Finally!

Well, it has taken until mid-February, but we're finally off the mark for 2014!

As winter decided to turn up and the weather has turned colder, I paid a visit to Antrim and the first thing I noticed was how high the water levels on Lough Neagh are.

The water is normally about 3 feet below the bottom of the railings on the pier beside the slipway, but you'd need Wellies to even walk on the pier at the minute!

There was a reasonable sized flock of gulls present, mostly Black-headed, but also a Herring and a couple of Commons, including a metal ringed bird.

I managed to read ten colour-rings and caught a new bird. This adult male is hopefully the first of many to be ringed in 2014.