March is a fantastic time of year for birds, particularly exciting for all the IMRG Gull projects. The Black-headed Gull numbers continue to decline as they depart for their breeding grounds, Herring Gull adults increase as they return ready for nesting. The Great Black-backed Gulls is always my primary focus for producing annual Survival survival stats by way of BTO RAS. My first trip to Howth Harbour for the 2026 season and only 5 rings read and of those, 2 were last years Juveniles. Another was an adult only ringed last year but two old blue ringed adults recorded. My aim is always to record as many as physically possible. In 2025, exactly 100 colour ringed GB were recorded within my Dublin project boundaries. (Many more were recorded outside the project boundaries) All GB's recorded had wintered in Dublin. So I'm still waiting for those which wintered many miles from Dublin to return. The furthest wintering spot for these magnificent Gulls is Northern Spain. 1000KM+ although most stay within 200km
