August 2019 - Tern Season updated

August 30th

Quick trip to Sandycove, but the spring tide was too high.  Just the occasional CR Med Gull, this one is Polish and a regular.

August 28th

A brief stop at Sandycove only produced 1 CR Tern sighting.  They all count!

Common Tern Yellow[4P2]

August 27th

A short trip to Bray turned out to be quite sociable as well as productive!  Met Marcia and Bob who were observing a Swan to see if it required the assistance of a vet.  When I got home I forwarded photos from the past year to showing the wing droop.

However, there were Gulls and I was lucky enough to read 4 of our Red rings.

HERGU B25:D - 2019 Irelands Eye

HERGU B30:D - 2019 Irelands Eye

HERGU B50:D - 2019 Irelands Eye

HERGU 277:D - 2019 Dlakey Island.  (Hurray, some where new).

Just to put the geography of the project into prospective for those who are not familiar with Dublin.
St Patricks Island is the most northerly of the Dublin Islands which we ring project gulls on and Dalkey is the most Southerly.  Bray Harbour is 7Km south of Dalkey Island.  

August 24th

Dun Laoghaire was closed for an Iron Man Event in the morning but by 4pm the roads were still not open!  I ended up on Booterstown Strand and the timing was good regarding the incoming tide.  Hardly any terns, so Coloured Ringed Black-headed Gulls was my target species.  However, it is difficult to walk past a few hundred Oystercatchers with out recording a few!

Oystercatcher UC was new to me 

Eventually read my first Black-headed Gull J41M from Norway.

Eventually got my first Black-headed 

Med Gull 3EJV 

Juvenile 2B99 is from the North Thames Group 

In the end I recorded 10 Oystercatchers, 2 Meds and 2 Black-headed Gulls.  Lovely evening!

August 22nd

At the Forty Foot in Dun Laoghaire no CR Terns recorded.  I was just leaving when I got cajoled into going into the Martello Tower Museum and up to the roof to take in the view.  Unlike many tourist attraction, it is free!  I availed of the offer. When I was leaving I noted a couple more Terns have arrived on the rocks and I quickly recorded my first with an Orange Flag!  I have emailed Stephen Dodd in Wales and await his reply 

Sandwich Tern Orange Flag ALM

I moved onto Sea Point.  Tara Adcock had asked in an email if I had read any Common Terns this year.  I hadn't and the tide was high enough to try.  As the species of bird gets smaller so does the ring size and you need to get reasonably near to read them.  At High Tide at Sea Point there are usually a couple of dozen roosting on the rocks 20m from the road!

Who has a PET Artic Tern?  BWI

Juvenile Common Tern Yellow 8P7.  

Tern Yellow PHJ

Juvenile Common Tern Blue 80P

August 18th

A quick trip to the coast and started at the Forty Foot area of Dun Laoghaire.  It was High Tide so went looking at where birds roost.  As expected there were a few Mediterranean Gulls and Terns roosting.  The photos are poor and heavily cropped but the all important codes are visible!

The first recorded is Orange [KSS]  this is another of this years Juveniles from Lady's Island in Wexford.  Isn't it fascinating that they head north before they head south for winter.

 The 2nd was Red [KFT] from a Welsh Project.  I haven't got the history of this one yet.

I moved on to a place called Sea Point, usually the alternative high tide roost for Med Gulls.  I recorded 2 coloured rings of the 34 present.  The first was Yellow [2XK0].  Ringed in 2015, but I don't appear to have seen it for a couple of years.  I do know it was sighted in Portugal in 2017.

Med Gull White[3416] is an adult that is new to me.  The code is quite recent so it could have been coming to Dublin for years before it was colour ringed.

Then scanning the Terns out on the far rocks I noticed more coloured rings!  Again the photos are heavily cropped but the codes and colours were obtainable.

Terns Roosting at Sea Point, Dun Laoghaire.

