Antrim Marina - Wednesday 10th December 2025...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 10th December 2025

Another Wednesday visit to Antrim Marina, followed the heels of 'Storm Bram' which passed through Northern Ireland yesterday.  I did not see any signs of damage around the Marina, but there was much debris and sand washed ashore on the small Sandy Beach and around the concrete jetty and the slipway.  Another problem, was the compound used by the dredging team has not been removed.  With two diggers, a barge and a tender boat, the Low Wooden Jetty is still being avoided by the gulls.

On my arrival, around 40 Black-headed Gulls were present and despite having gulls present at all times, numbers never surpassed the 60 mark.  This is still well down from what is expected for this time of the year.  Studying a wintering population, a number of these are colour-ringed so that their movements can be tracked.  So far this winter, I have recorded a total of 24 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls with some well overdue to return.  They are all likely to breed in foreign countries, with some destinations as yet unknown.  Each week, I undertake one weekly visit to read the ringed gulls present, and if possible, catch new birds to be ringed.

Today, I arrived at the later time of 11:40, and ended my visit at 2:30pm.  No new returnees were recorded today, though a Black-headed Gull with a White Darvic Ring was spotted on the concrete jetty just after 1pm.  When spotted, I was using my binoculars to check for any gulls with just metal-rings.  All that I noticed on the White Darvic was the letter 'E', as the gull disappeared behind a bollard.  Grabbing my camera, as I got out of my car, the gull flew off towards the breakwater and did not return.  Back at home, I checked the online cr-birding site, and this gull would have been ringed in The Netherlands.  Now, I am hoping that gull will put in another appearance so that I can capture the full code on the ring.

Of the 24 colour-rings that I have recorded this winter, I had read 10 rings by 12:49.  I then had to wait until 1:57 to record my 11th ring ( 2FFT ), which turned out to be the last for the visit.  It is bad enough having several overdue returnees, but to have 13 absentees as well today, asks the question - what is going on with the gulls?  Even the metal-rung Black-headed Gull from Iceland was absent for a second week running. 

There is not much more I can say at the minute which is frustrating.  A special note though for -  2FKA , which was the only juvenile ringed here last winter - it has recently surpassed the milestone of one year since being ringed.   2AAN  from Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study, will in contrast, reach it's 13 year milestone on the 21st December, when ringed here as an adult female. 

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 10th December 2025

2FJA	2CSR	2FFA	2FKA	2CJT	2CSK
2ABN	2AAN	2FIF	2BRA	2FFT

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina This Autumn/Winter but Absent Today

2ACV	2BRD	2CTA	2FDK	2FFX	2FHV	2FIL
2FJF	2FJK	2FJN	2FJT	2FJV	2FJX

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Parking at my usual spot beside the small concrete jetty, 6 adult Mute Swans along with two cygnets were resting on the slipway.  After my initial count of all species present, my attention returned to the two cygnets.  I confirmed my suspicion that they were not siblings.  One which lay and slept for around two hours, was slightly smaller and it's plumage browner than that of the older youngster.  Once all of the adult swans stood up, I could see the metal ring of the resident female -  X4707 .  Later on, her youngster (the larger cygnet) and her mate made their way to the grass on the edge of the car park to feed.  In time, it also became clear, that the smaller cygnet was not related to any of the other adults.  I reckon that it was worn out due to 'Storm Bram' which blew through Northern Ireland yesterday.  Another pair of swans arrived from upriver at 12:40, with a single adult arriving in from Lough Neagh at 1:41pm, taking the total number of adults to 9.

Mallard numbers were slightly better this week, with around 50 birds present throughout today's visit.  Again, most if not all legs were checked for rings.

The resident pair of Herring Gulls were also present throughout my visit, along with this year's youngster and a second calendar bird which I still believe was last year's chick.  This one now has a badly injured left leg and limps very heavily when on the move.  Their father also had a leg injury a couple of week's ago and has the slightest of limps now.

Just a single adult Common Gull when I arrived today.  I took until 1:39 before a second adult appeared and by 2pm, 4 adults were present.  The metal-rung Scottish female did not appear today.  A high of 8 adults was recorded once this winter.

The adult Moorhen was also present throughout today's visit.  As usual, it walked up and down the long wooden jetty and the small concrete jetty eating the seagull droppings. 

1 Hooded Crow and a male Pied Wagtail were brief visitors, while a single pair of Jackdaws made repeated visits.

The Small Sandy Beach Obscured by Debris Following Storm Bram

(Note the Small Concrete Jetty Behind the Security Fence and my Car Overlooking the Jetty)

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Antrim Marina - Wednesday 3rd December 2025...

Antrim Marina - Wednesday 3rd December 2025

Arriving at Antrim Marina today, I had expected to see all signs of the dredging operation all cleared up.  However, the compound was still present along with one digger and the barge along with it's digger was moored alongside the low wooden jetty.  Two men were present, and I watched them tidying up some of the equipment before departing.  It will be very useful to have the jetty clear for the gulls to rest on.

