November 2014 - Caspian Returns again!

November 30th

Bray Harbour this morning and as I arrived there was a White Darvic on a Black Headed Gull. VY42.  V is the prefix for a four digit Black Headed Gull from Denmark.  Denmark again!  I am surprised they still colour ring as they do not have sufficient resources to reply to CR sightings.   Anyway, a dog put everything up and I spent 2 hours waiting for it to come off the water but with no luck.  However, while waiting I saw a bright Orange ring on a Herring Gull and I thought it was another from the Isle of Man. However it turns out to be from Scotland.  I await the report.  I sent off the Danish Darvic sightings but do not expect reports.

Herring Gull with Scottish Darvic

November 29th PM

This week seems to have been all Denmark Black Headed Gulls.  I have a number of partial metal readings from Sean Walsh Park all from Denmark, this morning it was a Colour Ring and this afternoon in St Annes Park (near the Bull Island), there were Black Headed Gulls competing with Ducks for bread.  I noticed a dull looking ring on  Juvenile so set about photographing it, another Denmark but this time a full reading. 6279105!

November 29th

This morning in Tymon Park, Tallaght,  I was delighted to see Black Headed Gull W[4ET]K.  A Gull in Tallaght with a ring!  Apart from 27H0 there have been so few sightings of CR ringed birds locally.  I saw it last December 2013 and January 2014 and it is the only colour ringed black headed gull I have seen in two different parks!

The Caspian was also in Sean Walsh Park

Caspian in Sean Walsh Park

Caspian in Sean Walsh Park

November 24th

No new rings in Sean Walsh Park, but the Caspian Gull was there at Lunch time. The Swedish Black Headed Gull 6430814 and the UK Black Headed Gull 27H0 are ever present.  My son came home from School to say a Black Headed Gull with a White Darvic was spotted on the way home from school on a Lamp post, so that is a target for this week!

Caspian Gull at Sean Walsh Park

November 23rd

An attempted catch was planned today at Bull Island to ring more waders but without success.  While waiting I scanned the flocks for CR Gulls and there were none to see.  I read some Barwits but everyone else present read the same ones!  I picked up two Irelands Eye Gulls at Bulloch Harbour at the weekend.

Herring Gull at Bulloch Harbour

Bar Tailed Godwit at Bull Island.

November 16th

The 3rd winter Caspian was back again today.  I'm not expert enough to say it's a definite.  However P10, which was in pin 2 weeks ago is growing and has the required mirror.  Everything else seems right.

November 15th

Nothing unusual has turned up recently.  This morning I went to Bulloch Harbour, Sandycove and Dun Laoghaire.  Only two coloured ringed Gulls at Bulloch Harbour, both ringed on Irelands Eye off Howth. Great Black Backed Gull 1NL I haven't seen for a couple of months and the Herring Gull 0JH showed well.  There were 2 coloured ringed Mediterranean Gulls at Sandycove but they were too far out for photos other than record shots.

Herring Gull 0JH - Narrow subterminal bar on P10 and no mirror on P9.

November 5th

Since first seen as a Juvenile in January 2012, the Dutch Black Headed Gull  E5VA has been a wintering regular in Sean Walsh Park.  This year he was seen again in it's natal breeding colony in Zoetermeer, Holland. It hadn't been seen since June and there were two options.  It was either deceased or that sometimes, after breeding they go somewhere different.  Don't know where it has been since last seen in Holland but it turned up again in Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght, Dublin!  Many thanks to Frank Majoor for his almost instant life updates.

November 2nd

There were plenty of Brent on Sandymount Strand but no rings recorded.  Too many dogs running through the flocks to be certain that the flocks were completely ring free.  So I read some Oystercatchers.

Oystercatcher - Part of the Dublin Bay project

Oystercatcher - Also part of the Dublin Bay project

November 1st

This afternoon I found my self at the Bull Island but the wind and rain was such that I couldn't go reading gulls so I went and read Brent Geese instead!  Brent have large single coded rings and are really easy to read.  A small flock of 100 were close to the road and 6 had coloured rings that I read and photographed.  There was definitely one with a Yellow ring that got away!  On the way back to the car I spotted a CR Bar-tailed Godwit from the Dublin Bay Project.  The best of the day!

CR Bar Tailed Godwit and Bull Island, Dublin

Brent Goose with Coloured Rings

 Trying to get a photo with both legs out of the water can be frustrating.............................

Brent Goose with Associate!

But when I have a pair and am trying for all four rings on show, it can take a while...