To and From Marine Studies                                                                                    

Portobello.
Low tide with dramatic lighting and even a touch of rainbow.
Low tide with typical overcast.
      
                                           Cockel shells.
Royal spoonbill | kōtuku ngutupapa (Platalea regia).  (more)
Mud snails | tītiko (Amphibola crenata) are about 25-30 mm in diameter.  Scattered among them are a few mudflat topshells (Diloma subrostratum), which are smaller.  Mud snails feed on detritus.  Due to tides they can be exposed to the air for extended periods.  The mud snail is a marine pulmonate, an air-breathing marine snail; they do not have gills and the mantle serves as a primitive lung.  According to Wikipedia, they are a "curiosity" and seem "to represent a transitional state between marine and terrestrial gastropods."  Wikipedia states, "This is not a true land snail, but it is also not a true sea snail."  See also: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262673877_Factors_affecting_oxygen_consumption_in_the_marine_pulmonate_Amphibola_crenata_Gmelin_1791
more mud snails 
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The tide in and the gulls are feasting on something.
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