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Antrim Marina – Monday third October 2022 |
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My tenth weekly go to to Antrim Marina, noticed one other poor exhibiting by the Black-headed Gulls. With over a 120 birds being current final Monday, general numbers current at anyone time in the present day by no means exceeded the 60 mark. It was a uninteresting, cloudy day with a slight breeze and occasional spits of rain at first, however by 12:30 the rain got here on fairly closely.
On my arrival, about 50 Black-headed’s have been current, and numbers went up and down like a yoyo. The color-ring of – 2CSR , was the primary to be learn at 09:05, with – 2FDK , being the eleventh ring learn at 09:38. After this time, there have been massive gaps in ring sightings, with the nineteenth and last ring of – 2AAA , being learn at 12:03. I am at all times glad to report – 2AAA , because it was the primary gull to be ringed belonging to Adam McClure’s former Northern Eire Examine. At 9 years, 10 months and 21 days since being ringed, I am hoping – 2AAA will surpass the ten 12 months mark.
After I arrived, I used to be looking out for 35 colour-rings which have been recorded to this point this autumn/winter, which incorporates one hen that was caught and ringed final month. I had 16 absentees altogether in the present day, which is sort of a excessive quantity, and no new returnees have been recorded.
All in all, this go to was very gradual and boring. Conversations with a few Antrim folks, noticed them telling me of excessive numbers of gulls in a few of the cities housing estates. That is no good to me, as I can’t go spherical peoples homes searching for ringed birds.
Color Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday third October 2022
2CSR | 2FHX | 2FFA | 2FHV | 2FHP | 2CSB | 2FIF |
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2FFF | 2AAB | 2FIA | 2FDK | 2CTC | 2FFX | 2FIK |
2ABL | 2AAK | 2CJT | 2ABN | 2AAA |
Color Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina This Autumn/Winter however Absent As we speak
2AAN | 2ABA | 2ABS | 2ACV | 2BRA | 2CSA | 2CSK | 2CSL |
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2CSX | 2FFC | 2FFP | 2FHA | 2FHC | 2FHJ | 2FIH | 2FIJ |
Different Birds at Antrim Marina
There have been no Mute Swans current once I arrived in the present day, however the common 4 cygnets arrived with out their dad and mom at 10:55. They shortly got here handy for a feed of bread, and at 12:10, their dad and mom arrived.
Mallard numbers remained pretty static with round 50 on my arrival, with probably the identical quantity current once I departed simply after 12:30.
The one Widespread Gull seen throughout my go to, arrived at 09:33 and was nonetheless current once I departed. Actually shocked by the shortage of visiting birds at this stage of the autumn season, and nonetheless no signal of the metal-rung Scottish hen. No signal of the resident Herring Gull, however the one which appeared at 11:09, is more likely to be the identical hen that appeared right here final Monday.
A single Hooded Crow and simply 4 Jackdaws have been recorded, and a small flock of Lengthy-tailed Tits fed amongst the branches of the Crack Willow tree for a brief interval.
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From Steven Fyffe and Suzanne Belshaw |
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On the twenty ninth September 2022, I acquired an electronic mail from Steven Fyffe, which contained a number of pictures of a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull, noticed at Woman Bay, on Lough Neagh, Co. Antrim. Steven thought the Orange ring might need learn – 1215 or probably 1715. Trying by the sequence of pictures, I used to be certain that the colour-ring was Pink, however I couldn’t make out the code. If it was a British-rung hen, the code would start with the quantity 2, which is the case for all colour-ringed British-rung Black-headed Gulls and Widespread Gulls – this I defined to Steven in my reply. I recommended that the hen could possibly be Scottish, because the Borders Ringing Group, use Pink Darvics at their Elvanfoot web site in South Lanarkshire.
I additionally copied Suzanne Belshaw into my reply, with the hope that she would go to the location if she had time, and will maybe ‘nail’ this one. Suzanne has a Nikon P900 digital camera, which like my Nikon P1000, can zoom out over lengthy distances. Suzanne duly obliged, and on the next day discovered the gull at Woman Bay, and captured the code – 22L5 . Having despatched an electronic mail to the challenge concerned and with no reply being acquired, I submitted the hen to the BTO by its colour-marks solely.
On the identical time, I submitted one other couple of ring sightings, and I’ve already acquired recoveries for these birds, however nothing for – 22L5 . With it now being Friday seventh October, there’s nonetheless no phrase of a restoration for this hen, which makes me suppose, that the unique ringing particulars haven’t as but, been submitted to the BTO and subsequently a restoration can’t be generated. In these circumstances, the BTO will contact the ringer or ringing group, to request the small print.
Black-headed Gull – 22L5 – Woman Bay, Lough Neagh, Co. Antrim (30 Sep 2022)
(Ready for the Ringing Particulars)
(Photograph by Suzanne Belshaw)
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From Cameron Moore |
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Cameron Moore has been in contact concerning a juvenile Herring Gull that he noticed on the Whitehead seafront in County Antrim. Later, after the photograph arrived, I emailed Graham Prole who’s the ringing coordinator for the Irish Midlands Ringing Group.
K09:D , was ringed as a chick, on the 18th June 2022, on Eire’s Eye Island in County Dublin, Republic of Eire. 21 days later, the gull was nonetheless on the island when noticed on the ninth July. Cameron’s sighting on the first October 2022, comes 3 months and 13 days since being ringed. The gap from Eire’s Eye to Whitehead, is 151 kms / 94 miles (N).
