I’m retracing my steps to all those days when I could set out with the camera on a whim. Summer days were meant to be filled with chasing sunrises and sunsets, but more often than not I’ve been thwarted by cloudy skies.

The district of Chorrillos at the southern tip of Lima has a fish market, Plaza de Pescadores, an interesting place to walk about, if you don’t mind the bustle and the mild fishy air. It is a lovely setting, colourful fishing boats bobbing on the waves against a backdrop of Lima’s coastline and the buildings of Barranco and Miraflores. Souvik and a friend wanted to run along the coast one Sunday morning; we hopped into a taxi to the market. I stayed for the photo ops while the guys took off on the circuito de playas.

I was there early, to catch the last of the city lights shimmering on the water.

You are drawn in by the boats, and you stay for the birds. Seagulls and pelicans hangout with their own, the handsome Inca tern stops by to show off its distinctive moustache and striking colours.

The Peruvian Pelican is a majestic bird, with a smart dark-and-white plumage and a colour spectrum on the bill.

Seagulls make up the volume of the bird population around the plaza de pescadores. Their relatively simple looks are compensated by the sheer size of the flock. They love to congregate, on the roof of the market, or catch a free ride on one of the many boats.

Most fishermen are done fishing by the time the day breaks. The different birds all take their chances scavenging around the boats, as the men gather their fishing nets.

At regular intervals, the colony of seagulls takes flight and circle ‘around the block’ just to make the grey sky more interesting.

Every good walk/run deserves a grand breakfast. We ended this one with a stop at Caleta Dolsa in Barranco.

Now I hear that eat-in cafes and restaurants will stay closed for the rest of the year, to prevent people from gathering in closed spaces. Oh well, at least the birds’ numbers might go up during this period of human inactivity.