September 2015 - Juv GBBGU - 1st of the year

September 25th

It is not unusual for Black Headed Gulls to turn up with an injured foot, there are about a dozen in the park at the moment, but it is sad when it is a Coloured ringed bird.  27H0, a regular at the park for the last 2 years, turned up with an injured leg.  Nothing to do with the ring, these injuries happen frequently, some recover, lets hope 27H0 does too.

September 20th

There was a huge fire on Irelands Eye at the end of June this year.  About 30 Great Black Backed Pullus were coloured ringed the week before.  I had hoped that they were not all lost.  Today at Howth I re-sighted 1 of them.  Blue[3JU], a first sighting for me!

Great Black Backed Gull - 3JU

Also at Howth I spotted a metal ring on an adult Herring Gull GC29139.  I hadn't recorded it since July 2013. It was ringed by Oscar Merne in 2006.

Broadmeadows produced nothing of note.  I have decided after todays visit, that there are no cygnets surviving at this location, but if anyone knows different, please let me know.

September 19th

Tymon Park this afternoon, I spotted a metal ring on a Black Headed Gull.  Camera out quickly and a few shots before they were put up and it did not to reappear.  However photos show the full ring and it is a surprise.  Denmark 6J-4103 was ringed in May 2013 in Holbeak (that is the Island Copenhagen is on).  I have seen it 4 times before in 2013 and 2014, but only in Sean Walsh Park.  It is a first record in Tymon Park and a first sighting for me of this Black Headed Gull in 2015.
Thank you Jesper and Kjeld for ringing it!

Metal ringed Black Headed Gull in Tymon Park, Dublin

Denmark 6J-4103 on Black Headed Gull

September 14th

There are many juvenile large Gulls in the parks at this time of year.  I have wondered if they are all from Urban nests.  Today I spotted a metal ring and thought this will give me some data.

Unfortunately before I could get the full code they were disturbed!  GR98*41.  1 digit missing.  It appears to be a 3 or an 8, I will try again tomorrow!

September 5th

Tymon Park, Tallaght.  150 Black Headed Gulls and not a coloured ring among them again.  I did spot 2 metal rings and although both stayed some distance away, photographs were enough to piece the BTO ring number together - EZ03404.  It turns out it was ringed by my ringing group in January 2015 at the exact same location!  Never got a chance to read the other ring completely but it wasn't BTO.  The 3 digits I read match a Finish Black Headed Gull I have read there a few times before, so I tried again on Sunday and will keep trying.

September 4th

When I arrived in Sean Walsh Park I spotted a yellow Darvic on a Black Headed Gull.I walked casually around the far side of the lake without setting them up and photographed Yellow[217G].
I have sighted this Black Headed Gull in Tallaght before but this is a first for Sean Walsh Park.

The Black Headed Gull Y[217G] is from Lough Mask in the west of Ireland

The Black Headed Gull 27H0 from England which has been absent for 2 weeks also made an appearance.

New Isle of Man darvic Aug 2015

August 30th

Bullock Harbour and Sandycove produced a few rings, but the tide was too low for decent photos.

Mediterranean Gull at Bullock Harbour

Herring Gull 0JH.  Darvic is very worn.

 However, bird of the day had no coloured ring.  This Swedish Black Headed Gull was ringed in 2005.  For the last 5 years it's metal ring has been read at the exact same location- Bullock Harbour. Great to see it back for another winter.

August 29th

At Sandycove this afternoon there were 3 CR Med Gulls.  Green[RS96] from France, Red[H4L3] from Hungary and a locally ringed Yellow[2XK2]. But only 2 dozen Mediterranean Gulls present, so I quickly moved on to Bullock Harbour.

Mediterranean Gull with French CR Ring.

Bullock Harbour was equally rewarding with the Polish Mediterranean Gull, Red[PRN6] appearing briefly.

Mediterranean Gull with Polish CR Ring

Of the 2 Dublin ringed Great Black backed Gulls Blue[1JJ] was the most interesting observation.  I had last seen this bird in May 2015 in my local Park in Tallaght.  It just shows the the Gulls inland  are not necessarily all urban birds.

