Charlie Tango, Ready for Take Off for #BirdOfTheDay theme of #50ShadesOfGrey (Today's alternative theme is #Fledglings) #EastCoastKin #ECK #photography #gull #birds #birdphotography #Netherlands #monochrome #blackandwhite #nature #sea (iPhone camera)

Did you get the film line reference? First film, Charlie Tango is the name of Mr Grey's chopper. The films are genuinely fascinating from a character perspective, and the soundtracks are decent too. This photograph which I took on a grey day in Volendam, Netherlands, reminded me of a helicopter on a launch pad on top of a tall building. A black-headed gull (feel free to disagree bird folks) sits atop a folded patio umbrella centre stage. In the background is a small jetty with a little wooden hut at the end. Behind is a vast expanse of water with the outline of a sliver of land and a boat on the horizon. Dark clouds loom overhead.