Antrim Marina - (Wednesday 8th May 2024)

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 8th May 2024

At Antrim Marina, I study a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls.  Whenever possible, gulls are caught and colour-ringed and these birds are my primary interest.  I began my study to run alongside Adam McClure's Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study, which ran from 2012 until 2018, when Adam had to end his project.  The initial colour-ringed Northern Ireland Black-headed Gulls were ringed at Antrim Marina, and these birds became the 'backbone' of my study.  Having retrained as a ringer myself, I now colour-ring gulls to add to my study.

Each winter, I begin a weekly series  of visits beginning in the first weekend of August, finishing on the last weekend in March.  During each visit, I record the colour rings, the results being entered onto a spreadsheet where full histories of the gulls are recorded.  Also during my visits, I also record the number of Black-headed Gulls present, both ringed and un-ringed, this giving us an idea how the wintering population varies from winter to winter.

Once finished at the end of March, I skip April before beginning random visits over the months of May and June to record the resident gulls, most of which probably breed on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform'.  Antrim's non-residents, have been recorded during the breeding season in countries such as Iceland, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Germany, before returning to the Marina for a further winter.

Today saw me undertaking my first random visit for this summer.  During a three and a half hour visit, 8 colour-rings were recorded, with most having been recorded in the first hour of the visit.  By the time of my departure at 4pm, no further rings had been recorded for over two hours.  With just 8 rings recorded, there will be no panic setting in just yet, as many residents will be at their nests and should appear at sometime, especially after the chicks hatch which will free up females to look for food as well.

Black-headed Gulls were present throughout today's visit, with just 5 birds at minimum, and maximum numbers never exceeded the 30 mark.  Some past summer visits, would have seen no gulls at all on a few visits.

The very first ring to be read here today, was that of -  2AAN , which had me wondering - what are you doing here?  Since being ringed at the Marina in December 2012, over the years, this gull has never been recorded here in the months of May and June, though July sightings suggested that it had returned after it's breeding season had ended, and the possibility it's nesting site was not too far away.  This idea was confirmed in June 2022.  A Geraldine Seymour sent me an email, to say she had spotted -  2AAN  on the 16th June 2022, on the Inver River in Larne, County Antrim, adding a photo.  With Blue Circle Island on Larne Lough being the nearest colony, the gull may well have nested there.  As it stands, this is the only record for this gull away from Antrim Marina.

Both  2CSR  and  2CJT , are long established year round residents at Antrim Marina, though I have one sighting of -  2CJT , which was spotted at Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, Scotland.  Having been regularly recorded at Antrim Marina throughout the winter of 2020/2021,  2CJT  was spotted on the 25th February 2021 and there was a photo to prove it.  By the 21st April 2021, it was back at the Marina and has never strayed since.  I reckoned that the gull may have got pulled away by continental birds returning home.

The gulls ringed with the Blue Darvics, are birds belonging to me, and I am still in the process of building profiles for these birds.  Two gulls of note that were recorded today, are -  2FJL  and  2FJN .  Both were ringed as adults during this past winter, so today's sightings suggest that they are going to be year round residents.   

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 8th May 2024

2AAN	2CSR	2CJT	2FFA	2FJN	2FJL	2FIL	2FIF

Black-headed Gull  -   2AAN   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (06 May 2024)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 21st December 2012, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2CSR   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 May 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed 2nd Winter Bird, on the 24th December 2017, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2CJT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 May 2024)

(Ringed as Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 4th December 2016, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 May 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 23rd November 2020, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJN   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 May 2024)

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

Black-headed Gull  -   2FJL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 May 2024)

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

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 May 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed 2nd Winter Bird, on the 31st October 2022, at Antrim Marina)

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIF   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (08 May 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 23rd November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Knowing the calls made by the various species of birds, the sound of numerous Sand Martins caught my attention after parking beside the small concrete jetty.  This was unusual, as I have never seen so many here at one time in the past.  Occasionally, the odd one or two would have been seen high in the sky.  As the birds remained, I began to investigate for possible nesting sites.  Possibly gaps in the stone-worked wall of the Gateway Centre, but the birds did not fly near these.  After a while, I discovered that they were flying into holes in the walls just below the flat roof.  Looking at these closer with my binoculars, the damaged plaster indicated that they had been chiselled out to accommodate nest holes for Swifts, but the Martins had got there first.  I had meant to get a photo of one such hole, but seeing as my camera was in the car, I ended up forgetting.

13 Mute Swans, included the 4 youngsters that hatched upriver last summer.  They have moulted into their white feathers and very few juvenile feathers remain.  As usual, all legs were checked, but no rings on these birds.

I was surprised to note that their were no ducklings about.  Most of the Mallards that numbered around 20 birds were males, therefore, numerous females are on nests somewhere in the area.

A single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull made several brief visits, whilst the resident male Herring Gull and a single adult Common Gull, both made a single visit.  They are all likely to be nesting on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform'.

The Cormorant that appeared in the weeks before completing my wintering study of the Black-headed Gulls at the end of March, hauled out of the river onto the small concrete jetty moments after I arrived.  It was still there when I departed, and due to the heat, panted like a dog the whole time.  Some folk thought there was something wrong with it, but I soon enlightened them.

A pair of Pied Wagtails kept appearing, collecting flies from around the car park, a sure sign that they are feeding chicks somewhere close by.

Likewise, a pair of Hooded Crows, 4 Jackdaws and a single Rook, made repeated visits, filling their beaks with bread being thrown down for the ducks.  No doubting, their partners or chicks were getting plenty to eat.   

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