Rathlin Island - (26th June 2024)

Rathlin Island - Wednesday 26th June 2024

My fifth visit to Rathlin Island on Wednesday 24th June, has turned out to be me last for this summer.  Normally, I would undertake two visits a week to the island during the month of June, both to read colour-rings on adult Common Gulls and to colour-ring chicks to add to my project.  Due to a couple of problems, I have been held back on my intentions.  I had hoped to make one final visit this week, but a dodgy left knee cap is giving me problems (this could possibly be age related).  My legs have covered quite a few miles over the years, as well as taking a number of knocks and bangs along the way.

My focus today, was to colour-ring as many Common Gull chicks as possible.  Starting off at the northern section of the Arkill Bay colony, I was really disappointed to see that there were very few chicks about.  A small number had fledged and were spotted on the sea.  Despite a good look around, only 8 chicks were found that were large enough to take a colour-ring.  I also came across a young Oystercatcher hiding in a crevice, but when I returned with the correct size of ring, it had disappeared and I could not find it again.

I never went near the southern colony at Arkill Bay, as it lies within the RSPB's Craigmacagan Reserve and I cannot ring there.  The two sections at Arkill Bay form the largest of the sub-colonies on the island, and to lose half is a major setback.

My next stop was to visit the shore at Roonivoolin where a new pair of Great Black-backed Gulls had set up a nest site last year.  Islander Ric Else said the pair were back this year so I went over with the aim of ringing their chicks.  On reaching the shore, there was no sign of the gulls, though I did find their nest on a tall rock islet.  The nest itself showed signs that chicks had hatched there, but why they failed is unknown.  Ric suggested that someone with a tent nearby could be the cause of the failure.  A couple of Common Gull pairs were alarm calling, and a search for chicks revealed one large enough to take a colour-ring, though two other chicks were too small.

Making my way back up the cliff, I had time to visit Doon Bay before making my way back to the harbour.  Passing by the small rock islet on Ushet Lough, just five Common Gull chicks could be seen on the water and just one on the islet.  This was a massive reduction compared to last summer, where this site seemed to fare the best.

On reaching Doon Bay, a scan for chicks saw less than a dozen present, with five swimming on the sea.  With the tidal nature of the site, it was very awkward to get around, with just two chicks being found and ringed.  With little time to spare, I retreated to the hillside to scan the adults.  One ring was spotted, being the first sighting this summer of -  2BNJ .  Ringed here at Doon Bay on the 26th June 2019, the duration since being ringed, is 5 years to the day (PDF).

Common Gull  -   2BNJ   -  Doon Bay, Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim  (26 Jun 2024)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 26th June 2019, at Doon Bay)

To me, the Common Gulls have had yet another poor nesting season this year.  This was noted very early, when several breeding pairs in the sub-colonies just vanished whilst during the incubation period.  The lack of full grown chicks now cements that idea.

In an email from Ric on the 4th July, he, along with Hazel counted 32 large chicks on the rocks at Rue Point, with a further 19 at Doon Bay, which he reckoned was far better than what he was expecting.  I suggested that some of those chicks had moved southwards from Arkill Bay to Rue Point, as this was the closet section of the island before making their way over to the mainland.

Just 16 Common Gull chicks were colour-ringed this summer, along with 4 Great Black-backed Gull chicks.  The reduced number of visits was partly to blame for this.  Another poor breeding season, and disturbance by visitors certainly did not help either.

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