Tern Orange KCH 

Sandwich Tern Red over Lime is Scottish.  Awaiting a reply regarding history.

August 17th

Bird of the day was at Sandycove was a Herring Gull among the Mediterranean Gulls.  Ringed at an Urban nest at a Bus Garage in Dublin.  First sighting since fledged.

Urban Gull A53:D

This afternoon at Sandycove 53 Mediterranean Glls but only 4 Coloured Rings.  Green [RS96], Red [PRN6] Yellow 2X6J and my Med of the day was new to me White [3KR5]

Mediterranean Gull White [3KR5]

Bullock Harbour and the day just got even better!  There were 4 newly fledged Great Black-backed Gulls from Dalkey Island.  505:D, 506:D, 518:D and 543:D.  Hopefully more will show in the coming weeks!

Great Black-backed Gull 505:D

Great Black-backed Gull 543:D

Great Black-backed Gull 518:D

Great Black-backed Gull 506:D

August 13th

Following sightings from David I went to Sean Walsh Park and sure enough 2ACA and 27H0 are back.

August 11th

At Sandycove, Med Gull White 3761 was another new one!  I recorded the French one Green RS96 I am very familiar with.  The interesting sighting was AYKL, as with my Nikon P900, it is very rare that I record anything in flight!  It is German.  Many ringing groups are still submitting and collating data so I will update when the sighting reports come in.

At Bray Harbour, no Red rings recorded, but Black-headed Gull 9MT from Denmark, ringed as an adult last year, is back.  I was delighted to record 2 metal ringed Swans for the first time this year
This brings my total number of individual Swans recorded this season to 180.  This is really poor, but the data is the data.  1,500+ sightings and very few new individuals are being noted.

August 6th.  

At Howth this morning there were only a few colour ringed gulls.  This is the frustrating bit.  We have colour ringed over 1,000 with red rings over the past 3 years.  I still find it very hard to locate any!  Eventually I spotted 448:D on a roof!  I do get in sightings from others, but I am still surprised how few are in Dublin still!

There were a few adults with the old Blue rings.  1MC has been a regular at the Harbour for the past month.  Judging by previous years it will soon depart to Broadmeadows and North Dublin which it appears to favour for winter.

I left Howth to go meet a friend for lunch and stopped at Bull Island.  No rings on any gulls recorded. and there were a lot of Gulls.  But I did spot an Oystercatcher from the Dublin Bay Project.  Very far away but the code captured on this record shot.

The Blue above the metal signifies that it was ringed on the North Side of Dublin.

August 4th

An evening Walk at Sandycove produced 3 CR Mediterranean Gulls.  White 3HN3 is another new one, probably ringed as an adult.  No reply yet from the ringers.

Mediterranean Gull 2X0E I am familiar with.  Ringed in Dublin.  Colour ringed in 2012 as an adult in Dublin, it is an annual visitor.

Mediterranean Gull, White 3785 is the first colour ringed Juvenile I have recorded this year.  Hopefully it will continue to return for many years to come.

August 2nd

A trip to Dublin Zoo.  I was checking out how the measures to discourage Herons begging at the Restaurants is continuing.  Pretty good with only 2 individuals observed.  This would have been around 20 Herons 5 years ago.  Only one Ringed individual observed K07

July 2019 - First Black-headed gull of the season

31 July 

Usually by the end of July I have recorded some colour ringed black-headed Gulls, but so far this year I had drawn a blank!  However, today I recorded my first on a lunchtime walk around Sean Walsh Park.

22nd July 2019

The end of June and beginning of July are such busy months.  From June 14th, for a single month all the large Gull chicks get big enough to catch and colour ring.  Other Seabirds such as Shag chicks also are ready for ringing.  This along side the Constant Effort Site (CES) which take 6 hours every week end takes up all my time with ringing and inputting.  It also gives me the opportunity for more learning and Razorbill and Guillemot ringing were high on my list.  This on top of all the re-sightings, my Swan RAS, Mute Swan Nesting Census and nest records means I haven't done my blog for a while.... so here goes.

