German Black-headed Gulls...

On Sunday 1st September 2024, I published a post concerning gull sightings made by Suzanne Belshaw and David Nixon.  Under Suzanne's account, we were waiting for the details of a colour-ringed German Black-headed Gull -  XC1V .  Knowing obtaining results when reporting sightings through official channels can take some time, I was tasked by Suzanne to see if I could get a quicker result through my own contacts.

Picking up this challenge, I sent an email to Hendrik Trapp who has good contacts of his own, and normally replies fairly quickly.  A reply came on the 6th September, with the birds details.   XC1V , was ringed as an unsexed breeding adult, on the 13th May 2023, in the Upper Lusatia region in the extreme south-east corner of Germany, close to the border with Poland.  Suzanne's sighting at Whiteabbey Beach on the 26th August 2024, was the first since being ringed.  The distance to Whiteabbey, is 1,435 kms / 891 miles (NW), and the duration since being ringed, is now 1 year, 3 months and 13 days.  My thanks again goes to Suzanne for the sighting report, and also to Hendrik Trapp for the bird's history - a good result.

Black-headed Gull  -   XC1V   -  Whiteabbey Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (26 Aug 2024)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Breeding Adult, on the 13th May 2023,  at Neuteich Diehsa, Jänkendorf, SE Germany)

(Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Belshaw)

In the same email to Hendrik, I enquired about a Black-headed Gull, that I recorded back on the 23rd February 2020, which I spotted on the Connswater Mudflats in Belfast.  This bird -  X17L , had been ringed as an unsexed breeding adult, on the 20th May 2017, at Germany's largest Black-headed Gull colony at Riether Werder.  At the time, my sighting was a first ever re-sighting for this bird.

In Hendrik's reply, after my sighting,  X17L  was spotted back at Riether Werder colony on the 10th May 2020, and has not been seen since.  During the summer of 2023, the colony at Riether Werder suffered heavily from 'Bird Flu' with many losses (Simon Piro).  In fact, one of my own Antrim Marina Black-headed Gulls -  2FFC  was also found dead at this same colony.  Having been tested for 'Bird Flu', the result returned as positive.  Again, my thanks to Hendrik for this update.

Black-headed Gull  -   X17L   -  Connswater Mudflats, Belfast Harbour Estate, Belfast  (23 Feb 2020)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Breeding Adult, on the 20th May 2017, at Riether Werder. Germany)

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