Great Black Backed Gull

But today, though I observed bird rings from France, Poland, Hungary and bird of the day was this GBBGU with an Isle of Man ring.

Juvenile Great Black Backed Gull with Orange Darvic from Isle of Man.

August 26th

The Black Headed Gull 27H0 is still reliable with 50% of visits rewarded with a sighting.

August 24th

E5VA Returns

The Black Headed Gull E5VA returned to Sean Walsh Park in Tallaght.  This Dutch Black Headed Gull I first recorded in January 2012, the month I started ring reading.  This is the 4th .season it has returned and it shows how faithful it is to it's wintering site.

Black Headed Gull + Metal Ring and CR Ring

Last year it was less frequently recorded, It will be interesting to see how often it uses the Park this year.

Mute Swan Census - Phase 2

Phase 2  UPDATED 14/09//2015

14th September 2015

Received yet another report of Mute Swans with Cygnets in Russborough House in Blessington.  Confirmed breeding pair no. 42!  Thank you Vincent - yet again.

5th September

It is proving slow work getting around to sites and then trying to relocate Swans and Cygnets.  Parks are easy but waterways, Canals and Rivers are proving difficult.  Completed the Peples Garden in the Phoenix Park today.  3 Cygnets first noted 25th May and still 3 Cygnets.

Re finding Families is proving to be harder than expected.  Couldn't find yet another family this morning.  The other odd thing that is happening is the number of nests we missed.  Had a report that a friend Canoeing down the Liffey came across a Family of Swans near Celbridge.  So there is another pair and nest we appear to have missed.

Studying Mute Swans is learning curve for me.  I have noted that the reason I am trying to gain Cygnet numbers in week 12 is that after week 12 Cygnets can leave their parents.  Today I went to Bluebell.  It is 12 weeks since I first recorded Cygnets, but 13 weeks ago I recorded Swan on nest, so I can't be sure if they are 12 or 13 weeks.  Today there were only 2 cygnets and no adults.  Have the family split already?  I will keep searching the canal for the missing swans.  As they are un-ringed it will be difficult to relocate them.

Cygnets at Corkagh Park at 12 weeks.  Stretching of wings first observed at 3 lolcation all at 12 weeks.

Phase 1, the nesting census has shown that the number of successful breeding pairs has increased over the last 25 years.  Attention is now being focused on phase 2 cygnet survival.  At 12 weeks old the first Cygnets have been known to move away from the parents.  So August will be an important month in gathering cygnet numbers in order to calculate survival rate.  Already the first broods have reached the 12 week mark and in the 1st 4 nests we are getting about 75% survival.  But data drives statistics and would love to get a complete picture.

