Gulls on the Tiber

I’m walking along the River Tiber in the centre of Rome. There’s an upturned boat in the water with a Yellow Legged Gull resting on top. It looks fabulous in this sunshine with the graffiti of Lungo Tevere behind:

They are big gulls, with powerful beaks and intense red eye-rings. Here’s one perched on a rock in the River with a fishing Cormorant behind:

I’ve seen them here before and marvelled at their colour scheme:

Colour co-ordinated Gulls

There are also far smaller and more delicate Black Headed Gulls. They are now in their winter plumage, with just a small spot on their head to show where the intense chocolate brown feathers were. I love the reflections of the sparkling water on this one’s plumage:

The water looks so clean and fresh today:

I’m still not drinking it though:

One flies in to land with just one leg sticking out:

They are such elegant birds, especially in this urban backdrop:

There’s a youngster here too, without the intensity of the red legs and beak.

It must be time for some of that famous Italian coffee.