Gulls Follow Tractor Through Dawn Rain

Freshly turned earth stretches in dark, wet furrows under a low, heavy sky. A slow tractor moves along the rows, its dark silhouette defined by a sharp rim of pale light from the rising sun. White gulls trail in a loose line behind the machine, heads bobbing as they scan the churned soil. Raindrops fall in a brief, visible curtain, catching the dim light and blurring the distance. The ground glistens with irrigation water, reflecting the cool grey of the morning. The scene is steeped in deep shadow, with only the tractor's edges and the birds' wings illuminated. One bird tilts its head, wings spread against the wet, dark mud.