As the white crested waves of the Tasman Sea crash against the rugged coastal shores at the Muriwai Beach Colony in Waitakere near Auckland, NZ, a lonely Australasian Gannet sits in the sunset lighting above the rest of the colony. A thin, scattered layer of clouds blanket the sky above Waitakere, NZ, leaving plenty of space for the remaining rays at sunset to break through and stretch across the cliffs to the Muriwai Beach Colony.
While this Australasian Gannet sits quietly by himself, one can see how many of these birds gather together on the cliff below, the numbers reaching approximately 1,200 pairs each year. Each sunset which highlights Muriwai Beach is stunning where the coastal shores are made up of the Australasian Gannet colony, pristine beaches, the force of the Tasman Sea, often gale force winds and the picturesque scenery.
Australasian Gannets, Morus serrator, Muriwai Beach, Muriwai, near Auckland, Waitakere, West Coast, North Island, New Zealand.
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