21st July

Birds start returning to Dublin to "Winter" from June onwards.  But we also have a short post breeding assemblage in Dublin.  Sandwich Terns which I don't think nest anywhere in Dublin arrive in large numbers.  Again I am on the look out for coloured rings.  I expect any I read to be mainly from Scotland, but they come from all over Europe so you never know what you might see and learn.

Sandwich Tern Orange [KAF] from Ladys Island, Wexford

You may think that getting an Irish Sandwich Tern in Dublin shouldn't be interesting, but I get a few each year and they always are interesting.  They go 120km North to Dublin Bay to fatten up before they go South to Africa to winter.

The Mediterranean Gull numbers are growing but the number of coloured rings this year is not at the 10% I was getting a few years ago.  However, Green RS96 has been coming to Dublin since it was ringed in France in 2014.  However it seems to also spend every Christmas in France and the early part of the new year in Spain.

Med Gull Green [RS96]

 The other Colour Ringed Med Gull was White [3AN5].  I haven't recorded it before in Dublin.  I am waiting for the report but it is either a newly ringed adult or just had it's colour ring replaced.  It is rare that they change their habits!

July 13th - 20th

I was down on Valentia Island, co Kerry.  A wonderful place to visit.  I recorded no coloured rings, but I could watch Chough all day!  In fact I did little or no birding.  Didn't even go to the Skelligs this year.

6th July

Sandymount Strand / Booterstown Strand.  A short walk to look at roosting gulls.  Unable to count as dogs running through the flocks all the time.  I challenged yet another owner as it is against the law to disturb the roosting birds.  Her excuse was that she was aware of it and she wouldn't let her own dog chase birds but she was just minding that dog for a friend!  She again said she was aware of the law but what difference does one more dog chasing the birds make!  The Garda and council do nothing to enforce the law.  Until they start catching the dogs and fining the owners it will not stop.  The council have 3 tiny signs the length of the whole beach but no one pays any attention to them!  Rant over!

Med Gull 3FJV on Sandymount strand.  There were others but dog ran through the flock repeatedly.  You are trying to read the gulls from 40 - 50 meters so the photos are never good, but they are legible!

June 2019 - Howth + Dalkey Island

June 26th

I stopped at Sandycove on the way home.  There were 22 Med Gulls which included 12 adults.  I could see 3 rings but too far out to get the codes.  I eventually got one standing up for long enough for a photo on X84 zoom! 

Mediterranean Gull White[3815] 2CY from Belguim

A quick scan at Bullock Harbour to see if any of the recently ringed chicks on Dalkey Island had fledged.  The only red ring was 217:D.  That is an urban Herring Gull from 2018!

The only other colour ringed Gull recorded was Blue 2LH.  Although the photo is poor, I include it as I recorded it nesting on Dalkey Island last week.

Great Black-backed Gull 2LH.

June 21st 

My weekly walk this week took me to Irelands Eye.  I walked up to the Gannet Stack and back.  I checked the progress of the Shag nests at the top and colour ringed 2 shag pulli in the cave I checked.

Shag KAAL 

I then walked back to the ferry.  Any large Gull Pulli were picked up and coloured ringed.  I also checked any adults perched on rocks and recorded ring numbers.

Herring Gull 283:D

I recorded 7 coloured rings on Gulls.  There are hardly any non-adults gulls on the Island now, probably only one or 2 percent, and they are on the beaches as opposed to in the colonies.  Even though we have coloured ringed a few hundred gulls with red rings in 2017 and 2018 on this Island, as expected, none of these were observed.  These probably won't return to start breeding until 2022!

Larus marinus  - Great-black-backed Gull 2AM

Larus marinus - Great Black-backed Gull 3KC

Larus marinus - Great Black-backed Gull 480:D - Just ringed!

