Wood Duck Swimming Through Lily Pads at Dawn

Deep shadow swallows the foreground water while a thin rim of pale light traces the curved back of a wood duck. The bird glides silently across a dense mat of broad green lily pads, their surfaces slick with monsoon rain. Above, dramatic clouds stack in heavy layers of charcoal and slate against the nautical dawn sky. The water reflects the soft gray light, broken only by the ripples spreading from the duck's submerged feet. In the distance, the dark silhouettes of tall grasses mark the edge of a Tanzanian wetland. The duck's head turns slightly, eyes fixed forward in patient stillness. One water droplet rests on the edge of a nearby leaf.