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.

September 2014 - Caspian Gull Back?

September 28th

Spent an hour reading the Mediterranean Gull coloured rings.  No unusual rings read but a nice day.

September 25th

The Black Headed Gulls in Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght, Dublin are still mainly passing through.  Today I got my first from Denmark this Autumn.  It is usual that I get a Few from Denmark each season.

BLHGU from Denmark

1 of 60 photos I took of its ring!

September 24th

Sean Walsh Park - Fairly sure that this is the same Caspian Gull back in the Park.  Mid moult makes it difficult to be absolutely certain, but it ticks the boxes.  The beady eye rules out herring gull.

September 23rd

I have missed a few write ups but today in Sean Walsh Park I got another Black Headed Gull with a Darvic!  For the last few months I have has 27H0 (about 30 sightings) so I was delighted that Y[244M] turned up.  It was also ringed at Lough Mask, Co Mayo 2007 and this is the 2nd time I have recorded it at this location.

September 21st

At Poolbeg, sitting on the railing were a hundred Black Headed Gulls.  The 2nd furthest away had a yellow ring.  It turned out to be yet another from Lough Mask.  But this was only it's second sighting since it was ringed in 2007 and both the first sighting away from its colony and the first since 2009.

September 14th

I went down to Sandycove to see if 2X7J was around to get a good photo.  It didn't oblige!  However 6 colour rings, 4 Irish and two French Mediterranean Gulls.  Most were too far out for anything other than record shots.

September 13th

A day to remember!  I met my ringing trainer and some other ringers from the Midland Ringing Group and an attempt was made to catch Juvenile Med Gulls.  One was caught and ringed by me. The Darvic was added by my trainer, but these birds learn quick and no more were caught!  So I was delighted when 2X7J showed up later at the 40ft showing off his new bling.  There were 3 yellow rings , 2 green and 1 white on show.

Mediterranean Gull with its new Ring

Mediterranean Gull ringed last week!

Mediterranean Gull

September 11th

The number of Black Headed Gulls in the park is still fluctuating wildly.  This week there was 1 one day and 300+ the next.  Thankfully 27H0 is around or I would be reading nothing!

September 7th

There has been little to report regarding rings in Tallaght.  This morning I went to Howth Harbour.  Plenty of Gulls but only 2 coloured Rings.  One Great Black Backed and one Herring Gull.  Both are regulars at this location.

Great Black Backed Gull B[3EU] at Howth Harbour.

I went to Sean Walsh Park in Tallaght again today and 27H0 turned up.  It has been missing from the park for almost 2 weeks so great to see it is fine.

Black Headed Gull 27H0 in Sean Walsh Park

Bray Harbour this evening turned up nothing, but I stopped at Bulloch Harbour and in a flock of 11 Mediterranean Gulls, there were two coloured rings.  The German one is a regular but this is my bird of the day.  A new Med Gull ring, to me!  I think it was only ringed last week in Dublin, but still a new to me.

Mediterranean Gull Y[2X6A] at Bulloch Harbour

August 2014 - CR Tern, Meds and GBBGU

August 27th

The number of Black Headed Gulls is up and down, perhaps they are passing through.  Only 1 metal ring in Sean Walsh Park today, but I don't often get them from Belgium!

Black Headed Gull from Belgium.

Brussels written on the ring.

August 24th

When you see a flock of birds in the same location every day you could assume they are the same birds.  Reading rings has taught me that this assumption is incorrect.  There were 42 Med Gulls today and none of the 5 coloured ringed birds from yesterday were present.  There were 3 different coloured rings and AKAJ which was at Bulloch Harbour yesterday was in Dun Laoghaire today!  However, bird of the day goes to a CR Sandwich Tern.  Probably Scottish from near Aberdeen, I will wait for a reply.

CR Sandwich Tern

August 23rd

The last few weeks have produced no new rings in Tallaght so this morning I went to the coast to read a few Mediterranean Gulls.  There was a flock of 17 at the base of Dun Laoghaire East Pier with 5 coloured Rings!

Mediterranean Gull (Canus melancephalus) with ring

Mediterranean Gull (Canus melancephalus) with ring

Mediterranean Gulls (Canus melancephalus) with rings - 2 in 1 frame!

Mediterranean Gull (Canus melancephalus) with ring

I even had a quick trip to Bulloch Harbour and read 4 Great Black Backed Gulls and another colour ringed Mediterranean Gull!  The metal ringed Black Headed Gull I saw on August 9th was read again

Great Black Backed Gull from Irelands Eye colony off Dublin

August 9th

Same route as last week end, Bullock and the Sandycove produced almost the exact same birds.  The only exception was I read a metal ring at Bulloch Harbour on a Black Headed Gull.

What is interesting is that although it is just another Black Headed Gull that I have read before at the exact same location.  It is the only metal ring I know somebody else had read in the field!  It was ringed in 2005 in the south of Sweden.

August 3rd

A damp misty morning which improved as it progressed.  The tide was very low and Bulloch only produced a single Great Black Backed with a Coloured Ring.  Again ringed in Dublin.  Sandycove had 20+ roosting Common Terns in with the Mediterranean Gulls..  Read 4 Mediterranean Gulls.

Mediterranean Gull, Juvenile from France

Mediterranean Gull from Belguim

Mediterranean Gull.  

Mediterranean Gull.  Ringed in Dublin

Great Black Backed Gull.

August 2nd

Howth this morning to see what's around.  Eleven Great Black Backed Gulls with coloured rings - all from Ireland's Eye.  Two Coloured ringed Herring Gulls also from Irelands Eye.  I also read a couple of metal rings.  Nothing foreign unfortunately!

1VM was interesting as I had never seen it at Howth before. I had observed this individual at Bullock Harbour back in May 2014.

1VR is a regular at Howth, but the size of the Great Black Backed Gulls always impresses me.

However bird of the day must be Great Black Backed Gull 2HC.  Ringed in 2009, this is my first sighting.  It just shows how long term a ringing project can be.  This is my 9th 2009 Great Black Backed Gull that I have seen for the first time in 2014!