A loud gull screech echoed off the pier, startling all those around.

A young gull had landed only a few feet away, its sharp eyes locked onto me. It wasn't just a casual landing; this gull had purpose. Its beak was wide open, squawking loudly and incessantly, its cries echoing off the concrete and water. The noise was piercing, cutting through the calm I had tried so hard to maintain. As the gull’s screech continued, the seal, which had been lying still, suddenly stirred. The gull’s cries had achieved what I feared most – it had startled the seal into action.

I lay there frozen, not wanting to lose the shot I had worked so hard to set up. But it was too late. The seal, now alert and agitated, began to shift its massive weight. With a final, frustrated glance at the squawking gull, I watched as the seal belly-flopped off the pier, sliding back into the ocean with a splash. My carefully framed shot was gone, lost to the depths below.

Now, with the seal gone, I was left with the subject at hand – the gull. It stood defiantly on the concrete ledge opposite me, still squawking, still demanding attention. Its beak remained wide open, as if trying to assert its dominance over the situation. This was no ordinary gull. Its loud cries were almost mocking, as if it knew it had disrupted my moment. Its eyes bore into me, unflinching, as if to say, "I’m the star now."

I slowly turned my camera towards the gull, resigned to the fact that this was the shot I would have to settle for. The seal had escaped, but the gull remained, its presence filling the frame. As I snapped the photo, the gull finally fell silent, its mission accomplished. It had claimed the attention it so desperately sought, leaving me with a lasting image of its defiant stare and wide-open beak – a reminder that nature often has its own plans.

Feathered Friends Collection

Welcome to our feathered friends, with their flights of fancy, twitchers' delight, and the lightest touch.

Ever-present in our lives, birds fill the skies, settle in tree branches, and thrive on the ground. Their movements fill us with delight and awe, and their silence is broken by delightful songs or anxious craws. This collection celebrates these moments in time with our feathered friends.

Sony A1, Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II, FL: 180mm, S: 1/2500s, A: F7.1, ISO: 800.