Mediterranean Gull

RSPB Belfast Local Group: - Presentation Monday September 7 2020 by Zoom www.nibirds.blogspot.com Daily sightings of birds in NI, with or without photos. Nird pics at: www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk www.nibirds.blogspot.com Bird News Tuesday 1st September Osprey eating a fish on the shoreline off Castle Espie at 2:10pm (Ross McIlrath) Sandy Bay, Larne had 2 Curlew Sandpipers and a Sanderling (Gerard McGeehan / Shirley Dunlop, Cameron Moore) A probable Ring Ousel was seen briefly outside Annahilt this morning. (Garry Wilkinson). A Little Gull was on the shore at Donaghadee. (Derek Polley). 2 Curlew Sandpipers and a Little Stint were at Myroe this evening. (John Spottiswood). Thanks to Cameron Moore for the pictures of the Curlew Sandpipers and the Sanderling: Following my last blog in May, the birds’ breeding season is over at Blue Circle Island on the RSPB Larne Lough Islands reserve in Co Antrim. Fortunately, we were able to make several visits to follow up on the progress of this important seabird colony, which hosts Sandwich terns, common terns, a selection of gulls, oystercatchers, black guillemots and - the rarest breeding seabirds in Europe – roseate terns (pictured, above). In late May, we discovered that our earlier efforts to prepare nest boxes for roseate terns paid off and the only breeding pair in Northern Ireland had returned to Blue Circle Island; the birds had two eggs. To monitor other species with larger numbers of nests, including common terns, we used the ‘pasta method’ (above). Using pre-counted bags of pasta, we marked each encountered common tern nest without risk of counting the same nest twice. By counting how many pasta pieces were left after the survey, we could quickly find out how many nests were on the island. Pasta is cheap, biodegradable, and often adult birds simply lift it off the nest like a pebble. During the breeding season, we also carried out regular biosecurity checks on the island to keep the chicks safe from mammalian predators. Blue Circle Island is part of the Biosecurity for LIFE programme that raises awareness of the threat of invasive predators and puts in place systems to prevent their accidental introduction to islands. Apart from providing an electric fence to keep larger mammals including otters away, we placed some cocoa-flavoured wax blocks (pictured, above) to monitor for rats and mice. We checked the baits regularly for any teeth marks that would alert us to the presence of rodents on the island. Rats can pose a real threat to any seabird colony. These capable swimmers can swim around one kilometre in calm waters, and can prey on eggs, chicks and sometimes even adults. It is therefore vital to prevent any accidental introduction of rats and other invasive species on Blue Circle Island. By late June, the island was covered with hundreds of young birds. Black headed-gull chicks were the first ones to fledge. Sandwich terns were also doing well, and many nearly- fledged chicks were gathering in large groups, called creches, waiting to be fed by the adults. At least one roseate tern chick was also present, looking healthy and well (below). By late July Blue Circle Island grew quiet, with most of adults and fledged birds leaving the island behind. To our delight, the roseate tern chick also successfully fledged. The young terns will now spend some time on the Northern Ireland coastline, feeding in the rich waters of Irish Sea before starting their first perilous journey to their wintering grounds. * To find out more about Biosecurity for LIFE and what members of the public can do to safeguard birds nesting on islands, visit https://biosecurityforlife.org.uk We would like to thank the Blue Circle Cruising & Sailing Club at Magheramorne for allowing RSPB NI to keep the boat on their premises for the duration of the breeding season. This made our work much easier and it greatly reduced travelling times during COVID-19 movement restrictions. All photographs taken during monitoring visits under NIEA licence. Roseate tern pic (top) by Neal Warnock. All other pics by Monika Wojcieszek Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project – Momentum Webinar – September 10 and 11 The EU-funded Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project is a partnership with the RSPB, BirdWatch Ireland and the North Wales Wildlife Trust. This five-year project (2015-2020) has focused on enhancing the breeding conditions at roseate tern colonies in Ireland and the UK, while also improving former colonies in preparation for potential expansion. As this five-year project is ending, it deserves a celebration of its achievements aimed at the long- term recovery of the species in NW Europe. You can sign up to a Momentum Webinar via Zoom on September 10 and 11. For the agenda and to