| Antrim Marina - Tuesday 25th November 2025 |
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My weekly visit to Antrim Marina was made on Tuesday 25th November 2025. Aiming to arrive by 11am, local traffic meant that I did not arrive until 11:13. It was a calm day with plenty of autumnal sunshine, with the temperature gauge in my car reading 6ºC.
Studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, overall numbers have been disappointing over recent weeks and today was not much better. Some of the gulls have colour-coded rings which helps to track their movements. So far this winter, 23 of these colour-ringed gulls have been recorded, with a small number now overdue to return for the winter. 2FJX , was the last returnee to be recorded back on the 14th October 2025.
The first thing that I noticed on my arrival, it looked as if the dredging crew were cleaning the confines of their compound. After a quick check of the birds present around the Marina, I walked over to one of the workers to have a chat. He confirmed that their dredging operations had finished and they would be leaving today. This surprised me, as in the past, dredging began at the breakwater at the edge of Lough Neagh, working backwards towards the jetties at the Marina. On this occasion, they were only requested to clear the area around the breakwater. This was great news for me, as the gulls will once again have access to the 'Low Wooden Jetty' to rest on.
An initial count of the Black-headed Gulls gave me a rough total of 50 birds, with an unknown number resting on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre'. After my chat with the workman, I began to look for colour-ringed gulls and soon spotted one with just a metal-ring.
Two weeks ago, I spotted a Black-headed Gull bearing a BTO metal-ring, but the bird flew off while I was in a conversation with a passer-by. Having took a single photo of the ring which was fitted upside down, all I captured for certain were the digits - ' 356 '. There was no sign of that gull during last week's visit, but shortly after my arrival today, I spotted an adult Black-headed Gull with a BTO sized metal-ring. The gull was standing on the water's edge on the 'Small Sandy Beach'. I only managed to get a single photo of the ring, when a juvenile Black-headed Gull chased my bird onto the water. I knew I had another new gull, as this ring was fitted the right way up.
After this, I kept a special watch for the gull and in no time at all it appeared on the small 'Concrete Jetty'. However, this gull was a bit 'feisty' and kept flying away. Taking photos of the metal-ring was difficult as the sun reflecting off the ring made the digits hard to make out. Luckily, I relocated the bird several times and I reckoned enough photos were taken to capture the full number.
Retreating to my car, I began to piece the number together and happy days, I had - EW40019 . Back at home, I entered the number onto my BTO DemOn Ringing Account, to find that the gull was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2021. Today's sighting was the first since it was ringed, but DemOn does not show ringing locations. I then submitted my sighting to the BTO along with a few other ring sightings.
Eagerly awaiting for the recoveries to come back, I had to wait until supper time on Friday for those. Out of 13 records submitted, I received 12 but the one I really needed for this post was not included. I will now have to wait until Monday now, so the ringing details for - EW40019 will be included in my next post.
Black-headed Gull - EW40019 - Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim (25 Nov 2025)
(Waiting for the Ringing Details)
The number of Black-headed Gulls present ranged widely throughout the visit, from a high of around 60 birds, to none at all (thanks to two sets of canoeists and one paddleboarder). The reading of colour-ringed gulls got off to a good start, with 9 colour-rings read by 11:56 ( 2CSK ). The next three colour-rings took the total to 12, 2AAN at 13:05, 2FIF at 13:28, and 2FJN at 14:10, leaving me with 11 absentees. I had planned to depart at 14:30, and as I was beginning to pack up all of my gear, I spotted two gulls with Orange Darvics on the rails of the 'Small Concrete Jetty'. At last, there was another returnee - 2CTA .
I had expected this gull to return around mid-October, but, better late than never. I caught and ringed - 2CTA as a second calendar year bird (hatched 2017), here at the Marina, on the 10th December 2018, with just one further sighting that winter.
Return dates each winter since the 2018/2019 winter are as follows :- 28th October 2019, 25th October 2020, 25th October 2021, just one sighting during the 2022/2023 winter (13th March 2013), 26th November 2023 and on the 13th October 2024.
There has not been any sightings of - 2CTA away from Antrim Marina, but I strongly believe that this gull does breed in a foreign country. Glad to see it back again, and the duration since being ringed is now 6 years, 11 months and 15 days. Prior to today's sighting, I last recorded the gull here on the 9th February 2025. My overall total of colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls this winter now sits at 24. I had hoped to see the return of the Latvian - 2AFD , which normally returns around the third weekend in November. He could be back, and may well be hanging out around the Castle Way car park in the centre of Antrim Town (a more favoured haunt these days).
Black-headed Gull - 2CTA - Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim (25 Nov 2025)
(Ringed as an Unsexed 2nd Calendar Year Bird, on the 10th December 2018, at Antrim Marina)
The metal-rung Icelandic Black-headed Gull - 543335 , was spotted on the 'Small Concrete Jetty' as I was parking. A quick peek with my binoculars, saw the digits ' 335 ' on the upside-down ring. Here for a third winter running, this gull was ringed in southern Iceland on the 14th July 2023 - duration now, 2 years, 4 months and 11 days since being ringed.
Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 25th November 2025
| 2FJA |
2FFA |
2CJT |
2BRA |
2CSR |
2FJT |
2FFX |
| 2FKA |
2CSK |
2AAN |
2FIF |
2FJN |
2CTA |
|
Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina This Autumn/Winter but Absent Today
| 2ABN |
2ACV |
2BRD |
2FDK |
2FFT |
2FHV |
| 2FIL |
2FJF |
2FJK |
2FJV |
2FJX |
|
Other Birds at Antrim Marina
On parking beside the 'Small Concrete Jetty', 5 adult Mute Swans and 3 cygnets were on the slipway, and a sixth adult was on the 'Small Sandy Beach'. The female Mute Swan - X4707 was on the slipway, which meant the three cygnets belonged to her. She did have six cygnets altogether, but the other three have not been seen since 'Storm Amy' passed through a few weeks back.
5 adult Common Gulls were also present on my arrival (2 on the Concrete Jetty and 3 on the Long Wooden Jetty. Among the two on the 'Concrete Jetty', was the small Scottish-rung female - EY64036 . Check last week's post about this gull. Common Gull numbers did not surpass the 5 recorded at first, though a max of 8 adult Common Gulls have been recorded this winter.
The juvenile Herring Gull belonging to the resident pair, was present throughout today's visit. It's parents made a brief visit together at 12:26 before flying off again. The second calendar year Herring Gull arrived at 13:30, and I'm still certain by it's behaviour, it is last year's chick belonging to the resident pair.
Mallard numbers were low again, with around 30 birds on my arrival. Numbers remained more or less around that number, and most legs were checked for rings.
The adult Moorhen was also present throughout my visit. As usual, it could be seen feeding on the gull droppings - not a good idea should any of the gulls catch 'Bird Flu'.
Just the one pair of Jackdaws today. In years gone by, between ten and twenty Jackdaws would have visited. Like everything else here, numbers have dropped over recent years. A single male Pied Wagtail, made up the list of other birds.
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