Antrim Marina - Tuesday 18th August 2026...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 18th August 2026

Today I arrived at Antrim Marina at 11am.  There was a light wind, cloudy, and the temperature gauge in my car read 18ºC.  As I pulled up to the ANPR Barrier, I could not believe my eyes.  Even at a distance, I noted that the river which flows past the Marina and into Lough Neagh, had a thick 'green carpet' of Algae.  It was awful looking as I parked up at my usual spot.

The state of it was similar to the year before last, though in the summer last year, it was not quite as bad.  Due to having plates on my car which reads 'Environmental Study Vehicle' (the Councils idea for giving me access to the front car park), I had several people stopping by thinking I was monitoring the Algae - which was not the case.  I had to explain that I was studying the gulls, hence the councils requirement.

Many left amazed about the movements of the gulls and the use of the colour-coded rings.

View of the Small Sandy Beach with Gulls Resting on the Long Wooden Jetty

View of the River Which Flows Past the Marina

During today's visit, I recorded three returning gulls.  One was one of the Black-headed Gulls from my Wintering Population Study, also a returning metal-rung Common Gull and the third was what I thought was a new sighting altogether.

This Black-headed Gull had a Black coloured ring which read -  2355 .  It seemed quite at home and I easily took several photos and even managed to capture it's metal-ring number as well -  EM56667 .  On returning home, I checked the colour-ring code on my Main Ring Reading Spreadsheet, and discovered I had recorded the very same gull during one of my random summer visits made on the 7th May 2026.  I then entered it's metal-ring number on to the BTO's DemOn Database and discovered there had been no further sightings since May.  It looks likely that this gull has remained in the Antrim area all this time.  If so, there is a good chance for more sightings over the coming weeks.

 2355 , was ringed as a chick, on the 14th June 2025, at the Shotton Steelwork's in Flintshire, Wales.  The distance to Antrim Marina, is 266 kms / 165 miles (NW).  The duration since being ringed is now 1 year, 2 months and 4 days.

Black-headed Gull  -   2355   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Aug 2026)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 14th June 2025, at Shotton Steelworks, Shotton, Flintshire, Wales)

Last week, I added two more colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls to this winters list, taking the overall total to 12.  The two additions were -  2FJT  and  2FIL .  I wanted to obtain updated photos for both birds, but a multitude of children kept chasing after the gulls scaring the off.  Both of these were present today.  I got a photo of -  2FIL , but the colour-ring of -  2FJT  was covered by a thick layer of Algae.  In fact, the Algae presented a challenge trying to read the rings of several gulls, and I need to check all legs in the case a metal-rung visitor would turn up.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FIL   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Aug 2026)

(Ringed as an Unsexed 2nd Winter Bird, on the 31st October 2022, at Antrim Marina)

The number of Black-headed Gulls present on my arrival was around the 80 mark and that total remained more or less the same right throughout my three hour visit.  As previously mentioned, this winters list of colour-rings sat at 12 after last weeks two additions.  All 12 of those gulls were recorded today, so for a change, I had no absentees.

At 11:58, I had another addition -  2ABN .   2ABN , belongs to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study (2012 till 2018) and was ringed at Antrim Marina as an adult female on the 23rd January 2013.  This gull is a winter visitor to the Marina, but it's exact breeding site is still unknown.  Two sightings away from the Marina have both been at the same site in March 2022 and May 2025.  The site is Peatlands Park in County Armagh, 35 kms / 21 miles (SW) from the Marina.  The May sighting would be in the breeding season, but I know of no breeding colonies in that area.  Previously with the March sighting, I thought it could be nesting further to the South-West perhaps as far as the Fermanagh Lakelands or beyond.  The duration since being ringed, is now 13 years, 6 months and 26 days.

Another of Adam's Black-headed Gull's -  2ACP , has recently returned to it's wintering site and Suzanne Belshaw informed me of it's return (9th August 2026).  Suzanne asked the question - was  2ACP  the second oldest surviving gull from Adam's project?  I said it would be unless -  2ABN  returns to Antrim Marina.   2ACP  was ringed on the 9th February 2013, as an unsexed adult at the Sprucefield Shopping Centre in County Down where it is a frequent winter visitor.  Sometimes this gull pops over the county border into County Antrim where Suzanne would spot it close to her home in Lisburn.   2AAN , recorded today at the Marina remains the oldest at 13 years, 7 months and 28 days since being ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -   2ABN   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Aug 2026)

