Parisian seagulls

The first cold weather brings back to Paris the graceful seabirds that Buffon uncharitably describes as “sea vultures”. Driven from the boreal seas by winter which deprives them of their usual food, fish and shellfish, impossible to capture under the ice and piled snow, the seagulls venture quite far into temperate regions. They follow the course of the rivers. This is why we see them fluttering around the Pont des Arts, around the Pont du Carrousel, and resting while floating on the ponds of the Tuileries.
They enjoy complete tranquility here, their flesh, inedible, not tempting gourmets fond of waterfowl. And, like their sisters in Lyon, they help to adorn our large cities with a particular appeal through the graceful and rapid curves that they describe above our peaceful waterways.