Sol emerging from behind the clouds

Woke about a half hour before the official time for sunrise (in Auckland). It may only be 80 km north (by road, but the summer sunrise is a little later here. Gave me plenty of time to get down the steps to the South End of Snells Beach and along far enough to see the first signs of the sun emerging from behind the layer of low cloud on the horizon. I liked this one better than the ones a little later when the sun was fully risen.

Having taken the first sunrise photo while out on a jog (which transformed into a walk) for many months, I went out from the shore onto the mudflats where the birds I had seen in the distance turned out to be Kuaka (The bar-tailed godwit) as I had thought. There were also some Matuku moana (White faced herons) and one Tuturiwhatu (dotterel).

I've added as extras a photo taken shortly before the Matuku moana stabbed its beak into the water after food, and also one of a Kuaka showing the bars on the tail feathers very nicely.