(Ringed as an Adult Female, on the 23rd January 2013, at Antrim Marina)

With today's return of -  2ABN , the overall total of colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls rises to 13 birds.  Between a quarter to a third of Black-headed Gulls were juveniles, which is very good compared to the last couple of years.  There is a lot of competition among these juveniles when people arrive with food.  As the weeks pass, no doubt a few foreign juveniles will add to these numbers.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 18th August 2026

2FFT	2BRA	2FIF	2FIL	2FKA	2AAN	2FJT
2CSK	2FJA	2CJT	2CSR	2FHV	2ABN

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

No Mute Swans were present on my arrival, and a pair arrived from upriver at 11:42.  I took a photo of them soon after they hauled ashore at the slipway.  They spent a good hour cleaning a lot of the Algae off their feathers before lying down for a long snooze.

View of the pair of Mute Swans just after their arrival

The return of a metal-rung Common Gull was a very pleasing site.  I had just finished a conversation with a passer-by, when I lifted my binoculars to scan the long wooded jetty and spotted the metal ring.  Grabbing my camera, I took several photo of the gull and the ring. 

The small female looked like the Scottish-rung -  EY64036 , and looking at the photos, the ring was confirmed.   EY64036 , was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston in North Ayrshire, Scotland.  It first appeared at Antrim Marina as a juvenile on the 9th February 2014 and has returned every winter since.  Being metal-rung, it would be very unlikely that it will ever be recorded during the breeding season.  The distance from North Ayrshire to the Marina, is 141 kms / 87 miles (SW).  The duration since being ringed, is now 13 years, 1 month and 29 days.  Welcome Back - Glad to see You!!! 

When I arrived, just on Common Gull was present and it remained throughout the visit.  A very confiding bird, it would land on the roof of my car beside me.  It gets it's treat of a few bits of bread.  The Scottish female was recorded at 12:40, and these were the only two recorded today.  I'm hoping the metal-rung Common Gull from Finland arrives back at some point.  If it does, it will be over 31 years since it was ringed.

Common Gull  -   EY64036   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (18 Aug 2026)

(Ringed as a Chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, Scotland)

The resident male Herring Gull and his youngster were also present throughout.  As usual, he walked up to the door of my car and took bread from my hand.  Soon afterwards, even the youngster was bold enough to get hand fed.  Also present, was a second calendar year Herring Gull which I reckon was last year's chick.  At 11:49, a 3rd calendar year Herring Gull appeared.  Could this the youngster of the resident male from 2024?  A second un-related juvenile arrived at 11:55.  A trifle wary, the shyness quickly wore off when bread was being thrown out.

One adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, possibly the same bird, made repeated visits.

Around 60 Mallards were present throughout, every one of them were spread out around the jetties.  At no time, did any go into the water.  Looks like they're not loving the Algae either.

I heard a Kingfisher at 11:18.  Surprised that it even here at all, as it could not possible see through the Algae to see any fish.

Three Jackdaws and a single Hooded Crow were the only other species noted today.

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Antrim Marina - Tuesday 11th August 2026...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 11th August 2026

After posting my last blog article, I received an email from my former ringing trainer - Sandy McWilliams.  I first met up with Sandy back in the 80's when I started to rings birds.  After reading my comments about the non-existence of Mallard chicks, Sandy offered up the probable cause.  A couple of months back, he spotted a Mink running along the opposite riverbank a short distance upriver from the Marina.  It had a dead male Blackbird in it's mouth.

If there are a couple of Mink families, they may well be predating the eggs and chicks of the Mallards.  It may also explain why the resident pair of Mute Swans have no cygnets.  I photographed a Mink here back in September 2014.  I had spotted it swimming across the river and into the boulders beside where the Gateway Centre is now built.  Waiting with camera in hand, it eventually poked its head out.  My thanks to Sandy for his comments. 

Mink  -  Antrim Marina  -  September 2014

Today (Tuesday 11th August 2026), I undertook my second weekly visit to Antrim Marina where I am studying a wintering population of Black-headed Gulls, some of which, have been colour-ringed during previous winters.  My arrival today was slightly later than I had planned, as back at home, I had to wait for Lorraine to return to the house after popping into town (Ballymena).  As mentioned before, Lorraine owns a cat that now needs keeping an eye on For health reasons.