Arriving at 11:10, I departed at 2:30.  It was a murky/misty day which made everything look a bit on the dull side, with just a slight breeze.  The temperature gauge in my car read 6ºC.

This turned out to be yet another poor visit with very few birds about.  Studying the wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, some of the gulls have been colour-ringed here.  Last week, with the return of -  2CTA , this winter's total had increased to 24 colour-ringed gulls, with some yet to return.

Around 50 Black-headed Gulls were present on my arrival, but numbers quickly dropped to the 30 mark which remained at that until I departed.  By 12:35, I recorded 12 colour-rings, with the 13th and final ring of -  2FJX  being recorded at 1:23pm.  This left me with 11 absentees today, and no sign of any further returnees.  Judging by the number of colour-ringed gulls present, there was a clear turnover of birds coming and going.

The visit was very boring, and a couple of conversations with passers-by helped to kill the time.  Once again, gulls standing on the roof of the 'Gateway Centre' did not help.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Wednesday 3rd December 2025

2CJT	2FJA	2BRA	2FFA	2CSK	2FJT	2AAN
2FFX	2FKA	2ABN	2CSR	2FIL	2FJX

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina This Autumn/Winter but Absent Today

2ACV	2BRD	2CTA	2FDK	2FFT	2FHV
2FIF	2FJF	2FJK	2FJN	2FJV

During last week's visit to the Marina, I spotted a Black-headed Gull with a metal-ring.  After pursuing the bird, I managed to obtain enough photos to confirm that the ring number read -  EW40019 .  Having submitted my sighting to the BTO, I had hoped to get a recovery before I published my previous post.  The recovery arrived late on Monday afternoon.

 EW40019 , was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2021, at Whitaside Moor in North Yorkshire, England.  This sighting was the first since the gull was ringed, the duration being 4 years, 5 months and 5 days.  The distance from Whitaside Moor to Antrim Marina was given as 274 Kms / 170 Miles (W).  The gull was not seen again on today's visit to the Marina.

Black-headed Gull  -   EW40019   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (25 Nov 2025)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2021, at Whitaside Moor, North Yorkshire, England)

There was also no sign of the Icelandic-rung Black-headed Gull -  543335  during today's visit.  It is not very often for this gull to be absent during my weekly visits, albeit, it does appear late on sometimes.  Since returning on the 24th August 2025 for a third winter running, it has been recorded on 14 weekly visits.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On my arrival today, two adult Mute Swans and a single cygnet were lying down on the slipway.  The adults were a male and a female, but I could not see their lower legs to check for rings.  Eventually they stood up and I realised that they were the resident pair as the female is ringed -  X4707 .  The single cygnet is theirs and the only one left out of six.  Last week three cygnets were together, and the other three have not been seen 'Storm Amy' passed by.  A 3rd adult Mute Swan arrived in from the direction of Lough Neagh at 1:08.  At 1:35, the resident pair along with their youngster swam upriver towards Antrim Town.

The resident juvenile Herring Gull was present throughout my visit, and his father arrived at 11:25.  This gull had been limping slightly over the last two weeks, but looked ok today.  Mother paid a brief visit at 1:20.

Only two adult Common Gulls were seen today, the first, present on my arrival with a second arriving at 12:20.  A juvenile arrived at 1:28.  The highest number of adult Common Gulls recorded this winter stands at 8 birds.  I'm now keeping a special watch on these birds hoping for the return of the Finnish-rung -  ST177.026 .  Ringed as a juvenile in August 1995, if it does return, it will have surpassed the 30 year milestone.

The adult Moorhen was also present throughout today's visit.  As usual, it spent it's time walking up and down the jetties eating the seagull droppings.

Mallard numbers continue to be on the low side, with around 30 birds present throughout my visit.  Again, most if not all legs were checked for rings.

Just the one pair of Jackdaws today which made repeated visits.  The speckled looking Jackdaw that first appeared a few weeks ago, also made a brief visit, as did a pair of Hooded Crows and a male Pied Wagtail.

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On leaving the Marina, I drove to the Castle Way car park in the centre of Antrim Town.  Here, I was looking for the Latvian Black-headed Gull -  2AFD .  Caught and ringed at Antrim Marina in February 2014, this car park is it's favoured haunt these days, though it was once spotted at Antrim's Junction One Shopping Centre.  On parking, I threw out some bread which quickly attracted around 30 Black-headed Gulls, plus 1 adult and 2 juvenile Common Gulls.   2AFD  normally returns around the third weekend in October, but last year, the first sighting occurred on the 1st December 2024 at the Marina.  No sign of him today, but 'here's hoping'.

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Antrim Marina - Tuesday 25th November 2025...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 25th November 2025

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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