An easy morning watching Gannets at Muriwai Beach, West Coast, Auckland, New Zealand.

You can get within 2 metres of some Gannets, while others are perched on the edge of sheer cliffs dropping to rocks and ocean waves below. Two vantage platforms and a number of areas on the walkways give great views of these birds.

It is best to spend some time watching the birds and understanding their habits and flight paths. After a while you can decide where the action occurs and photograph accordingly.

Not today, but at other times the wind patterns create a glide path within three metres of a walkway. Great in-flight photos are possible.

Note the fishermen in a couple of the wave shots ... it is almost common for drownings to occur off these rocks.

The first block of images are straight out of the camera. Photos below that have been processed using Lightroom or Photoshop.

Gear used: 

Body - Nikon D610

Lens - Nikkor 70-300 ED VR