No 2ABP...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 25th October 2015

My sister, Heather and I , arrived at the Marina this morning, to find the weather was more fitting for this time of year.  The sky was heavily clouded over, although it stayed dry.  The strong wind blowing in from the Lough, was very cold at times and on several occasions, we retreated to the car to warm up a bit.  Later on in the morning, the wind died down slightly and the sun could be seen peaking through the clouds every now and again.  At this time, the flies appeared, which pleased the gulls to no end - natural food to feed on.

86 Black-headed Gulls were present when we arrived this morning and by 12 noon, the number had risen to the 200+ mark.  So far this winter, I have re-sighted 26 out of the 36 Darvic-rung gulls, that I have recorded here since I started 'Ring Watching' at the Marina in September 2013.  My hopes of the arrival of -  2ABP  were dashed, as he never appeared.  His failure to show, means that he is now overdue, the only gull not to arrive early or when expected.

Today, did however, see the first re-sighting of another gull.   2BRC , put in it's first appearance of the winter.   2BRC  was caught and ringed on the 1st February 2015 at the Marina, the day that Adam McClure and I met for the first time.  I re-sighted it on 4 occasions over the following weeks and it was last seen here on the 15th March.  This coincided with the departure's of the Continental gulls such as -   2AAR , whose final winter sighting occurred on the same date.  At present, I am waiting on a file update from Adam, to see if this gull has been reported by anyone else since March.   2BRC  becomes my 27th Darvic-rung gull to be recorded this winter and due to it only being ringed earlier this year, I am still building a profile of it's comings and goings.

It can also be noticed now, how many of the gulls are relying on extra food, as many of them are showing up consistently from week to week.

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 25th October 2015 

2AAR	2ABF	2AAT	2AAD	2AAN	2AAA	2ABK	2AAK	2ADJ
2AAB	2AAH	2AAP	2AAC	2AAF	2ABS	T35J	2ABL	2ACX
2ABA	2BRA	2ADV	2AAV	2AAS	2BRC	2ACV

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded This Winter but Absent Today

2ABN	2BRD

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

At Last, the Common Gulls are starting to come in to the Marina.  Today, saw two males and the small female, who all appeared early in the morning and stayed throughout our 4 hour visit.  More of these gulls should start to arrive here over the next few weeks and I am hoping -  EY64036  which was ringed as a chick in Scotland, puts in her third winter appearance.

The third calendar year Herring Gull, which has not been seen in the last couple of weeks, also showed up today and was present for quite some time.

Last Sunday, only a small number of Mallards were seen when we arrived, with the numbers only rising to about 50+.  There was a big contrast in numbers today, as there were around 100 present when we arrived and the numbers remained consistent throughout our visit.  There was no sign of the 2 ringed Mallards from County Monaghan.  2 Black ducks present today, looked as if they were of an ornamental nature.  These may have escaped from somewhere or were just dumped here.

Only one Mute Swan was present at first, with the numbers rising to 5 altogether and no sign of the cygnet, that has appeared over the last two weeks.  Only the one metal-ring was noted today and that was -  Z91982 .  Other Mute Swans could be seen out on the Lough, but chose not to come in.

The usual crow species of Hooded Crows, Jackdaws and a single Magpie, were the only other larger species to be noted.  The only smaller birds to be seen, was a single Pied Wagtail and a Dipper, which repeatedly flew back and forth across the river.

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Ringing Details Received

Lesser Black-backed Gull - F461

On Tuesday afternoon, I finally received an eagerly awaited email concerning the Darvic-ringed Lesser Black-backed Gull -  F461 , which I spotted on the 10th October, at the Whiteabbey Shoreline, on the east coast of County Antrim.  Confirmation of this gull came direct from Portugal.  It was ringed by RIAS on the 18th November 2014.

RIAS is a Centre for Recovery and Wildlife Research and is based at the Ria Formosa National Park, Olhão, Southern Portugal.  This Centre takes in all manner of wildlife that have been struck by disease or injury, releasing them back into the wild after treatment and recuperation.