June 14th

Dalkey Island

Another trip to Dalkey Island.  The chicks have grown and so another season starts!  It is interesting to see where they nest.  3CT was ringed as a chick on Irelands Eye, an Island 15Km north of Dalkey in 2013

Anyone care to guess where 328:D will nest in 2024?

328:D Great Black-backed Gull.  Dalkey Island June 14th 2019

June 11th

Trip to Howth this morning.  Plenty of Gulls but hardly a 2nd or 3rd year to be seen and none of our red rings.  Still I read 8 rings, 6 Blue and 2 metals.

Great Black-backed Gull 2AT.  The plastic rings are in poor condition after 10 years!

Species	Ring	Year
Great Black-backed Gull	MA16075	2005
Great Black-backed Gull	1ES	2010
Great Black-backed Gull	3JU	2015
Great Black-backed Gull	2AC	2009
Great Black-backed Gull	2AT	2009
Great Black-backed Gull	2CR	2009
Herring Gull	GC96341	2011
Herring Gull	OHV	2010

MA16075 - Metal on upside down for the extra challenge!

GC86341.  My 3rd time in reading this metal, always at Howth Harbour,

Great Black-backed Gull 2CR.  

June 1st - Dalkey Island 

Dalkey Island is only 0.5km off the coast of Dublin.  A five minute boat trip is all it is.  However, I had never gone there before.  I was looking for Coloured ringed gulls and to ascertain at what stage the nesting is.

Only one coloured ringed Gull observed.  A Great Black-backed Gull ringed as a chick in 2013 on Irelands Eye which is 15km away.  This is only the 2nd sighting on the database.  The other is also my observation in 2014 at Bray Harbour, 7Km further south.  

The Martello Tower dominates the highest point of the Island

The gull nests that I could see from the paths were mainly still eggs or young chicks.  There are 3 pairs of Terns nesting on the main Island and they are quite protective of their nests.  I watched as they attached Great Black-backed Gulls that came too near.  Surprised to see so many Lesser Black-backed Gulls nesting on the Island

On the way home I stopped in Bullock Harbour.  GBBGU 2LH was present.  As was one of our Urban Gulls from last year, 217:D.  I see so few of our red rings.  I had a report from Northern Spain, complete with photo of a Dublin GBBGU during the week.  That demonstrates the maximum dispersal distance for the species at over 1,000 Km.

From the Dublin Urban Gull Project.  217:D

Great Black-backed Gull 2LH.  Ringed 2009.

May 2019 - Irelands Eye

May 24th
A few hours on Irelands' Eye just to see what the birds are up to.  I started at the Martello Tower and did a walk anticlockwise and up to the top.  Backdown via the ruin and back along the beach.
Irelands Eye is just off Dublin and the Ferry is €15 return.  You can get incredibly close to the seabirds.  It is best to stick to the paths provided.  Start birdwatching on the ferry as you land!

Razorbill

Lucky enough to see a Puffin today.  Camera on full zoom.

Guillemot

My personal favorite - a Bridled Guillemot.  Same species as above but with glasses!

 An impressive list for a couple of hours walking. The list excludes blackbirds, Meadow Pippets, Stonechat and the other small birds

Gannet
Guillemot
Black Guillemot
Cormorant
Shag
Shelduck
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Great Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Kittiwake

I was however not there for bird watching but to record what stage each was at in the breeding season.  The majority were still on eggs but the oystercatchers were hatched but still in the nest so very young.

I was also there to read some rings.  The Gulls start nesting at 4 , 5 or 6 years of age so none of our red rings are old enough to breed yet.  The old Blue rings are still in evidence and a couple of surprises!

2JT is completly new to me!  The code would suggest  2009 but I have never seen it before and I have never seen a report of it being seen!

Herring Gull 0EP was another I have never hear of or seen before.  The code suggests 2010.  It goes to show that the projects need to be over many years.  Here are birds turning up for the first time after 9 and 10 years!