October 2014 - Where's HELGOLAND!

October 31st

The last day of the Month, allowed me 20 minutes in Dun Laoghaire this morning.  Only one ring read, a locally ringed wintering Mediterranean Gull.   But this afternoon, half an hour on Sandymount Strand  and I read my first Brent of the season and a Common Gull from Norway!  But irresponsible dog owners kept sending their dogs through the flocks........

Brent Goose with Coloured Ring.

Common Gull with Norway Darvic

October 30th

I bribed my boys to accompany me to Howth to await the arrival of the Offal Lorry!  (The fish factories send their waste to a rendering plant and the Gulls know that there may be an easy meal).  I haven't made it since the 2nd of August, so I was looking forward to watching and photographing Great Black Backed Gulls.  But there weren't any GBBGU's.  Eventually 5 adults and 8 juvenile GBBGU's of various ages did turn up but no coloured rings.
But there were a few hundred Herring Gulls, but only two with local rings.  Then I spotted an orange ring on a Herring Gull and eventually it landed and I photographed it.  Enjoyable and well worth the 4 packets of 'Match Attax' cards I had to purchase as part of the deal with my boys!

20/11/2014

Many thanks to Kevin for his report.  This bird hadn't been seen away from the Isle of Man before and hadn't been seen for almost 2 years!  These reports are very interesting and tend to show a southerly migration during winter.  Even the locally ringed Herring Gull Blue [0LJ] pictured below was ringed as an adult, so it too may not be from the local colony. So out of the hundreds of Gulls when easy pickings are available I got one definitely local Herring Gull.

Herring Gull + Blue Darvic - From Irelands Eye

Herring Gull with Coloured Ring from Irelands Eye

Isle of Man Herring Gull - Darvic Orange - Awaiting Report

October 29th

Silka, if you are reading this
Helgoland / Wilhelmshaven (DEW) is the area location in Germany.
Weser-Ems (Region, OHNE  Inseln/WITHOUT Islands), Deutschland is where the Helgoland Black Headed Gull was ringed.  
Perhaps you can tell me more about this region?

Sandycove produced a few Coloured Rings, including this Belguim Mediterranean Gull very close to the surf!  

I also picked up yet another Black Headed Gull.  This one was ringed in Dublin in 2013.

October 27th

How could I top a great morning, reading 2 Black Headed Gull coloured rings?  I could read one I haven't seen before!  On Sandymount Strand I spotted a Darvic in the distance and walked to within 50m and photographed it.  Excellent another Norwegian Black Headed Gull.  The Norwegian Website rewards sightings with instant life histories.  Although it has been seen in Dublin before, it is the first sighting since the post breeding season.

Then I read a couple of Oystercatchers on the way back to the car!  Great Day.

Visited Sean Walsh Park with my two boys and the Black Headed Gull 27H0 came really near this morning,  No other rings - coloured or metal.

But on the way home at Tallaght Community School the Black Headed Gull from Lough Mask 217G was present and it's best of the day so far!  I annually see it at this exact location and haven't seen it since February!

Black Headed Gull from Lough Mask

October 26th

No coloured rings at Broadmeadows Estuary or Rogerstown Estuary and a week of no coloured rings anywhere I looked.  (Except BLHGU 27H0 in Sean Walsh park every day!) I even dipped at Sandycove yesterday - plenty of Med Gulls but no coloured rings.  I stopped at a small body of water at Corduff Park, Blanchardstown.  1 Med Gull and 1 Darvic on it,  I will have to wait for the report, but it's not a number I have heard of before!

Mediterranean Gull - 1st Winter in Corduff Park.

October 21st

The Helgoland ringed Black Headed Gull (See October 18th below) report was received today. From the Co-ordinates of the ringing location it was ringed in Mainland Germany close to the Dutch boarded in June 2014 which agrees with it's 1st winter feathers.  Thank you to Doris Peuckert for her quick reply.  

