Bilberry and Birch

Gulls are glanced from the lift of
Of cliffing air
And left
Loitering in the descending drift,
Or tilt gradient and go
Down steep invisible clefts in the grain
Of air, blading against the blow,

Back-flip, wisp
Over the foam-galled green
Building seas

from Gulls Aloft by Ted Hughes

We came across this couple feeding the gulls (and a few stray pigeons) on the beach at Nice when we were there on holiday one February. The birds were so graceful, swooping low and catching the food before it fell to the ground, then effortlessly soaring up again.