Antrim Marina - Monday 26th May 2025...

Antrim Marina - Monday 26th May 2025

Today, I undertook my second random summer visit to record the colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls to see which ones are year round residents at Antrim Marina.  At this point, I have not received any sightings of my gulls which nest in foreign colonies.

With 12 known residents, I recorded nine of these during my previous visit.  With just six colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls recorded today, one was not seen during my last visit -  2FFA  which takes the total to 10.  The two absentees are -  2AAB  and  2AAN .

 2AAB , is the oldest surviving Black-headed Gull belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study, with the original first birds ringed at Antrim Marina.  Ringed at the Marina on the 11th December 2012, it was last seen here on the 3rd March 2025.

 2AAN , was added as a resident last summer.  Also ringed in December 2012, it would disappear each summer, but a sighting in June 2022 in Larne, Co. Antrim, suggested it could be nesting on Blue Circle Island on Larne Lough.  The reason for it remaining at the Marina last summer, might possibly be due to it pairing up with a local resident.   2AAN , had been ringed as an adult female.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (26 May 2025)

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

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 26th May 2025

2BRA	2FIJ	2FFA	2FJL	2FJN	2CSK

Today's visit lasted from just after 12 noon until around 3:30pm.  Throughout my visit, Black-headed Gull number ranged from just a handful of birds to a maximum of around 50.  There were plenty of feeds from people arriving to feed the ducks.

In my previous Antrim post on the 7th May, I added a link to a 'Live' camera situated on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform'.  At the time, it was off air, but it is now working properly.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Having recorded Black-headed Gull -  2BRA  first at 12:39, at 12:48, the appearance of a Common Gull with a Blue Darvic had me excitedly racing to the car to collect my camera.  I knew who this bird would be, but I needed a photo of the ring in case it flew off.  I needn't have worried as it remained for around an hour.

 2AJP , had been ringed as a chick, on the 29th June 2013, on Big Copeland Island in County Down.  As a juvenile, it was recorded on three occasions in March 2014, at Poppintree Park in the City of Dublin.

From then, it was not seen again until the 13th June 2016, when recorded by Suzanne Belshaw here at Antrim Marina.  Over the years since, the gull as accumulated a number of sightings, all in the Antrim area and commonly during the breeding season or early into the autumn.  Interestingly, there were no sightings during the years of 2019, 2020 and 2021.  It may have nested elsewhere during those years.  It would be brilliant if we could get a winter sighting now, just to see where it goes to, or does it still travel down to Dublin.

The distance from Big Copeland Island to Antrim Marina, is 46 kms / 28 miles (W), and the duration since being ringed, is now 11 years, 10 months and 27 days.  It was really nice to see that this bird is still going strong.  I noticed that there is slight damage at the base of the colour-ring.  Should the ring ends up disintegrating, the gull is calm enough around people, that it's metal-ring could be read instead.

Common Gull  -   2AJP   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (26 May 2025)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 29th June 2013, on Big Copeland Island, The Copeland Islands, Co. Down)

Full Ringing and Re-Sighting History for Common Gull -  2AJP 

 2AJP , was the only adult Common Gull to put in an appearance.  Probably the same juvenile / 2nd Calendar Year Common Gull made repeated visits.

The arrival of a juvenile Herring Gull, was likely to be the same youngster which was reared locally last summer, spending all winter here usually in the company of it's father, though mother arrived on some occasions.  This juvenile is very comfortable being around folk feeding the ducks.  His father arrived at 12:19 but did stay too long.  He may well have a nest on the nearby 'Torpedo Platform'.

At times, I had up to three pairs of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and at one point, two 3rd Calendar Year Lesser Black-backed's were also present.  I do not have a clue as to where these gulls are nesting at now, as the gulls have successfully been deterred from nesting on the roof of the Tesco Warehouse at Kilbegs on the edge of the town of Antrim.  The colony there easily numbered 100 to 150 pairs formerly, along with smaller numbers of Herring, Common and Black-headed Gulls.  A handful of Common Terns and Oystercatchers also nested on those roofs.

3 Mute Swans were present throughout my visit, though none were ringed.  There are still no sign of any Mallard ducklings, and talking to Danny who is a volunteer with the Lough Neagh Rescue Service, he had not seen any as yet.  With just 17 Mallards present during my visit, 14 of them were males.

The only other species recorded, were three Jackdaws and a single Hooded Crow.  This crow made repeated visits feeding on the remains of a dead fish.  After each feed, it would fly across the river into the woodland surrounding Antrim Boat Club, where it is obviously nesting.

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