Antrim Marina - (Sunday 3rd March 2024)

Antrim Marina - Sunday 3rd March 2024

Today at Antrim Marina saw an initial 50/50 cloud cover, which quickly became 80/20 leaning towards a blue sky with plenty of sunshine.  The temperature gauge in my car read 6°C on arrival, increasing to 11°C shortly before my departure at 1:45pm.

Arriving at the Marina at 10am, a total of just 21 Black-headed Gulls were present, most at the short concrete jetty where I parked my car.  None of these were ringed, but -  2FIA  was the first to arrive at 10:11.  As the morning wore on, it slowly became clear that I was going to have many absentees today.  After the recent death of -  2FJJ , I was on the lookout for 34 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls altogether.

At no time, did numbers exceed the 30 mark, and at times, no gulls were present at all.  Recording ringed birds was a very slow and laborious task.  My 13th and final ring sighting was that of -  2CSK  at 12:43, an hour before my departure, by which time all of the gulls had disappeared once more.  I had 21 absentees altogether today.

Two of the gulls recorded today -  2FJN  and -  2FIL , had rings that were very hard to read, and I actually had to zoom in with my camera to enable me to read the codes.  There was no doubting that they had been in muddy fields possibly on the outskirts of Antrim Town.  Perhaps this is where many of today's absentees were at as well.  Now that we are closing in to another breeding season, a few of the gulls may also be on their way to their breeding sites.

One of today's absentees -  2BRD , was spotted by Suzanne Belshaw on the 23rd and 26th February 2024 at the lake in Lurgan Park in County Armagh.  Although -  2BRD  was ringed at Antrim Marina in February 2015 as an adult Male, over the years since, it is well known to visit Lurgan Park for a few weeks prior to the onset of the new breeding season.  Unfortunately, where that breeding site is, is still unknown.

The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull -  543335 , was also recorded again today at 10:19, with this bird having been absent during last week's visit.   543335 , has been here since the 8th August 2023, and having attempted to catch and colour-ring this bird before it returns to Iceland for the summer, my efforts have failed completely.  The chances of it being seen in Iceland will be very slim now.

After all of the years that I have been coming to the Marina during the Autumn/Winter months, I have never seen so many people arriving with bag-loads of bread to feed to the birds.  The swans, and what few ducks that were here, had a field-day concerning feeds, and the gulls also helped themselves to more than their fair share as well.

This was a really boring visit, and I have a feeling that my final four visits may end up being similar.  I took a minute to look at the nearby former 'Torpedo Platform' used as a nesting site, but it was practically deserted.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 3rd March 2024

2FIA	2FJA	2FJF	2CSR	2ACV	2FIF	2AAB
2ABN	2FJN	2FIK	2FIP	2FIL	2CSK

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

2AAN	2AFD	2BRA	2BRD	2CJT	2CTA	2FDJ
2FDK	2FDL	2FFA	2FFT	2FFX	2FHC	2FHT
2FHV	2FIJ	2FJH	2FJK	2FJL	2FJP	2FJT

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

A Cormorant caught the eyes of many people today, and several asked me what the name of this species was.  The bird had already hauled out of the water and rested on the end of the short concrete jetty, often spreading it's wings out to dry.  What was unusual, despite all of the passer's by, this was the first time that I have ever seen a Cormorant here staying 'put', as normally they would just head back onto the river.

The resident pair of Herring Gulls were present through to 1pm, and then flew out to the breakwater on the edge of Lough Neagh.  Only one Common Gull appeared today, making a brief visit at 11:23, and likewise, a brief visit was made by a Lesser Black-backed Gull at 12:42.

Mallard numbers remain disastrously low, with 25 present on my arrival, declining to just 16 by the time of my 1:45 departure.

16 Mute Swans, and the family group of four cygnets, were also present throughout my visit today.  All eventually came ashore, but none had rings.  No further swans arrived during my visit.

A surprising increase to 8 Jackdaws was noted, along with 4 Rooks.  All made repeated visits, leaving to hoard beak-fulls of bread seeing as there was so much on offer today.  A male Pied Wagtail, made up today's list of other birds.

*******************************************************