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.

***********************************************************************************

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'.

************************************************************************************