Location Sub Location 1st Date of Cygnets No of Cygnets Date of Resighting No of Cygnets 12 weeks = 84 days 1 Naas Pond 1 Naas Nr Town 04/05/2015 8 07/07/2015 7 64 2 Charlesland  Golf Club 07/05/2015 6 12/08/2015 6 97ü 3 Tymon Park Lime Kiln Big L 07/05/2015 7 06/08/2015 4 91ü 4 UCD Belfield O'Reilly Lake 11/05/2015 4 09/08/2015 4 90ü 5 Tymon Park Tymon North 12/05/2015 3 02/08/2015 3 82ü 6 Ballycragh Firhouse 14/05/2015 7 05/08/2015 4 83ü 7 Ploopluck Bridge Naas 14/05/2015 9 Missing 8 Corkagh Park Fiseries Lake 16/05/2015 6 09/08/2015 4 85ü 9 Ashtown Royal Canal 20/05/2015 3 25/07/2015 3 66 10 War Memorial Island Bridge 20/05/2015 7 20/05/2015 7 0 11 Tymon Park Lime Kiln Mid 21/05/2015 4 22/08/2015 3 93ü 12 Blanchardstwon IT 23/05/2015 3 29/08/2015 2 98ü 13 St Stephens Green 20/05/2015 4 25/07/2015 3 66 14 Ard Clough Grand canal 24/05/2015 9 22/08/2015 4 90ü 15 Peoples Garden Phoenix Park 25/05/2015 3 05/09/2015 3 103ü 16 Tymon Park Spa Well 25/05/2015 5 26/08/2015 5 93ü 17 Clongriffen Park Fr Collins 06/05/2015 6 08/09/2015 6 125ü 18 Athgarvan Bridge Liffey 26/05/2015 6 20/06/2015 4 25 19 Naas Pond 3 Naas 26/05/2015 8 07/07/2015 3 42 20 Luttrelstown  Golf Course 26/05/2015 2 26/05/2015 2 0 21 Hermatige Golf Club 20/05/2015 4 28/05/2015 0 22 Kilcoole 30/05/2015 3 04/08/2015 1 66 23 Inchicore Bluebell 01/06/2015 7 23/08/2015 2?? 83ü 24 Broadmeadows Estuary 02/06/2015 2 25/07/2015 1 53 25 Marley Park Lower Lake 06/06/2015 2 03/07/2015 2 27 26 Skerries Mill 04/06/2015 8 25/07/2015 8 51 27 Kilcoole Golf Club 08/06/2015 3 11/08/2015 0 28 Druids Glen  Golf Club 09/06/2015 3 11/08/2015 1 63 29 Druids Glen  Golf Club 09/06/2015 5 11/08/2015 4 63 30 Druids Heath Golf Club 10/06/2015 4 10/06/2015 0 31 Lake side Newbridge 05/06/2015 5 07/07/2015 4 32 32 Castleknock Stn Royal Canal 20/06/2015 5 20/06/2015 5 0 33 Broombridge Royal Canal 20/06/2015 3 01/09/2015 3 73 34 Tolka Valley Park Finglas 20/06/2015 1 06/09/2015 1 78ü 35 City West Business Park 20/06/2015 7 09/09/2015 5 81ü 36 Blackrock Park Booterstown 20/06/2015 5 06/08/2015 5 47 37 Basin Grand Canal 21/06/2015 2 13/08/2015 1 53 38 Blessington Demanse 24/06/2015 4 27/06/2015 4 3 39 Star Dust Memorial Coolock 24/07/2015¬ 5 08/08/2015 5 15 40 Tolka River Drumcondra 03/07/2015¬ 3 24/07/2015 1 21 41 Tolka River Fairview 03/07/2015¬ 7 24/07/2015 7 21 42 Russborough Blessington 01/09/2015¬ 5 01/09/2015 5 0  Total Number of Cygnets 203 141

Sharp eyed followers of the blog will notice I have added 3 broods to the data base whose nests were never discovered.  At the Star Dust Memorial Park in Coolock, and on the Tolka River at Drumcondra and Fairview swans turned up with cygnets!  I'm not missing any pairs so these are being treated as missed successful nests.
¬These dates are not approximate hatching dates, but first reported dates, therefore 12 weeks will not be needed.

Swan and 3 Cygnets at Tymon, Lime Kiln Mid lake today

Tymon Lime Kiln Mid lake.  Hatched 21 May as 4 Cygnets.  Since June 14th the count has remained 3 Cygnets.


Please keep the sightings coming in.  I will be emailing all observers to date to request a last look. The interim reports of cygnet numbers have been very interesting with the most vulnerable period being week 1+2 and then survival remaining high..  I could have guessed this but without the interim observations, we couldn't never have been sure.

August 1st Med Gulls breaks rules

August 21st

Holiday over and back to ring reading.  In Sean Walsh Park still the only coloured ring is the Black Headed Gull, 27H0.

August 20th

Sandycove turned up two med Med Gulls, but they were both recently ringed! The regular Great Black backed 1VV was at Bullock Harbour.

August 5th

The one that keeps getting away.  I have been playing with a metal ringed Black Headed Gull in Sean Walsh Park or rather it has been playing me.  Landing allowing 1 photo and taking off again.  It is now a week and I think it is EY65133 but have to make sure there aren't two birds.  Although in adult Plumage it has the orange legs of a 2nd cy / 3rd cy bird.  It is not a ring I've seen before.