My because of Graham for supplying the small print, and to Cameron for his sighting report and photograph. A few weeks in the past, Cameron was on the cellphone to me, to state that issues have been very quiet at Whitehead almost about ring sightings, particularly these of Sandwich Terns. I’ve learn stories that some Sandwich Tern colonies have been severely affected by outbreaks of ‘Fowl Flu’, which can have had led to the shortage of birds noticed on passage this autumn.
Juvenile Herring Gull – K09:D – Whitehead, Belfast Lough, Co. Antrim (01 Oct 2022)
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2022, on Eire’s Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Eire)
(Photograph Courtesy of Cameron Moore)
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Dying of – T61:D |
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The gull was ringed as a chick, on the 18th June 2022, on Eire’s Eye Island in County Dublin, within the Republic of Eire. It is was first re-sighted by James Younger, on the twelfth September 2022, when the younger gull landed on his fishing boat, simply off the coast from Portavogie in County Down. The period on the time, was 2 months and 25 days since being ringed, and the gap from Eire’s Eye, was 124 kms / 77 miles (NNE).
I cannot add Hilary’s photograph, as I’ve not acquired permission so as to add it to this submit. Trying on the photograph of – T61:D taken by James Younger, the hen seems to be completely wholesome, however on the newest, 10 days had handed when the gull was discovered lifeless.
Juvenile Nice Black-backed Gull – T61:D – At Sea, Portavogie, Co. Down (12 Sep 20220
(Ringed as a Chick, on the 18th June 2022, on Eire’s Eye Island, Co. Dublin, Republic of Eire)
(Photograph Courtesy of James Younger)
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Ballykelly and Myroe Ranges |
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On Saturday 1st October, and once more on Sunday 2nd October, I visited Ballykelly and the close by Myroe Ranges located on the shores of Lough Foyle in County Londonderry. Saturday noticed robust winds with occasional heavy showers of rain, while Sunday was pretty calm. Two weeks in the past, I recorded 10 colour-ringed gulls at these identical websites over two days, and having famous 1000’s of gulls, this spurred me on to have one other go searching for rings this weekend.
It grew to become a irritating two days, as having scoped many a whole bunch of legs, I solely discovered one colour-ringed hen on every day. On Saturday, I discovered a colour-ringed Oystercatcher on the Myroe Ranges, and on Sunday, re-sighted a Black-headed Gull which I recorded at Ballykelly a fortnight in the past.
I took a really lengthy distance {photograph} of the Oystercatcher on the Myroe Ranges, which had it is steel ring positioned on the proper tibia, with one yellow ring on every tarsus. I made a search on the Worldwide Wader Examine Group Database, so as to discover out the place this hen had come from. The one match that I might discover, was that of a Spanish challenge, the place the yellow ring on the proper tarsus ought to have numerals inscribed onto it.
A Spanish Oystercatcher in Northern Eire didn’t appear proper to me, so I emailed Wader knowledgeable Richard de Fue, for his opinion. Richard replied to say that this hen was more likely to be from the Waddensea space within the Netherlands, and each rings ought to have letters. these rings, it might seem that the lettering has worn away. Even at that, if the letters have been nonetheless current, I doubt if I might have captured them from the gap between the hen and myself. Pity about this one, as it might have been my first Dutch Oystercatcher.
Color-Ringed Oystercatcher – Myroe Ranges, Lough Foyle, Co. Londonderry (01 Oct 2022)
The Black-headed Gull that I re-sighted at Ballykelly was that of – 2JH7 . Two weeks in the past, I first got here throughout this hen on the shore at Ballykelly, and in the present day it was feeding in a discipline simply inland from the identical shore. I managed to seize the code, regardless of this being one of many longest distance pictures that I’ve ever taken, efficiently capturing the code.
2JH7 , was ringed as an grownup male, on the twenty eighth February 2021, at Blackness Fort in Falkirk, Scotland. My two sightings are the one ones for this hen, with the period since being ringed now being 1 12 months, 7 months and 4 days. The gap to Ballykelly, is 246 kms / 152 miles (WSW).
Black-headed Gull – 2JH7 – Ballykelly, Lough Foyle, Co. Londonderry (02 Oct 2022)
(Ringed as an Grownup Male, on the twenty eighth February 2021, at Blackness Fort, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland)
Two weeks in the past right here at Ballykelly, I noticed a Black-headed Gull colour-ringed – 2Y37 . I submitted this hen by its colour-marks, however have but to obtain a restoration. Nonetheless, whereas on my BTO DemOn account, I seen {that a} steel quantity had been added to my sighting, which meant the BTO has the ringing particulars, although a restoration has but to be despatched. I used the steel quantity as if getting into a brand new sighting and located a ringing date – twelfth June 2021, with the hen having been ringed as a chick.
This ties in with two different Black-headed Gulls on my Ring Studying Spreadsheet – 2Y57 & 2Y52 , each having been recorded in Northern Eire. All three of those gulls have been ringed as chicks, on the twelfth June 2021, on the Wildfowl & Wetland Belief Nature Reserve at Martin Mere, in Lancashire, England.
Regardless of not having a restoration, I used to be in a position so as to add the period and distance for – 2Y37 . Noticed on the seventeenth September 2022, the period is now 1 12 months, 3 months and 5 days since being ringed, and the gap to Ballykelly, is roughly 314 kms / 195 miles (NW).
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