I took this image on the coast on a cloudy day. I was not expecting to shoot wildlife photos that day, but the birds and the rocks looked nice to me. Let me know what you think. I haven't shot wildlife photos before, so advice from anyone who has would be very helpful.
While I'm not someone who shoots a lot of wildlife, I have done it enough to learn a few things. One of the most important things you can "try" to do is get down to their level when shooting. If this means you have to scramble across the rocks then that's what you have to do. You will miss some shots by doing this; they will move or fly away and those are the breaks, but the photos you DO get will be much nicer to look at. What I usually do is start shooting as soon as I see something, then begin inching closer, pausing along the way to get slightly better shots. Eventually, if I'm lucky, I am close enough and in such an angle that I get the shot I wanted all along, but along the way I might have captured something that will be "good enough" and might suffice if the animal scurries off.
In this case, you did get the sun on the bird's face, but the black beak blends in with the shadow behind the rocks. If that beak had been silhouetted against some of the brighter brown rocks or the bright water, this would be a bit stronger.
As with any subject, if you shoot enough of it, you will learn the tricks to getting the perfect shot of any particular species. Practice all the time!