August 4th

While looking for Mediterranean Gulls Roosting on the Northside of Dublin I spied a yellow Darvic among the Black Headed Gulls.  It was 9.30 and dark but I took out my camera and hand held at 1/30sec and 1600iso I pushed my luck for 40m away.  But having lightened the images TP86 is visible. Another Polish Black Headed Gull using Dublin Bay.

August 3rd. Med gull breaks the rules

Mediterranean Gulls winter as a juvenile in a location.  They may change their wintering location during the 1st and 2nd year, then they stick to what they know.  Today I spotted an adult med PRN6 from Poland. I don't think it has been seen in Ireland before.  Very unusual to be first seen here as an adult.  Three possibilities.
1. It was ringed last year as an adult so it has been coming here for years we just didn't know it.
2. It found the weather in Portugal too hot and came for the rain!
3. It got lost and will move on quickly!
The data has been input into the Polish website and I will get a full report tomorrow.

05/08/2015. Got my answer tonight. 

PRN6  was ringed in 2015 as an adult!  It didn't come for the weather, it wasn't lost  It may have been coming here for a few years as one of the many un-ringed.

Mediterranean Gull  - Poland

The couple of hours this morning were very rewarding.  9 Coloured ringed med Gulls in total.  Including the following individuals.

Green [AKAJ] been coming to Dublin since 2012

2X7A Adult Mediterranean Gull

Adult Mediterranean Gull 2XA4

 At Bullock Harbour the Herring Gull 0JH turned up.

August 1st

The long staying Herring Gull from Scotland was still at Bray Harbour this afternoon.  Otherwise it was quiet, I read 5 mute swans while there.  The only interesting Mute was ringed in 2006 as an adult.  It hadn't made an appearance since last August.

Herring Gull from Scotland

I stopped at Poppintree Park but no coloured rings.  I did however, spot a Black Headed Gull with a metal ring.  It was from Holland.and this was my bird of the day.

Black Headed Gull with metal ring

The Ring -ARNHEM-HOLLAND 3675.873

Howth was spectacular this morning with 100's of Herring and Great Black Backed Gulls.  However there were very few Coloured rings to be seen.  I only recorded 7 rings.

Great Black Backed Gull 1TN on take off

2009 GBBGU 2JJ at Howth

July 2015 - BLHGU 27H0 Returns

30th July

Today in Sean Walsh Park, the Black Headed Gull 27H0 returned.  This is the first CR Black Headed Gull seen in the park this summer.  This is really exciting. It is the 3rd year in a row.  It shows how faithful is is to it's wintering ground.  It was seen at it's natal colony in England so it probably bred.  However it was not bird of the day - see below.

Black Headed Gull 27H0 returns for 3rd summer

But, bird of the day goes to my first CR Med Gull recorded in Sean Walsh Park.  I occasionally see med gulls in the park, but this is the first with a coloured ring!  I did see it last week end down on the coast but Sean Walsh Park is 16km inland from there.

CR Ringed Mediterranean Gull 2X3A.  A first for Sean Walsh Park

29th July

At last my first ringed Black Headed Gull of the summer.  While looking for Mediterranean Gull roosting at the Bull Island, I spotted a White ring some distance away on a BLHGU.  Despite the wind, rain and failing light, the photo was just legible.  My first German Project BLHGU. Some small doubt on the last number.  Many thanks to Sönke Martens for his quick reply.

26th July

Great Black Backed Gull 1VU turned up in Sandyford Industrial Estate today!  I had spent a wet day catching up on Mute Swan pairs to ascertain Cygnet survival.  I had diverted to Sandyford Industrial Estate to count Mediterranean Gulls (11 recorded) and spotted the Great Black Backed, among the Herring and Lesser Black-backed perched on the buildings.

Great Black backed Gull - My first sighting of 1VU in 2015.

25th July

More CR Mediterranean Gulls!  The Black Headed Gulls are back in but no rings recorded all week.  So Sandycove again to read Med Gulls.  Got excited to see a ringed Juvenile, but it was only ringed on Wednesday!  Seven Coloured rings recorded out of 51 present and 3 were new to me but they may all have been ringed in the last week!

