This Mallard’s head tilt translates to: “Humans be weird sometimes!” #Wordless Wednesday

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

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About Linda Schaub

This is my first blog and I enjoy writing each post immensely. I started a walking regimen in 2011 and in 2013 I decided to create a blog as a means of memorializing the people, places and things seen on my daily walks. I have always enjoyed people watching, so my blog is peppered with folks I meet or reflections of characters I have known through the years. Often something piques my interest, or evokes a pleasant memory from my memory bank, so this becomes a “slice o’ life” blog post. I respect and appreciate nature and my interactions with Mother Nature’s gifts is also a common theme. Sometimes the most-ordinary items become fodder for points to ponder over and touch upon. I retired in March 2024 after a career in the legal field. I was a legal secretary for almost 45 years, primarily working in downtown Detroit, then working from my home. I graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Mass Communications (print journalism) in 1978, though I’ve never worked in that field. I would like to think this blog is the writer in me finally emerging!! Walking and writing have met, shaken hands and the creative juices are flowing in Walkin’, Writin’, Wit & Whimsy. I hope you think so too. - Linda Schaub
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44 Responses to This Mallard’s head tilt translates to: “Humans be weird sometimes!” #Wordless Wednesday

  1. Anne Mehrling's avatar Anne Mehrling says:
    October 15, 2025 at 6:39 am

    That photo has a lot of character!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. dawnkinster's avatar dawnkinster says:
    October 15, 2025 at 7:10 am

    She’s got pretty colors on her.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Barbara Rodgers's avatar Barbara Rodgers says:
    October 15, 2025 at 7:15 am

    What a quizzical facial expression!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Kate Crimmins's avatar Kate Crimmins says:
    October 15, 2025 at 8:12 am

    Sometimes? ALL the time! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  5. J P's avatar J P says:
    October 15, 2025 at 8:29 am

    “How did you know I wasn’t a decoy?”

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Debbie D.'s avatar Debbie D. says:
    October 15, 2025 at 12:40 pm

    Great capture – and caption! 👌😆

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Laurie's avatar Laurie says:
    October 15, 2025 at 3:23 pm

    So weird! Great interpretation of that head tilt! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Terri Webster Schrandt's avatar Terri Webster Schrandt says:
    October 15, 2025 at 11:01 pm

    What a beauty, Linda! I love the head-tilt attitude in birds and animals!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:
    October 16, 2025 at 3:38 am

    That title fits so well!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 16, 2025 at 9:36 pm

      Thank you Yvette! I like the way animals and birds size you up, especially with the head tilt, like they’re pondering whether you are worthy of their attention!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:
        October 18, 2025 at 4:19 pm

        Yes, I like how YOU show us the way the animals and birds size us up. Not everyone spends so much time immersed in nature to see this with the animals and birds.
        I was just reading a little note from Heart & Soil and they said the average American spends 93% of their time indoors.
        And before we forced the habit of walking out side every day (well missing here and there if needed) but until that happened – I did not realize how much time I spent indoors – even with doing a little bit of gardening.
        anyhow, your posts bring us these perspectives we do not get even if we do walk outside everyday

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 18, 2025 at 9:27 pm

        Thank you Yvette! I looked at this Mallard and really thought it was sizing me up, like it didn’t know what to make of me … friend or foe? Someone who might have treats? I do enjoy the interaction with them and I am glad that this translates in my posts. It is sad that people are spending that much time indoors. Today we got to 80 degrees – it was like a Summer day

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Teresa H's avatar Teresa H says:
    October 16, 2025 at 12:53 pm

    Birds are funny creatures. This one looks like it’s wondering “what did you just say”. Great photo.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 16, 2025 at 9:37 pm

      Thank you Teresa! I agree with you and it doesn’t matter if they are wild birds or domestic birds. I’ve had parakeets and canaries that do the same thing. It’s like they analyze you!

      Like

      • Teresa H's avatar Teresa H says:
        October 20, 2025 at 2:04 pm

        How fun. I have considered getting a bird for our 4 year old. Are they gentle with kids?

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 20, 2025 at 8:32 pm

        I love birds Teresa and growing up we always had a parakeet. We had a lot of fun with our parakeets. My mom had much patience and would keep repeating words so they would understand and repeat their name or phrases back. We only took Skippy and Joey out of their cage to perch on our finger or shoulder, then to interact with them, but they are very loving pets. Later we had canaries – they are beautiful singers, but much more timid than a parakeet and are happier left in their cage and less interaction with their owners.

        Like

  11. TD's avatar TD says:
    October 16, 2025 at 10:06 pm

    I think this duck just decided to sit down and do his people watching, similar to me sitting to my doing my bird watching!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 17, 2025 at 7:44 pm

      That’s funny TD – I never thought about it that way, but the way this duck looked at me, it was as if it didn’t know what to make of me. I like when critters do a head tilt. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • TD's avatar TD says:
        October 17, 2025 at 7:55 pm

        Yeah, I’m often the unusual duck on the pond. It certainly was pondering!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 17, 2025 at 8:03 pm

        Probably looking whether I had pockets where food that it liked may be stuffed. 🙂 Today I was feeding the squirrels and a huge dog (a breed I’ve never seen before) came over and ate the peanuts while the squirrels watched. The guy said “well he likes peanut butter” – the dog was unleashed. Dogs aren’t allowed in the park. Squirrels ran up the tree when the dog approached and watched from above.

        Liked by 1 person

      • TD's avatar TD says:
        October 17, 2025 at 8:08 pm

        Yes, I thought about the pocket full of food too! Oh I don’t like when owners don’t leash their dogs! Perhaps the peanuts will make him upchuck… and the owner will have to deal with that!!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 17, 2025 at 8:49 pm

        Always hopeful for treats! I was kind of surprised as to the dog and I’ve never seen a dog eat peanuts in the shell. The geese and ducks waddle over and eat them as the squirrels look at me like “do something Linda!” but a dog is a first.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. AnnMarie Stevens's avatar AnnMarie Stevens says:
    October 17, 2025 at 11:45 am

    Miss Linda………………………………….”I’m resting on a warm large stone……………….Who are you?…………………….What are you doing?”

    Liked by 1 person

  13. singlikewildflowers's avatar singlikewildflowers says:
    October 18, 2025 at 12:22 am

    Head tilts from animals are always so cute and whimsical! I wonder that goes through their minds.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. trumstravels's avatar trumstravels says:
    October 18, 2025 at 3:36 pm

    He looks very quizzical, like he’s asking you a question !

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Amorina Rose's avatar Amorina Rose says:
    October 19, 2025 at 7:31 pm

    If that is all he is thinking, well we got off lightly. LOL

    Liked by 1 person

  16. indianeskitchen's avatar indianeskitchen says:
    October 21, 2025 at 11:16 pm

    I think he is weird, why is he on the pavement and not in the water or on a nest? Lol

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 22, 2025 at 8:10 pm

      I think it was because the ducks were still molting, so they are worn out – that’s my guess, but why it plunked down like that right where I was walking and looked at me I don’t know. I think I look like a sucker who might offer treats. They now have a sign that you can’t feed the ducks. There was a guy that used to get there every morning the same time and brought a lot of corn and fed it to them. I got some pics of him once as he threw the corn onto the grass and they came over to get it.

      Like

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