Mediterranean Gulls at Camber and Rye

20 years ago, I remember seeing Mediterranean gulls for the first time in Tunisia. I was with a birdwatching group, all taken by surprise by the elegance of this bird compared to our own black headed gull. At that time they seemed such an exotic and far-away species. But in the space of a decade, this once rare visitor to our shores is now a firmly established breeding species at Rye Harbour. Post-breeding adults like to frequent the rubbish bins at Camber Sands (as all gulls do) making photography of this very handsome gull fairly easy. From a photography point of view, however, this bird was looking a little shabby as its summer moult was under way.