2025 Great Black-backed Gull census (RAS)

 17/03/2025 St Patrick's Day

The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest Gull in the world and privileged to have them nesting in Dublin.  Their survival strategy involves dispersal and all though winter, sightings from as far away as Spain, but mainly within 300km have been coming in, March they start returning to Dublin for the nesting season.  My thanks to all the observers, mainly recorded in Northern Ireland, England, Wales and all around the Irish coast, But observers in Spain and other locations have added to our understanding of this species.  

The project dates means that St Patrick's weekend is the start.  Finding & recording all the coloured rings is a massive task but it provides accurate survival data.  Bird Flu has had a recent impact.  Being an apex predator as well as a scavenger leaves them very susceptible by eating sick or dying birds.

These Gulls are massive.  This is S18:D with a Herring Gull for comparison. 

The first weekend of the project has been a success with 20 recorded.  The objective is always to get over 100 individuals who have returned to Dublin identified, but it becomes the rule of diminishing returns.  Ferrys to the Islands start in April but 20 rings in a weekend will probably not happen again this year.   We aim to again ring 100 pulli, but this species takes 5 years to become a breeding adult!

429:D winters in North West Spain and already has returned to Dublin

1PH was ringed by as part of a previous project in 2012.  No winter sightings have ever been received so we still don't know where this one goes!

3CN is an anomaly! It never goes far.  Recorded all year round close to where it nests

Reading metal rings is a skill but all ringed before 2009 are metal only.  This one was ringed in 2004 making it 20 years old. 

First weekend - 20 recorded - Great start