TYPES OF GULL:

BLACK-HEADED – chocolate-brown head in summer, small patch behind eye in winter. Distinguished by a white leading line along their wings. One of our loudest gulls. HERRING GULL – large gull with light grey wings and white underparts. They have hooked yellow bills with a red dot. Quite a loud bird. LESSER BLACK-BACKED – slightly smaller than a herring gull with a dark grey back. Same beak but yellow legs instead of pink. GREAT BLACK-BACKED – very large gull, often seen hunched over. Dark back, pink legs and yellow beak.

try to reveal how extraordinary they can be. Blackheaded Gulls have been among the most interesting that I have studied. Unlike most gulls seen in cities, these birds nest and roost in more natural environments; reedbeds, marshes or islands in lakes being the preferred habitat. They then fly to their hunting grounds, feeding on anything from wild prey which may include fish, invertebrates or seeds, to scraps of leftover food in towns and cities. This allows me to photograph the gulls within two contrasting environments. On one hand I can photograph gulls how people often perceive them, within the city – scavenging on scraps left behind by us – and on the other, in a wilder setting, photographing them in their social groups when roosting. For me, part of what I do is about simply showing people that there are various individual species of gulls, each as interesting and distinctive as the last. Rather than grouping them all into the category of ‘sea gulls’, I think that people should recognise these birds for their brilliance; in hunting, migratory flight and even raising their young, in environments which have proved too difficult for most birds. I try to create photos which show a view from the perspective of the gulls themselves. I get into the action and create images which people can put themselves into. This is usually achieved by getting my camera into the right position at the right time so that the photos are always taken at