 October 20th

As I approached Sean Walsh Park I noticed a gull perched on the end of a house with a shining metal ring.   It is the favorite perch of 6430814 and I hoped it was the Swedish Black Headed Gull returning for another year.  Within the Park each Gull has it's favorite locations so I went to where he always comes for scraps.  I was correct, 6430814 is back again!  It is now 8 years old!  This is the 32nd reading of its ring by me.

Arrival noted 2012 - November 14th

Departed 2013 - March 13th

Arrival noted 2013 - November 5th

Departed 28th February

Arrival noted 2014 - October 20th

(I admit from the sample of 1 the following is noted) It left 2 weeks earlier than the previous year but arrived back 2 weeks early.  It's time away is almost the same.  It will be interesting to look at any other returnees!

2013 - Away 237 days

2014 - Away 234 days

October 19th

Corkagh Park and Rathcoole Park produced no rings but there were 2 Med Gulls at Corkagh Park. Sandycove this afternoon was again ring free but at the base of the East Dun Laoghaire Pier there were 2 Mediterranean Gulls with Darvic Rings.  The Irish one 2XA5 hadn't been recorded for 6 weeks.  It is also the 1st time I had recorded it.  This French Ringed Adult which is a regular in this area.

October 18th

Broadmeadows Estuary this afternoon, reading Mute Swan Rings.  Only read 12 and all were regular at this location.  I spotted a Black Headed Gull with a metal ring and so I set about trying to read it.  

The Country made no sense HELGLAND CEPMANA!  So 100 photos later I went home to the Computer.  HELGOLAND GERMANA.  I had to Google it and it is a small Island off the German West Coast!  It's a first ring with that inscription for me!
21/10/2014 Already received the report.  From the Co-ordinates of the ringing location it was ringed in Mainland Germany close to the Dutch boarded in June 2014 which agrees with it's 1st winter feathers

October 11th

A lot of legs scanned in a lot of locations but nothing unusual around.  Even Howth Harbour only had one coloured ringed Great Black Backed Gull and that was a local bird, ringed on Irelands Eye!

October 9th

I have scanned a lot of Gulls in a lot of different Parks over the past week with no rings seen.  Thank goodness for my regular Black Headed Gull in Sean Walsh Park 27H0 or my camera wouldn't even have come out.  The first of the Common Gulls had arrived in Grange Castle Business Park, but no rings.

Black Headed Gull 27H0 in Sean Wash Park

October 6th

Sean Walsh Park today.

I still have doubts over this gull

October 4th

I look for Coloured rings in many different parks.  Most trips are without success.  Today I was in Poppintree Park, (Between Ballymun and Finglas).this was a successful location for CR Common Gulls last year. (There wasn't even 1 Common Gull there today).  I was just leaving when I spotted a White Ring on a Med flying overhead.  I took a couple of shots and thankfully 1 was legible. 

MEDGU W[35P6]K is certainly a new one for me and it is great to see a CR Med north of the Liffey!

I'm already looking forward to the report.

08.10.2014 The report received.

The report was really, really interesting.  It was ringed by Frank Majoor in 2008 in Flevoland in the Neatherlands and since then it has been reported

Clahane, Co Kerry Ireland,
Ceredigion in Wales,
Limburg in Belguim,
Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany,
Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland,
Wigtownshire in Scotland and again at the same location in Germany.
But it hadn't been seen since April 2012 nor has it been seen in Dublin before.      

There are still alot of Adult and Juvenile Lesser Black Backed about.  Are these Irish or ones from more northern parts passing through?
 I tried to read a metal on this juvenile gull ?B29?68??.  Really annoying to get so close, but fail to get the full code!

October 3rd

Autumn has arrived with a temperature drop and 40mm of rain!  There were plenty of Gulls at Bolloch Harbour but no rings.  I read two Mediterranean Gulls at Dun Laoghaire.  Nothing unusual around.