Antrim Marina - (Sunday 18th February 2024)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 18th February 2024

In my previous post, I wrote about the death of Black-headed Gull -  2FJJ .  I caught and ringed this gull as an unsexed 2nd Winter Bird, here at the Marina, on the 12th November 2023.  After being ringed, I recorded the bird regularly during my weekly visits to the Marina, including last week - Sunday 11th February 2023.  Sadly,  2FJJ  was reported dead the following day, and was reported to DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) via the 'Bird Flu' hotline by a member of the public.  It was subsequently collected for testing for the virus.

During the week, a recovery was received from the BTO, giving Michelle Thompson from DAERA as the finder, though I knew she had received a copy of the recovery as it was herself that submitted the bird.  I contacted Michelle via the listed email address, and Michelle was able to furnish me with the test results.  I knew by my final sighting of -  2FJJ , it was in very good health and could not possibly have 'Bird Flu', and the 'Negative Results' confirmed my assumption.  Seeing as -  2FJJ  was found at Castle Gardens, 1km east from the Marina, my suspicions now rested on a possible strike by a Sparrowhawk.  I have asked Michelle, if any photos were taken before the gull was lifted.  I am still waiting on a reply, but a scattering of feathers would confirm that the gull had indeed been hit.   2FJJ  would have hatched out during the 2022 breeding season, and when found, had been ringed three months to the day earlier.

Today, I arrived at Antrim Marina at 10am, it was calm and sunny, with the final whips of a morning fog disappearing fast.  The temperature gauge on my car was reading 9°C.  As I was parking my car beside the small concrete jetty, around 20 Black-headed Gulls that were perched there on the rails suddenly took to the air and flew off.  The culprits, were three paddleboarders, a father and his two sons?, who came down river from the Antrim Town direction.

For the first time in weeks, there was no sign of the Lough Neagh Rescue Team, but later in the morning, a Rescue Vehicle did appear on the main road into the car park.  I asked one member of the team about the missing man, and he has still not been found.  He went missing back on the 17th December 2023.

The first gulls began returning around 10:40, with the ring of -  2CJT  being the first to be read at 10:43.  With the untimely loss of -  2FJJ , I was on the lookout for 34 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls, which included 7 birds that had been caught and ringed here this autumn.  By 11:41, the ring of -  2FJT  was the 17th to be read.  Just four further rings were read, taking the total for this visit to 21 - 11:45 -  2CSR , 11:54 -  2FIF , 11:54 -  2FIK  and 1:32 -  2FJL .  Overall numbers varied widely, from just a couple of dozen birds, to a maximum of around 70 by midday.

With 13 absentees today, a look at my Antrim Marina spreadsheet showed up four gulls of note.  Two of these have had just a single sighting this winter -  2FFT  and  2FHT , whilst -  2FIA  has not been seen since the 26th November 2023, having been regularly recorded from the beginning of August.  The fourth is the Swedish -  2FDL , who was late in returning to the Marina, and has only been seen once since.

Four other gulls recorded today, have not been recorded on a regular basis, including two adults that were ringed here this winter -  2FJN  and  2FJL .   2CTA , which was ringed here in December 2018, had been written off as dead by me earlier this autumn, and announced that it was still alive on the 26th November 2023.  Today's sighting is now the sixth record for this winter, with the head looking really dark now as the new breeding season approaches.  As yet, we have no idea as to where -  2CTA  goes to in the breeding season, though I would suspect it is a foreign bird.  The Latvian -  2AFD , is one of the Marina's star birds.  In recent years, it has rarely visited the Marina, preferring to 'hang out' at the Castle Way cark park in the centre of Antrim Town, but due to much reduced Black-headed Gull numbers this winter, gulls have only congregated at the car park on one occasion.  I have no idea where -  2AFD  is going to now, but today's sighting at the Marina is the sixth for this bird.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJN   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Feb 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 3rd December 2023, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2CTA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Feb 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed 2nd Winter Bird, on the 10th December 2018, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2AFD   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Feb 2024)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 12th February 2014, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Feb 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 3rd December 2023, at Antrim Marina)

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was spotted at 11:25.  This bird has regularly been recorded here throughout the winter, since first being spotted on the 8th August 2023.  It continues to come quite close to me, but I still cannot catch it to fit a colour-ring.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 18th February 2024

2CJT	2FIP	2AAN	2FJN	2CTA	2ABN	2FFX
2FHC	2CSK	2FJF	2ACV	2FDJ	2BRA	2AAB
2AFD	2FJA	2FJT	2CSR	2FIF	2FIK	2FJL

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

2BRD	2FDK	2FDL	2FFA	2FFT	2FHT	2FHV
2FIA	2FIJ	2FIL	2FJH	2FJK	2FJP

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

15 (White) Mute Swans and the four locally reared cygnets were present on my arrival.  I had just parked beside the short concrete jetty, when a staff member from the Gateway Centre beside me stopped by for a chat.  She was aware that I was studying the gulls, but was left fascinated when I explained that I was studying a wintering population, with colour-ringed birds turning up in so many different countries.  I was also informed, that a male Mute Swan was found dead here during the week, and had been removed by a Council Parks Warden.  She had no idea whether the bird had been picked up for testing.  The lady had not heard of any other swans being found dead locally in recent weeks, as I explained that the metal-rung -  Z78580  had gone missing.  A further three adults flew in from the direction of Lough Neagh at 10:50, taking the total to 18.  Again, all legs were checked, and still no further sign of the metal-rung bird. 

The female Herring Gull was also present on my arrival.  At 11:27 she began calling out loudly, and looking around, the resident male arrived high in the air flying from the direction of Antrim Town.  No Common Gulls were present at first, with a juvenile appearing at 11:09.  Just three adults turned up today, arriving at 11:44, 12:27 and 13:33.

Mallard numbers still remain low, with counts totalling between 24 and 29 altogether.

The adult Moorhen was spotted on a number of occasions feeding on the other side of the river, and did not come over to my side until 11:18.  No sign of the juvenile this week. 

The sighting of four Goldfinches, may well be a first at the Marina (at least as far as I can recollect).  I spotted them at 10:25 feeding on seed on the small sandy beach, which someone had thrown down for the swans.  Just 2 Jackdaws completed today's other species.  In the past, as many as 14 Jackdaws would have spotted here, so what's happening to the Jackdaws?

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