No specific details were given about the symptoms concerning this Gull, but it has obviously suffered no after effects, having turned up at Whiteabbey.  My re-sighting is the first for this gull, having travelled about 1,967 Kms / 1,222 miles in a northerly direction.  This one is now my best sighting of a ringed bird and comes with a small story behind it.  RIAS have stated that they will keep me informed of any future re-sightings.

My thanks go to the staff at RIAS for supplying the ringing details and their Blog can be found by Clicking Here.

Ria Formosa, Portugal to Whiteabbey, Northern Ireland

Lesser Black-backed Gull  -   F461   -  Whiteabbey Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (10 Oct 2015)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Adult, on the 18th November 2014, at Quinta de Marim, Olhäo, Portugal)

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Friday 23rd October 2015

Today, I decided to try the Roe Estuary, which is site that I have never been to before.  It is situated in the north-west of Northern Ireland where the River Roe flows into Lough Foyle.  To my dismay, when I arrived here, it was nearing high tide and the mudflats were under water.

Parking at the edge of this Nature Reserve, I could see 500+ gulls roosting on the marsh.  I was really surprised at the number of Common Gulls here, with easily 200 to 250 present.  I've never seen so many of this species in one place before.  A further 200 to 250 Black-headed Gulls were also noted.  Smaller numbers of Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls, were roosting here as well.

The major problem, was that the vegetation was so tall, no legs could be seen to look for rings.  I made my way along the edge of the marsh and went underneath the nearby railway bridge, to see what was on the other side.

100 to 120 Brent Geese were noted on the water's of Lough Foyle and 5 Black Swans swam in the company of 9 adult Mute Swans and a single cygnet.

I was very disappointed to find the tide was in and with so many gulls and geese in the area, I would have no doubt, there would have been colour-ringed birds to be got here.  I'll try again, sometime soon hopefully.

What to do next?  I decided to make the fairly long drive to Portrush on the North Coast of County Antrim.  On arrival, I drove to Lansdowne Crescent, the street where I first lived after the family moved over from England, when I was 11 years of age.  I remembered that gulls were always to be seen around the large car parking areas.

Only Herring gulls were to be seen here, though in good numbers and of all ages, from juveniles to adults.  On the nearby rocks, were a small number of Oystercatchers.  Spending about an hour here, the gulls were frequently coming and going, but no rings to be seen.  I am still waiting to get my first Herring Gull with a Darvic.

Moving on to the East Strand Car Park, I was confronted by over 100 gulls standing on the tarmac.  The majority were Black-headed Gulls, some Common Gulls and juvenile Herring Gulls.  What really caught my eye, was a Ring-billed Gull, the first I've ever seen.  After taking a few photos, it was down to business looking for rings and I got one.

A Black-headed Gull with a 'metal-ring', would not let me anywhere near it.  So I drove to the local filling-station and bought a loaf.  This did the trick and I was able to scope the whole ring number - London -  EW83177 .  I have reported the number to the BTO and now await the ringing details.

The bread also attracted an albinistic Jackdaw.  You'd have thought someone threw paint over it.  Years ago, I saw a Jackdaw that was completely Grey, but have never seen one with so much white as this one.

Black-headed Gull  -   EW83177   -  East Strand Car Park, Portrush, Co. Antrim  (23 Oct 2015)

Ring-billed Gull - East Strand Car Park, Portrush, Co. Antrim  (23 Oct 2015)

Albinistic Jackdaw - East Strand Car Park, Portrush, Co. Antrim  (23 Oct 2015)

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Saturday 24th October 2015

Whitehouse Lagoon

This was another attempt to get the code for the juvenile Common Gull that I spotted here a couple of weeks ago, bearing an Orange Darvic.  I spent an hour searching through the gulls and waders for rings, but got nothing, unlike previous visits here.

Whiteabbey Shoreline

A good number of gulls and waders were to be found here.  Scoping for rings, it did not take too long to get 4 'metals', but all too far away to try and get the numbers.  2 were on Herring Gulls and 1 on an Oystercatcher.  A Common Gull with a 'metal', may well be the same one I got a partial number for, on the 11th October, with the up-side down ring.