After another visit to vet of late, the cat 'Rusty' was diagnosed as having 'Arthritis'.  We were concerned about the state of it's fur at the rear of it's back, which looked very 'shabby' and had lost it's 'sheen'.  It appears, due to the 'Arthritis', the cat can no longer reach around to clean itself.  The area effected was shaved off and mild painkillers were prescribed to ward off any pain.  The vet estimated that 'Rusty' is aged around 13 to 14 years - no wonder I had suggested it had the 'feline' equivalent of senile dementia.

Passing through the ANPR barrier, as I drove across the car park to my normal parking spot beside the short concrete jetty, the first thing that I noticed barring the pair of Mute Swans, was the return of the Blue/Green Algae.  Although not quite as bad as two years ago, it is of concern as it is killing the wildlife underneath the surface.

The Blue/Green Algae is Back Again  - Note the Green Line of Sludge at the Waters Edge 

On parking at 12:15, I made a note of the birds present and then set to work checking the legs of the Black-headed Gulls for coloured-rings belonging to my study or from other projects.  I also check for gulls ringed with metal-rings only.

Around 70 Black-headed Gulls were present, and once again, there were also a good number of juveniles.  Numbers held up well, and perhaps reached the 90 point.  I remained until 3:30, and just 9 colour-rings were read.  Last week (week 1), I read 10 colour-rings altogether, but today, 3 of those gulls were absent, but a further two were added to this winter's list, which takes the overall total to 12.

 2FJT , was the first to be added at 12:34.  I consider -  2FJT  to be a non-resident, though Suzanne Belshaw had already recorded it's return on the 14th July 2026.  I was ringed at the Marina in December 2023 as an unsexed adult.

 2FIL , was the second to be added to this winter's list, and was the last to be spotted at 3:18pm.   2FIL , is a year round resident at the Marina.  It was ringed here as a 2nd winter bird (hatched in 2021) on the 31st October 2022.

Due to the very good weather conditions the area around the Marina was hectic.  Many families with kids passed through and the younger kids constantly chased the gulls.  I wanted to take photos of -  2FJT  and  2FIL , but was unable to do so.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 11th August 2026

2FJA	2CSK	2FHV	2FJT	2FKA	2CJT	2AAN	2FFT	2FIL

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

2BRA	2CSR	2FIF

There was also a bit of drama just before I departed.  A young boy, possibly 8 to 10 years of age, had walked into the river down the slipway.  As people tried to persuade him to come back in, he just stood there covered right up to his neck - one slip and would be gone.  Myself and a young lady walked up to the picnic tables and asked if anyone was missing a young boy - a definite no.

I also checked the visitor centre inside the 'Gateway Centre'.  Returning to the slipway, a parent had arrived and managed to coax the young boy out.  They walked out of the car park, and their car must have been parked somewhere around the 'Play Park'.  The way the young lad looked, I think he could have 'mental problems', so this was a lucky escape.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

Just the two Mute Swans today, the female of the pair is an immature.  Most of the time, they rested on the slipway.

Mallards numbers were fairly good with around 60 to 70 birds present through most of my visit today.  After several feeds of bread and pellets from passers by, the total dropped slightly.  With most legs checked for rings, it has been a long time since I have recorded a ringed Mallard here.

No sooner had I parked my car beside the small concrete jetty, the resident male Herring Gull wasted no time walking up to the car.  With bread in hand, he readily pulled off chunks.  His youngster also came up to the car, and after watching his father, he took bread from my hand.

A second calendar year Herring Gull arrived at 12:30, and I'm fairly sure, he was the youngster of the resident Herring Gull from last year.  The female arrived at 12:37 and quickly joined up to the male.  A further two juveniles Herring Gulls arrived at 13:10 and 13:25 and quickly took advantage of the bread being thrown out.

Only one Common Gull today.  This adult was present throughout my visit and on two occasions happily stood on the roof of my car.  An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull made a brief stop at 15:02.

Two Jackdaws and a single Hooded Crow were the only other species noted today.

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Antrim Marina - Tuesday 4th August 2026...

Antrim Marina - Tuesday 4th August 2026

Today marked my first weekly visit to Antrim Marina to record the colour ringed Black-headed Gulls which were all caught and ringed on site with the earliest having been ringed back in 2012.  My aim each winter beginning in the first week of August to the final week of March, is to undertake at least one weekly visit not only to read colour rings, but if possible catch new gulls to add to my project.