register, please click here: http://roseatetern.org/momentum-webinar.html facebook.com RSPB Northern Ireland for news & information & events facebook.com Rathlin Island Reserve for news of RSPB work & events on the island A guest blog by Ric Else. We all know what a 'seagull' is, but you’ll often find that birders recoil in horror at that particular term. This is partly because, to many people, ‘seagull’ carries negative connotations of noisy seaside chip thieves. But the main reason is because ‘seagull’ is not a very helpful term, dismissively lumping the whole of this diverse and fascinating group of creatures under one fairly inaccurate umbrella term – inaccurate because many of them occur very commonly well away from the sea. The preferred term is simply ‘gulls’, a scientific grouping comprising many different but related species. Here in Northern Ireland we have a lovely range of gulls, and in this blog I’ll introduce the seven different species that nest here. I am lucky enough to live and work for the RSPB on Rathlin Island, which has nesting populations of six of these gull species and provides as good a place as any to get to know these often overlooked but undeniably characterful creatures. I’ll go in size order, starting with the biggest of our breeding gulls. Great black-backed gull Easily the biggest and beefiest of our gulls, great black-backs are an impressive beast, easily identified by its bulk in any plumage. They breed in Northern Ireland only in fairly small numbers, including a few pairs here on Rathlin, but many more visit the region during the winter. As well as their size, great black-backed gulls are told by their pink legs and very dark (almost black) backs. Like many gulls they are opportunistic feeders – this one pictured above is making off with a beakful of blubber from a dead seal. Pictured above, an adult with three almost fully grown chicks. Although it will take them several years to get plumage like that of their parents, the youngsters can already be identified by their size. Herring gull Herring gulls are very much the archetypal ‘seagull’, and is the gull most likely to be eyeing up your fish and chips on the promenade. What many people don’t realise is that this familiar species has declined catastrophically, including in Northern Ireland where the breeding population fell by a disastrous 96% between the 1980s and the turn of the century. Here on Rathlin, the handful of nesting pairs we have today are only a vestige of the 4,000 or so pairs that were here 35 years ago. Adult herring gulls have light grey backs and pink legs. Like other large gulls, they have a red spot on their bill which stimulates their nestlings to beg for food. Lesser black-backed gull For me, this is perhaps the most beautiful of our nesting gulls. With their slim, elegant shape, slatey upperparts and bright yellow legs and bill, adult lesser black-backs in breeding plumage are strikingly handsome creatures. Although the species can be seen in Northern Ireland year-round, many lesser black-backed gulls migrate south to Southern Europe and North Africa in winter. This may well include some of those that nest on Rathlin, and in any case we don’t see them at all on the island from November to mid-February. This is the gull most inclined to nest on rooftops, and increasing numbers now nest on buildings in Belfast, along with a few herring gulls. The bright yellow legs and bill of an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull really stand out against the white, black and grey plumage. Despite their name, lesser black-backed gulls have dark grey backs, which are a much lighter shade than those of great black-backed gulls. The wingtips are black, with only small white spots compared to the much bigger spots of the great black-backed gulls. Common gull Not generally the most common of our gulls, common gulls are nonetheless a frequent sight at both coastal and inland sites. They nest at scattered colonies, mostly around the coast, including on Rathlin. Their high, piercing calls are quite different to our other gull species and are reflected in the alternative name of mew gull, by which it is known in North America (although the ones across the pond are actually a very subtly different subspecies). Pictured above, a pair of common gulls, with a pair of the much bigger, pink-legged herring gulls behind them. Common gulls look a bit like miniature herring gulls, but their legs are yellowish and they have no red bill spot. Mediterranean gull This is the only one of Northern Ireland’s breeding gulls that doesn’t nest on Rathlin. At least not yet anyway. Mediterranean gulls have been spreading north and west in recent decades and first bred in our region in 1995, with small numbers nesting each year since then.

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