A Common Gull with a Blue Darvic -  2AIP , was the same gull I recorded here on the 10th October 2015 and was spotted at almost the same location on the Beach.

Carrickfergus

A quick stop at the Harbour here in Carrickfergus, as there were very few gulls about, all Black-headed, just 15 altogether.  Looking through these, I spotted two with Orange Darvics from Adam's BHG Study.   2ADB , I recorded a few weeks ago and a new one to me is  2AFB .  Later on Saturday evening, Adam sent me the file for this one.

 2AFB  was ringed as an adult male at Carrickfergus on the 30th December 2013.  It was seen on 5 occasions at Carrickfergus between January and October 2014, before Cameron Moore spotted it at Ballycarry, a few miles North, on the 6th November 2014.  It was not seen again until the 14th March 2015, when Brian Henderson sighted it at Loch Ryan in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Black-headed Gull  -   2AFB   -  Carrickfergus Harbour, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim  (24 Oct 2015)

(Ringed as an Adult Male, on the 30th December 2013, at Carrickfergus Harbour)

 2AFB  returned to Carrickfergus Harbour, when Adam himself spotted it there on the 27th July 2015 and my sighting today, is the first since then.

Whitehead

With the tide well out, about 50 Black-headed Gulls were perched on the exposed rocks.  A few Common Gulls were also present and 5 Oystercatchers were probing on the small sandy beach.  Scoping the gulls, I noticed 1 Common Gull and 1 Black-headed Gull bearing 'metal-rings'.  With some of the bread that I still had from yesterday, I tried to lure the gulls towards me, as they were too far away to read the ring numbers.

Only the Common Gull came near me and I managed one photo and then it flew off.  After that, neither of the gulls came near me.  On checking the photo, I did get a partial number -   *S13***  on a BTO ring.  As all ringers would know, the missing first letter is probably an 'E'.  Looking at the photo, the 3rd number looks as if it is a 6, but I'm not 100% sure.  Adam lives nearby, so he'll have a go at finishing off the number.

These two 'metals', makes it 6 'metals' in all today.  If these birds had colour-rings attached to them, I would easily have got the codes for them all.

Whiteabbey Shoreline

Heading back home, I decided to stop by here again for a second visit.  I'm glad I did, as I spotted another Common Gull -  2AIN , from Shane Wolsey's Study on the Copeland Islands..  I have emailed Shane and await the gulls details.  This is my 5th Darvic from the study since the 23rd August.

Common Gull  -   2AIN   -  Whiteabbey Shore, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim  (24 Oct 2015)

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Kinnego Marina - Sunday 25th October 2015

After completing my weekly visit to Antrim Marina, my sister and I drove down to the bottom end of Lough Neagh for a second visit to Kinnego Marina.

Arriving here, we encountered 60 to 70 Black-headed Gulls all nicely sitting on one of walkways, all easy to scope.  Within a short time, three of Adam's Darvic-rung gulls were noted, as well as three BHGs with 'metal-rings'.

  2BPS  and  2BPT  were both spotted here during my first visit on the 27th September 2015.   2BPV  was a new one for me and I now await it's file from Adam.

Of the three 'metals', I only managed partial numbers for two of the gulls.  ****966  is the same gull that I had on the 27th September and on that occasion, I failed to obtain the 2nd letter as well as the first number  E**2966 .  The 2nd metal read  EW3*806  and on this one, I failed to get the 2nd number.  The third metal was on a one-legged Black-headed Gull and I failed to get any details at all on this one.  I remember that Adam caught a one-legged BHG earlier this year and I have asked him to confirm whether he ringed it or not.

The reason I failed to get the numbers was due to several people arriving at the same time to feed the birds.  Once the gulls had their fill, they flew off.  I might just try this site again tomorrow, as I'm keen to get all three numbers.

Black-headed Gull  -   2BPV   -  Kinnego Marina, Lough Neagh, Co. Armagh  (25 Oct 2015)

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