This is a study of the wintering population and during the spring and summer, the gulls head off to their breeding sites.  Some of the gulls are year round residents breeding in the Antrim area, whereas, other have been reported in Iceland, Scandinavia and in north and central Europe, also closer to home in England, Scotland and at sites here in Northern Ireland.  Once their breeding season is over whether having been successful or not, they begin to return to Antrim Marina.

Before I discuss today's findings, I need to update all on some events over the summer.

A major problem came to light back in late April.  It involved the 'Torpedo Platform' situated a short distance away from Antrim Marina.  The 'Torpedo Platform' was used in World War Two to test torpedo's and the now derelict and overgrown platform serves as a breeding site for gulls and terns.  A 'Live' camera on the platform saw a healthy population of Black-headed Gulls selecting nest-sites, but in late April, they suddenly abandoned the platform.  Where the colony relocated too is as yet unknown.  Around the same time, the Common Terns were arriving back from Africa.  They did attempt to nest on the platform, but without the protection of the Black-headed Gull colony, their eggs were being predated by the gulls.  Watching the 'Live' camera, I even saw immature Black-headed Gulls raiding the tern nests.

During my two random summer visits to Antrim Marina, I scoped the 'Torpedo Platform', and only a handful of terns remained.  Looks like most of them ended up abandoning the platform too.  During May, the 'Live' camera was closed down - obviously hiding the carnage taking place.

I informed the Lough Neagh Partnership at an early stage to highlight the problem on the platform.  It is the Partnership who installed the live camera, and they never got back to me, to give me their thoughts.

As mentioned, I only made two random summer visits to Antrim Marina.  Normally, I would undertake a few more, the idea, is to record the resident colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls.  My second visit in June, was so bad, I did not have the heart to undertake further visits - birdlife around the Marina was almost non existent.

During the summer, away from the Marina, only two of my gulls were reported -  2FHV  in Iceland, and three sightings of -  2FIX  in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

Suzanne Belshaw stopped by the Marina on the 14th July.  Suzanne recorded 5 colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls.   2AAN  is regarded as a breeding bird in the Larne area (likely Blue Circle Island), but did spend one summer at the Marina.   2CJT  and  2CSR  are year round residents,  whilst  2FJA  and  2FJT  are considered as being winter visitors to the Marina and their actual breeding sites are as yet unknown.  The return date for these two are the earliest recorded so far.  Suzanne also sent photos for all five gulls, and I thank her for reporting these, along with the photos.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina by Suzanne Belshaw on the 14th July 2026

2AAN	2CJT	2CSR	2FJA	2FJT

I arrived at Antrim Marina just before 11:30 this morning, and 'Wow', I was in for a big surprise.  On arrival it was cloudy but calm and the temperature gauge in my car read 19ºC.  Over the next three hours of my visit, the skies opened up, leaving us with a very hot day.

Arriving not knowing what to expect, there were Black-headed Gulls all round the place.  A rough estimate gave 70 to 80 gulls, but was really interesting, was the number of juveniles.  My first visit last autumn gave a disappointing total of just 4 juveniles, which suggested the gulls had had a very poor breeding season.  

This time, the number of juveniles was pushing towards half of the gulls present.  Over my three hour visit, numbers remained more or less static, but on leaving the Marina just after 2:30pm, at least another 30 to 40 gulls were present around the nearby 'Play Park'.  Quite a few gulls were also standing around the busy picnic tables obviously waiting for titbits.  I noticed some had colour-rings, but with children about, using binoculars or my camera was out of the question.

Just 10 colour-rings were recorded today.  The first was -  2FIF , a resident which was also recorded during my random summer visits.  The second, was a nice one to see -  2FKA .  This was my last Black-headed Gull to be ringed here at the Marina.  I caught it on the 1st December 2024, as a juvenile/1st winter bird.  It was away all summer last year, and the same during this past summer.  It is now 1 year, 8 months and 3 days since it was ringed.  I'm now wondering if this one is a foreign bird.  It will reach maturity next year, so fingers crossed that it will be spotted in a breeding colony.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FKA   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (04 Aug 2026)

(Ringed as a Juvenile/1st Winter Bird, on the 1st December 2024, at Antrim Marina)

 2CJT  and  2CSR  are year round residents and were mentioned above, along with non-resident - 2FJA .  When -  2FJA  arrived at 11:48, it started squealing at me "where have you been"?  I grabbed some bread and hand fed him on the fence in front of where I park the car.   2FJA  was ringed as an unsexed 2nd Winter bird back in December 2022.