20th July

Sandycove again today and 5 coloured rings again!  653 is French and there is a new chip on the Darvic.  This is my first sighting of this Mediterranean Gull this season.

Adult Mediterranean Gull at Sandycove, Still in Summer Plumage.

2X5A is a 1st year Mediterranean Gull.  It was ringed in Dublin Last year.  I am looking forward to finding out if it was seen on the continent over the breeding season

First Calendar Year Mediterranean Gull

2X0J received it's yellow ring in Dublin, but it was ringed in the Netherlands as a Juvenile

Both Adult Mediterranean Gulls but 2X0J is nearly in Winter Plumage

But BIRD OF THE DAY goes to this Great Black backed Gull at Bullock Harbour.  I don't know whether it was lethargic or so sure of its self it couldn't be bothered moving, but I photographed it's metal ring from 3m away from both sides.  HT85358.  This is one of the old style rings with only an address - from the days before the www!!!

Great Black backed Gull HT85358

19th July

Mediterranean Gulls at Sandycove proved a successful ring reading option, with 5 coloured rings.

2X3J, another new to me Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull 2XA4, ringed in Dublin 

Mediterranean Gull E147.  Getting on, now about 8 years old!

Mediterranean Gull from Hungary

Mediterranean Gull with French Ring

Back from a week in Kerry where I looked at a lot of Gulls and saw no rings.  However I contented myself by watching Chough and Raven and other birds which I don't see often.

Chough on Valentia Island

7th July

Bullock harbour:  Great Black Backed Gull 1VV was there tonight.  I had noted that on July 4th that it was the first trip to Bullock that I hadn't seen it for nearly 2 years.  It is great to see an individual bird go through the various juvenile plumage changes and I have put earlier photos in to show the changes

5th July

Lots of Mediterranean Gulls this morning and 6 coloured rings.  What a difference a day makes!

This adult from Belguim has been discussed in emails as the third letter on one side looks like an L and on the other side it looks like an E!

It's always interesting to see the same bird each year and receive the updated life history as where it has been seen since.  2X0J was ringed in Dublin as an adult in 2012.  Now the life history has sightings from its continental breeding colony as well as sightings on its migration.  It has arrived a couple of weeks earlier this year

This French Mediterranean Gull is now a first year but it was around last year as a Juvenile.

As I noted yesterday the Juveniles Med Gulls have started to arrive

4th July

In the afternoon I went to Sandycove where the Mediterranean Gulls roost.  Usually there are a few coloured rings to read but of the 30 birds there was only 1 with a darvic.  Saw my first Mediterranean Juvenile of the year.

Mediterranean Gull 2X7A

Howth Harbour: A wonderful trip this morning, my boys played football and I watched the gulls. There was a notable increase in Great Black Backed Gull adults.  I read 15 coloured rings all from Irelands Eye - an Island that is visible from the pier.

Herring Gull 0HR.  This was my first 2015 sighting of this Herring Gull.

Herring Gull 0HR

 There were a few 2009 birds like this Great Black backed Gull 2CR

Great Black Backed Gull 2CR

 Great Black Backed Gull 1JR turned out to be my bird of the day as it turned up 12Km away in the afterenoon!

Great Black Backed Gull 1JR, 

 2012 Great Black Backed - 3rd year 1TN

Bullock Harbour - I visited this site in the afternoon and surprised to see 1JR again, it was at Howth this morning.  There were only 2 Coloured rings recorded.  This is my first trip in a year that I didn't record 1VV at this location!

1st July

The first Black Headed Gull Juvenile arrived in Sean Walsh Park today.  There has been a steady increase of 1st year, 2nd year and adults arriving during the last week.  No rings to date.

I have noted the two distinct colours of Lesser Black Backed Gulls and have started improving my id skills by trying to work our which is which.  One is also carrying a metal ring so my interest is heightened.  This one is the paler variety graellsii which also has a spot on p9.