Cormorants on the Tiber

Walking along the Tiber in Rome there are two waterfront boulevards. On one side it is beautiful, clean, well-lit, marked with a cycle lane and cleared of weeds. It’s still covered in graffiti, but then, this is Rome:

On the other side is one with rubbish and people who are homeless living under bridges. That’s the side I want to be on because I can see Cormorants sunning themselves to dry their feathers close to the other bank:

We get close to them and can see every reflection on their bronze feathers:

As we sit and watch, more come in to land and splash down in front of us:

They are powerful flyers and great swimmers. I can see that one, quite far off, has just swallowed a fish:

They look prehistoric stood in the warm January sunshine:

One jumps and dives under the water:

Another comes in to land:

And then another:

They make quite a spectacle:

And then it’s time to dry off again:

For us, it’s time for a coffee.

This is Italy, after all, and here, it’s always time for a coffee.