The next one -  2AAN  was also mentioned above.  It was ringed here on the 21st December 2012 as an adult female, and was among the earliest Black-headed Gulls to be ringed that belonged to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study.   2AAN , is now the oldest surviving gull from that study, and as of today, it is now 13 years, 7 months and 14 days since being ringed.

 2BRA , is another year round resident at the Marina, and was ringed as an adult female in February 2015.

The next gull had me racing to grab my camera.   2FHV  had safely returned from Iceland.  Just the one sighting the past summer, having been photographed at Akureyri in northern Iceland on the 13th April 2026.  The finder, Hrafn Svavarsson, stated that the nearest breeding colony was at Krossanesborgir, just under two kilometres to the north.   2FHV , was ringed as an unsexed adult at the Marina in November 2021.  Over the years since being ringed, I now have seven sighting from the same area of Iceland.  Looking at the photo, has he just arrived back!!

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHV   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (04 Aug 2026)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 8th November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

 2FFT , puzzled me somewhat.  Ringed in December 2020, I had always assumed it was a winter visitor and possibly a foreign breeder.  The early sighting on the 6th June 2026, had me wondering - had it failed early during it's breeding attempt.

My tenth and final colour-ring sighting was that of another year round resident -  2CSK , ringed as an unsexed adult in December 2017.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Tuesday 4th August 2026

2FIF	2FKA	2CJT	2CSR	2FJA	2AAN	2BRA	2FHV	2FFT	2CSK

All in all, I was very pleased with today's visit.  Plenty of birds around for a change, and the number of juvenile Black-headed Gulls was totally unexpected.  Wherever the Black-headed Gulls bred at after abandoning the 'Torpedo Platform', they must have been fairly successful - bearing in mind, the cases of 'Bird Flu' in colonies over the last couple of years.  When Danny from Lough Neagh Rescue arrived, even he made comment on the numbers of juveniles around. 

Other Birds Recorded at Antrim Marina

As is the norm when I arrive, the Mute Swans are always fairly obvious.  Expecting to see some cygnets, there was none.  Four Mute Swans were lying down on the slipway, and my heart sank when I saw the metal ring of -  X4707 .  Although ringed as a male in April 2024, this bird is a female and had six chicks last year.  At no stage did I figure out if the other three swans included her partner.  No cygnets - what's happened?

Half way through my visit, a couple stopped by Danny and myself.  Asked if I was the guy 'banding' the birds, we got onto the subject of the ringed Mute Swan.  They had seen her on her nest upriver from the Marina and at that stage she was on eggs.  Did they hatch?  Perhaps that story can be answered by passers by in the coming weeks.

A pair of Mute Swans arrived from upriver at 12:36, the female being immature looking at the colour of her beak.

Ring of Mute Swan  -   X4707   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (04 Aug 2026)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 5th April 2024, at Bartins Bay, Lough Neagh, Co. Antrim)

No sooner had I parked my car, the resident male Herring Gull walked right up to me quickly followed by his youngster.  Here is another gull that remembers me.  Opening the car door, he walked right up and took lots of bread from my hand.

Two immature Herring Gulls were also present throughout my visit.  One appears to be last years youngster, the other from the preceding year, both belonging to the resident pair.

The Resident Male Herring Gull along with his Chick  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (04 Aug 2026)

A single adult Common Gull was also present as I parked up.  A further two adults arrived at 11:42 and 12:26, with all three lined up together on the small concrete jetty at one stage.

A single sub-adult Lesser Black-backed Gull made a brief visit at 13:04.

Around 40 Mallards were present, and that total remained more or less throughout the visit.  No chicks were seen during my May and June visits, and still no chicks today.  Danny from Lough Neagh Rescue said he had not seen any chicks at all this summer.  If they are breeding locally something is going on at their nests.

A few Sand Martins were flying around high in the sky, but they did not seem to be using the Swift cavities situated high up on the walls of the Gateway Centre. 

3 Jackdaws and two Hooded Crows were the only other species noted today.

This was a fairly satisfactory first visit and I hope the gull numbers hold up.  Over the next few weeks, there should be a few other returnees.  Last winter, several of my colour-ringed gulls suddenly disappeared over a space of a few weeks and I reckoned they had perished.  We had three severe storms last winter.  During the summer I tried to correlate the loss of those gulls with the storms, but could not find a direct link.

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