common Gull, were present on my arrival.  A second juvenile Common Gull arrived at 12:15, with a third arriving at 12:58.  The three of them remained throughout my visit, and they were joined by a second calendar year bird at 1:18.  The resident pair of Herring Gulls appeared at 1:15.  They never appeared at all last week,

The only other species noted today, were a Kingfisher, 4 Jackdaws and a pair of Pied Wagtails.  The Kingfisher took me by surprise.  I was sitting in my car facing outwards, when the bird whizzed just over my head flying towards the river.  It came from the direction of the adjacent golf course where there is a small pond.

Next Monday will see the end of my weekly visits for another winter.  With most gulls having departed, I shall only undertake random visits during the breeding season to record the resident gulls.  For gulls ringed over recent winters, I want to establish if any of those birds are resident breeders at the Marina.

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Sunday 19th March 2023

Today, I spent much of my time in and around Belfast, arriving as the tide began to recede.  It was very noticeable, due to the lack of gulls and waders, many of these birds would be on the travels back to their home destinations.  The only two rings recorded today, were on the same nesting platform at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve.

Today's visit to the WoW Reserve, is now my third in recent weeks.  The two nesting platforms on the lagoon have now really sprung into life, with lots of gulls selecting nesting sites.  My main aim, has been trying to record one of my Antrim Marina Black-headed Gulls, belonging to my winter Study at the site.  The gull in question -  2FFX , was spotted in June 2022, here on nesting platform one, situated in front of the Visitor Centre.  At that time,  2FFX  would not have been fully mature, and I reckoned it was at the reserve to prospect a nest site for this summer.

Before today's visit, I was aware that a colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull had been spotted on nesting platform one.  Derek Polley, who is a volunteer at the visitor centre, emailed me about the gull's presence, and that the coded ring read - (White) 3NYT.  Having recorded similar coded rings in the past, I informed Derek, that this was a Belgium-rung bird, and I also copied in Camille Duponcheel into my reply.

Camille duly replied, with a PDF File attached giving the birds history.  (White) 3NYT, had actually been ringed as a chick, on the 26th June 2015, at De Kreupel Island on Lake IJsselmeer in Holland.  I then checked the cr-birding site, and not only are these rings used in Belgium, they are also used in both Denmark and Holland.  The PDF, also contained three previous re-sightings.  The first two were made on the same date, where the then juvenile was spotted at the same location by two different observers, and the third was made back in January of this year :-

14th September 2015 - Knott End-on-Sea, Preesall, Lancashire, England.

18th January 2023 - Foynes Harbour, Foynes, Co. Limerick, Republic of Ireland.

Derek was unable to get a clear photo of the coded ring, but I managed to get one on today's visit.  The gull has an un-ringed partner, and looks certain to nest on the platform this summer, so this situation is worth keeping an eye on.

The duration since being ringed, is now 7 years, 8 months and 21 days, and the distance from De Kreupel Island to the WoW Reserve, is 759 kms / 471 miles (WNW).

Mediterranean Gull  -  (White)  3NYT  -  RSPB Window on Wildlife Nature Reserve, Belfast  (19 Mar 2023)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 26th June 2015, on De Kreupel Island, Lake IJsselmeer, Holland)

Initially, I had scoped platform one from the visitor centre, bur the photos that I took were quite useless because of the glass windows.  I then went to hide one, where the open windows gave clear views onto both nesting platforms.  Here, I was able to photograph the Med Gull, and after a while, I got today's target - Black-headed Gull -  2FFX , displaying to it's partner.

 2FFX , was caught and ringed, as a juvenile/1st winter bird, on the 21st December 2020, at Antrim Marina in Antrim Town, where I study a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls.  With -  2FFX , reaching maturity this year, the gull now looks certain to breed here on the reserve.

The distance from Antrim Marina, is 25 kms / 15 miles (ESE), and the duration since being ringed, is now 2 years, 2 months and 26 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFX   -  RSPB Window on Wildlife Nature Reserve, Belfast  (19 Mar 2023)

(Ringed as a juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 21st December 2020, at Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim)

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