Friday 28 July 2017

July - 2nd Post

29th July

On Sandymount strand today, the Black-headed Gull E5VA showed up.  I also read 9 Oystercatcher rings, 5 Mediterranean Gulls (Including HK36 from Hungary) and the best of the day was one of the new Herring Gulls.  All very far away for good photos, but here are a few.

Black Headed Gull E5VA from Holland

Med Gull 3KPT also from Holland

Oystercatcher HD Ringed in Dublin

Herring Gull 016:D

25th July

The Colour ringed Juvenile Gulls have so far not moved very far from their nest sites.  I have recorded a couple on the Liffey, but only a few 100m from where they were ringed.  This is to be expected.  I went out to Ireland's Eye to see how they are getting on and to get some photographs to publicise the project.  A friend Tonya  went with me so some of the photos are hers.

King of the hill!  Great Black Backed Gull 326:D

Great Black Backed Gull 340:D

Great Black Backed Gull and Juvenile 348:D

Photographing behaviour shows who is related to who.

Herring Gull 078:D

Herring Gull 112:D

Herring Gull 173:D
Photo by Tonya

Photo by Tonya

Photo by Tonya

Photo by Tonya 

Sunday 23 July 2017

Dublin Urban Gull Project

Dublin Urban Gull Project.



Gulls are spectacular birds but Urban Gulls seem to get a lot of bad press. However, they do fulfill a vital role in Urban Ecosystem and Herring Gull numbers have declined so quickly in recent years they are now RED listed. Lesser Black Backed and Greater Black Backed Gulls are amber listed. The Ringing Club, that I am a member of, have taken up the challenge of studying them. The Irish Midlands Ringing Group has now colour ringed about 100 large gull pulli, mainly Herring Gulls, over the last 3 weeks in the City Centre of Dublin. We also ringed 145 large Gull Pulli on Ireland's Eye as a control group for comparison.


The ringing of Pulli – Flightless Juveniles or “Chicks” has now come to the end for this nesting season and the task of re-sighting them has commenced.

Our ring sequence runs from 001:D  to 999:D

001:D is called Leo because he was ringed on the Roof of the Dail!

Dublin Great Black Backed Gull 345:D on Irelands Eye.  Pulli - Preflight Juvenile

Large Gulls have never been colour ringed in Dublin City Centre before so we have no data as to their survival, dispersal, usage of particular sites etc. So we have almost 100 coloured ringed Urban raised Gulls to try and locate in Dublin City and see how they fare.


Dublin Gull Project - 025:D near Heuston Station




We will watch the data and the type of questions that we hope to answer from this study over the next few years are the following.
· We know Gulls from Irelands Eye venture into the City, but do the City Gulls venture out to sea? Will they turn up at fishing ports such as Howth or Dun Laoghaire.
· What is their Survival rate?
· Do they move? I know from reading Gull Rings in Dublin that I see Herring Gulls from Scotland and the Isle of Man. Will our Urban controls also move south?
· I also read Gulls From Irelands Eye on Playing Fields and in the Parks of Tallaght, will the urban Gulls also venture away from the Urban City to the Suburbs to feed?
Sightings can be sent to medgullring@gmail.com





Sunday 2 July 2017

July 2017 - E5VA + 27H0 Return yet again

25 July 2017

Today was an excellent day ring reading.  It started in Howth.  15 Cr Rings of the old project were recorded including one new bird, 3EL.  Ringed in 2013.

Great Black Backed Gull 3EL Ringed 2013

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Great Black Backed Gull 1MC.  Usually seen at Broadmeadows.
However there were none of our new red rings, so we went to Irelands Eye, to get some photographs!  Always nice to get another species and this Cormorant obliged!

CR Cormorant AFI on Irelands Eye


22nd July

A short walk in Sean Walsh Park rewarded me with my first sighting of the season of 27H0.  Still in breeding plumage.  Since first sighted as a Juvenile in 2013, it has been an annual regular in the park..


13th July

This year the first Colour Ringed Black Headed Gull to return to Sean Walsh Park is the Dutch Ringed E5VA.  First sighted as a Juvenile in January 2012, it has returned to the same park each year 750 Km from its breeding ground.


4th July 2017

Every Tuesday in July 6:30 - 8 "Tern Watch" takes place at Collimore Harbour.  This event allows the public to view the Terns nesting with more experienced Birders to point out the Terns and all the other birds on show like Shearwaters.  En-route I stopped at Bullock Harbour.  I am glad I did as two CR Ringed Gulls were present.  It was a first sighting of 2LH for 2017 and the Herring Gull T9YF is from the Isle of Man.  Ringed in 2014, it has been recorded in Dublin in 2015,2016 and now 2017.


Herring Gull from Isle of Man - Not quite full adult.  In ringing terms it is a 9, 3rd Calander year.

2nd July 2017

A quick trip to Sandycove to see if the Mediterranean Gulls have started arriving in large numbers.  There were .8 adults - no juveniles yet.  3 colour ringed - all ringed in Dublin.



1st July 2017

Today I took the boat trip to the Island of Ireland's Eye, as always I was also on the look out for coloured rings.  Among those I recorded was a Great Black Backed Gull with Blue Ring 1NA.  This was a Gull that I hadn't seen since 2013!  Whereas, most I record in (Howth 2km away), there are always some who are never or rarely recorded there.

Great Black backed Gull 1NA (and its chick).

Great Black Backed Gull 1NA in September 2013