Antrim Marina - (Sunday 14th January 2024)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 14th January 2024

Today, I arrived at Antrim Marina at 9:55am, to find very calm conditions with just a the slightest of breezes, 20% blue sky, with the temperature reading 3°C.  Just a short time later, we had a 50/50 blue sky, plenty of sunshine and the temperature reached 5°C.  The Lough Neagh Rescue boat was out again and shortly after my arrival, the boat was brought ashore for the day.  Talking to shore crew member Danny, the Antrim man that went missing back on the 17th December 2023, had still not been found.  During the week, the police had divers in the river, searching upstream from the Marina.  It is still not clear whether the man entered the river when he went missing, though it was one option that had to be investigated.

Around 60 Black-headed Gulls were present, with this total more or less remaining constant throughout my visit which lasted to 2pm.  This total is roughly half that of my previous visit, which easily reached a winter high of 100 to 120 birds.  This lower total, was mirrored by the number of colour-ringed gulls recorded today, as I had 16 absentees.

I was on the lookout for 34 colour-rings altogether, with 8 of those being gulls caught and ringed this winter.  Judging by the colour-rings recorded, the gulls were clearly coming and going, with sightings of rings being well spread out.  My 13th sighting was a welcomed returnee, as it was the Swedish bird -  2FDL .  I had expected this gull's return in late November, and seeing as it had not been recorded, I was fearing the worst, especially as around half of my gulls have failed to return this winter.  Of course, the bird may have arrived back on time, but had not appeared at the Marina during my previous visits.

 2FDL , was caught and ringed at Antrim Marina, as an unsexed adult, on the 18th November 2019.  It's only sighting away from Antrim, was made in a breeding colony, on the 3rd April 2022, at Råstasjön Nature Reserve, at Solna on the edge of Stockholm, Sweden - 1,551 kms / 963 miles (ENE).  The duration since being ringed, is now 4 years, 1 month and 27 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FDL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Jan 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 18th November 2019, at Antrim Marina)

With just the 19 colour-rings read today, these included the three gulls that reappeared again last week after lengthy absences - the Icelandic  2FHV ,  2FDK  and  2FIJ .  My final ring sighting was made at 13:09, this being -  2FJN , one of the 8 birds ringed this winter.  The metal-rung Black-headed Gull from Iceland -  543335 , was recorded again at 12:29.  This gull was ringed on the 14th July 2023, and arrived at Antrim Marina on the 8th August 2023, and has been recorded again during most of my visits.

With so few gulls present, and colour-rings sightings well stretched out, today's visit felt very slow and time seemed to drag by.  I made one attempt to catch one or two birds to be ringed, but they did not bite.  Before my attempt, a few folk arrived with bread, and one man scattered a whole bag of Swan and Duck food (pellets) across the small sandy beach, with the Black-headed Gulls especially, having a 'field day' feasting on these.

With the return of -  2FDL , I will now be on the lookout for 35 colour-rings on my next visit.  Although unlikely, I'm still hoping for further returnees.  With January quickly disappearing, it will not be long now before the first of the gulls will be thinking of a move back towards their breeding sites.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 14th January 2024

2FFA	2FFX	2FJT	2FIK	2FJH	2AAB	2CJT
2FHV	2FIL	2FJP	2FDJ	2FJJ	2FDL	2CSK
2BRA	2FDK	2FIJ	2FJA	2FJN

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

2AAN	2ABN	2ACV	2AFD	2BRD	2CSR	2CTA	2FFT
2FHC	2FHT	2FIA	2FIF	2FIP	2FJF	2FJK	2FJL

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

In this section of my previous visit to Antrim Marina (7th January 2024), I focused on what was probably a record number of Common Gulls recorded since I began coming here back in September 2013.  A head count at 1:30pm, gave me a total of 17 adults and a single juvenile, though a colour-ringed bird from Norway spotted a little earlier, would have taken the total to 19 altogether.  A couple of the adults may have been immature birds, but I was focusing more on looking for rings rather than checking the plumage for younger birds.

With so many Common Gulls and no sign once again of the small Scottish metal-rung female, in my mind, I resigned myself into believing that I had seen the end of her.  At 12:50 during today's visit, I was sitting in my car, when a metal-rung Common Gull alighted onto the top rail of the small concrete jetty in front of me.  Judging by it's sized, I knew it had to be my Scottish bird -  EY64036 .  Grabbing my camera, I took photos of the bird before zooming into the ring.  Although I did not complete the whole number -  EY*4036 , there was no doubting I had my bird.

 EY64036 , first appeared at Antrim Marina as a juvenile, on the 9th February 2014.  It had been ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston in North Ayrshire, Scotland.  Today's sighting is now the 62nd record for the gull at Antrim Marina, with the bird returning every winter since 2013.  Looking at my records, there wasn't a single sighting in 2023, and I last recorded the gull here on the 28th November 2022.  It is now 10 years, 6 months and 25 days since being ringed, and the distance from Hunterston is 141 kms / 87 miles (SW).  There is a possibility that I might not record this gull again until next winter, but it was a privilege having spotted her once more.

Looking at the photo, standing beside the Black-headed Gull, just goes to show how small she is.  Common Gulls on the whole, are between Black-headed and Herring Gulls in size.

Common Gull  -   EY64036   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Jan 2024)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, Scotland)

The winter plumage in Common Gulls can vary widely around the head and neck. and for comparison I took a photo of a Common Gull which was heavily speckled.

Common Gull  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (14 Jan 2024)

Just a single Common Gull was present on my arrival today.  A further two birds arrived at 10:17, followed by another two at 11:06.  A juvenile appeared at 11:48, remaining throughout the remainder of my visit.  The Scottish female arrived at 12:50, and a final count of the Commons at 1pm, gave a combined total of 9 birds.  There was no sign of the Norwegian colour-ringed bird that appeared last week.

Two Herring Gulls were present throughout my visit, one being the resident male, and the other was presumably the female which has been absent during my previous two visits.  The two of them were seen standing side by side on several occasions.  A juvenile made a brief visit around 12:15.

8 (White) Mute Swans were standing around the small sandy beach when I arrived, and included -  Z78580 , which was ringed here as a juvenile in November 2020.  This bird, which seems to be a female, arrived back for another winter on the 1st October 2023.  By 11:48, 13 (White) swans plus one cygnet were counted.  The cygnet, was one of the two younger birds that arrived along with a juvenile Whooper Swan a while back.  A final count at 12:30, gave a total of 18 (White) swans and the cygnet.  All legs were checked, but no more rings were recorded.

Mallards numbered around 30 birds, with this total remaining more or less constant during today's visit.  Most if not all legs were checked for rings.

Jackdaw numbers were up slightly, with 6 birds counted.  Two pairs of Hooded Crows made repeated visits, with a couple of birds flying off with their beaks packed with bread.  I reckon, they hoarded the bread before returning for more.  The adult Moorhen was again present throughout my visit, and the juvenile which first appeared a couple of weeks ago, was spotted for a brief time.  The male Pied Wagtail, completed today's list of other species.

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