A wee while ago I went up to Tāwharanui for a morning wander with Yusuf (see his photos here!), looking for birds, looking for light, looking for nice images. The sky was pearly – one of those thinly overcast mornings with occasional glimpses of the sun. Gentle waves hushed up the beach, the water calm and silver. Sometimes swathes of seaweed pile up on the beach, but today it was washed clean. We spent time watching taranui – Caspian terns, fly up and down the beach, foraging in the shallows, dropping down in spiralling dives to catch fish in a spray of water. Tūturiwhatu – New Zealand dotterels, pipped and chipped and scurried along the sand. I like to get there at dawn, when the beach is for birds more than people.

Just as we made for the tracks up into the bush, this gorgeous bird flew in for a wander down the stream. Matuku moana – White-faced herons – are a relatively common sight along our coastlines (and paddocks). In the soft light those grey feathers seemed bluer than normal, and another name for them is ‘blue heron’. This bird wasn’t bothered by us lying in the sand, getting the low angle to blur out the foreground. I love their easy grace, streamlined and sinuous. There wasn’t a lot to forage on in the stream, clearly, because they didn’t stay long. Knowing the wary shifting that these birds do before takeoff, I was ready for the launch, and I’m really pleased with this photo. There were a few bits of beach debris that needed tidying up to enhance the ethereal feel of the image. As much as I want my photographs to be honest reflections of the world, they can also be art.