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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