Antrim Marina (Monday 28th August 2023)

Antrim Marina - Monday 28th August 2023

Today was my 5th weekly visit to Antrim Marina, where I am studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, some of which were colour-ringed at the site.  It was a calm, but cloudy day, with the temperature reading 20°C.  Today, I arrived at 10:30, remaining to 2:30pm.

With practically no wind, the majority of the Black-headed Gulls rested on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre' which is not helpful when trying to read rings.  At times, a good number of birds would come to ground, especially when folk arrived to feed the ducks.

It was another poor day for overall numbers, with a high of around 70 Black-headed Gulls.  Up until today's visit, only 18 colour-rings out of a total of just under 50 had been read so far this winter.  At 11:11, I spotted a new arrival -  2FHT , and despite knowing it was one of my birds, no bells were ringing in my head about this birds history here.

When I returned home, I checked my records to find that I had ringed -  2FHT  as a juvenile/1st winter bird here at the Marina, on the 8th November 2021.  After being ringed, I recorded the youngster on three occasions (15th November 2021, 29th November 2021 and on the 6th December 2021), and never saw it again at the Marina after that. On Christmas Day 2021, which is the day I always go to Connswater Shopping Centre in Belfast to read rings, I stopped by Antrim's Baptist Church, and discovered -  2FHT  on the roof.  Nothing more was heard of the bird until the 13th December 2022, when Suzanne Belshaw photographed the gull on the Whiteabbey Shore breakwater on Belfast Lough, which was the final sighting until the bird turned up here today at Antrim Marina - or so I thought.

When I went to submit today's sighting onto the BTO's DemOn Ringing Database, I noticed that there were two sightings entered which I knew nothing about.  DemOn does not show the locations of ringing or for re-sightings.  With these unknown sightings having been made on the 9th & 12th March 2023, I requested a copy of the recoveries, and boy, was I in for a surprise.

Both sightings had been made at the Marina in Gdynia on the north coast of Poland, the distance from Antrim Marina, being 1,595 kms / 991 miles (E).  The duration as of today's sighting, is now 1 year, 9 months and 20 days.  The only question now, will -  2FHT  stay at the Marina throughout this winter.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (28 Aug 2023)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 8th November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (15 Nov 2021)

With no further returnees, my total before next week's visit is now 19 colour-rings.  At 11:50, the Icelandic metal-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335  appeared.  I made another attempt to catch this bird as it is so people friendly.  Using the swans as cover, the bird made it's closest approach yet, and I was just inches away from catching it.  If I can get a colour-ring onto this bird, there will be a far higher chance of it being seen when it returns to Iceland next spring.  I am still waiting on the ringing details for this gull, as the ringer concerned is being pursued by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History.

With the addition of -  2FHT , 15 colour-rings were read today, so I had 4 absentees.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 28th August 2023

2FIA	2FFA	2FIF	2CJT	2AAB	2FIP	2FJA	2FIK
2FHT	2AAN	2CSK	2FHV	2FIL	2ACV	2FFX

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

2BRA	2BRD	2FHC	2FIJ

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Today, I had a rare visitor to Antrim Marina, in the form of a Mediterranean Gull.  If memory serves me right, this is only the second Med Gull that I have seen here in 11 years of visits.  A juvenile Med Gull was recorded here on the 19th September 2021.

Mediterranean Gull  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (28 Aug 2023)

I am still waiting to record my first Common Gull this winter which is strange, as in the past, the odd bird or two would have been recorded by this time of the year.  The pair of Herring Gulls, sat on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre' throughout my visit, and I reckoned the same adult Lesser Black-backed Gull came and went on several occasions.

No sign of the Mute Swan family today, with the four cygnets, but three un-ringed swans were present throughout my visit.  Mallard numbers were down slightly this week, with around 50 on my arrival.  By the time of my departure, numbers had dropped to around 25 birds.  Not surprising really, as they benefited from several feeds of bread and biscuits.

3 Hooded Crows and 3 Jackdaws, were the only other species noted today.

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