Ibis With Salt Crystals in Meadow Grass Near Hamad Town

Bright midmorning light illuminates a reed bed edge near Hamad Town, where early summer grasses rise in pale green and gold. A white ibis stands motionless at eye level, its plumage dusted with fine white salt crystals that catch the dry mountain sun. Low pools of ground fog rest on the hollows between the stalks, softening the foreground while the bird remains sharp and still. The bird's long, curved beak points downward toward the damp earth, frozen in a moment of patient anticipation. Behind the reeds, the landscape stretches into a hazy, arid plain under a clear sky. One grain of salt rests on the tip of a feather near the wing joint.