Juvenile Barn Swallow and his buddies. #Wordless Wednesday

Posted on September 30, 2026 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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41 Responses to Juvenile Barn Swallow and his buddies. #Wordless Wednesday

  1. Barbara Rodgers's avatar Barbara Rodgers says:
    September 30, 2026 at 8:22 am

    Great shots, Linda!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. J P's avatar J P says:
    September 30, 2026 at 8:26 am

    So, if all barn swallows have tails, are they called swallowtails? Probably not.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      September 30, 2026 at 6:35 pm

      Well JP, that makes me ponder why the powers-that-be, those that name critters, would call a butterfly a swallowtail, when there are birds with swallowtails … someone must’ve been slow on the uptake.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      September 30, 2026 at 6:46 pm

      Thanks Kate! I have no idea why these baby Barn Swallows perched on the railing like that – they never sit still!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Dave's avatar Dave says:
        October 4, 2026 at 11:06 am

        Kinda/sorta answers my question from Monday’s post. Why are they perched on the railing instead of their typically industrious behavior? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Barn Swallow sit still. If they’re not busy in their nests, then they’re out and about looking for building materials!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 4, 2026 at 9:29 pm

        This was a first for me Dave! For years I have had a spot in this park where there was an old dead tree in the marsh and the barn swallows would perch on it in between swooping and diving for insects. I got some fun shots of the barn swallows “chatting” with one another, but the tree fell into the marsh – so much for photo ops. So, this struck me strange. I figure they are juveniles (going by their short tails) and they lined up with expectations of food from their parents. It was a strange scene though – maybe something happened to the parents and they don’t know how to look for food. Other people commented how the birds looked lost or bewildered. They never let you get that close as they are very skittish.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Terri Webster Schrandt's avatar Terri Webster Schrandt says:
    September 30, 2026 at 11:18 am

    So cute, Linda, and how amazing to capture what look like bewildered fledglings! I recognized them as swallows immediately!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      September 30, 2026 at 6:50 pm

      Thanks Terri! I have never seen swallows perch like that without moving. That was a first for me. I can only figure they stopped there thinking Mom and Dad would come over to feed them, as barn swallows are always on the move. It was my lucky day to capture them and their bewilderment!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. brilliantviewpoint's avatar brilliantviewpoint says:
    September 30, 2026 at 12:02 pm

    Adorable, they look chunky or maybe they are poofed up because of cold temps.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Tofino Photography's avatar Tofino Photography says:
    September 30, 2026 at 3:29 pm

    they do look bewildered,…..maybe they stopped to ask you directions?

    Liked by 2 people

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      September 30, 2026 at 6:58 pm

      Well, at least I know my way around this park so I could help them, but I got lost twice on the Ford Lake Trail in Dearborn this year. I have put it down to it being overgrown and I lost my bearings. These juvenile Barn Swallows perching on the overlook railing is unusual. They must have been waiting for Mom and Pop to come and feed them. They are unusually always on the move, in mid-air catching insects.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Debbie D.'s avatar Debbie D. says:
    September 30, 2026 at 8:49 pm

    Cute little gang! They look a bit lost. 😄

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      September 30, 2026 at 8:54 pm

      Yes, I thought they were cute too Debbie and it’s very unusual that they would perch on an overlook railing like that. I’m thinking they were waiting on Mom and Dad to return and feed them, which may account for their lost look. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 1, 2026 at 6:34 pm

      Yes, they are and so attentive, which is so unlike Barn Swallows, who usually swoop and dive for insects and rarely stop, let alone pose. But these are juveniles, so maybe I was their first human. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  9. AnnMarie Stevens's avatar AnnMarie Stevens says:
    October 1, 2026 at 2:42 pm

    All creatures likes to have companions…………….

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Rebecca's avatar Rebecca says:
    October 1, 2026 at 9:23 pm

    Nice photos, Linda. You just have to love those faces.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:
    October 1, 2026 at 9:58 pm

    Hi Linda, excellent choice of photos for your wordless post. The first one really had me zooming in on the color and also the quiet vibe. Then, the second photo with the bird on the left looking right at us with a little head turn – oh my gosh, just amazing. The trio in that photo was just a great snapshot.

    Cheers to our avian friends

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
      October 2, 2026 at 12:31 pm

      Thank you Yvette! I was so lucky that all these Barn Swallows were lined up on the overlook railing like that. I’ve never seen this happen before. They are usually in flight all the time, but these were juveniles and likely awaiting their parents to go and feed them. They are pretty birds and these young ones are fluffy with short tails.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:
        October 2, 2026 at 7:39 pm

        yes – great timing – and anytime I see such a great photos of birds – I do appreciate them because as you noted – most are often in flight or so far away to where you cannto see the details

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 2, 2026 at 8:53 pm

        Birds are so “flighty” – pardon the pun, but they sometimes are fickle in that they will perch in one spot, eyeing you the entire time, then another time, they will see you and bolt. I’d like to think I don’t look or act like a predator, but I guess they can’t tell one way or another. I see some photos of birds taken by people with lenses as big as their arm and the details of the birds, especially the feathers, is just incredible.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:
        October 2, 2026 at 9:51 pm

        yes, I have seen some of those closeups too

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 3, 2026 at 5:20 pm

        I don’t know how they manage the lenses as would be heavy, even though their pictures are amazing.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:
        October 4, 2026 at 9:31 am

        Hi Linda, that’s a good point about how heavy some gear can be. But I bet you they get used to it and the threshold for being encumbered is reduced. Kind of like a musician who has to carry a gig bag their instrument and any extras. It probably just goes with the territory. And for you, because you’re on the move extra gear wouldn’t work

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 4, 2026 at 9:07 pm

        Yes, that’s a very good point Yvette. Once I met this woman on the trail at Lake Erie Metropark. She was about five feet tall and I think didn’t weight 90 pounds soaking wet. She was lugging around this huge lens and it was a fairly warm day. No tripod, just this lens … she said she was used to it.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:
        October 7, 2026 at 10:35 pm

        Hi Linda, that lady sounds really interesting as she was so small carrying around such a large lens, and saying that she was just used to it
        But I must admit that I enjoy the point and shoot like you do.
        📷💛

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:
        October 8, 2026 at 8:34 pm

        Yes, it amazed me how she was handling that lens Yvette … I really like my point-and-shoot. It has 12X zoom and I rarely come home with blurry photos like I do with the DSLR (even though I only shoot on automatic focus). Also, when I have the DSLR with its “kit long lens” (75 mm), sometimes, especially at Lake Erie Metropark, the trails are quite narrow, so I can only back up so far without ending up in the water or dangerously close, so I always take the small camera along with me, especially if I see a butterfly as it’s easier to hone in on it.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Prior...'s avatar Prior... says:
        October 8, 2026 at 11:37 pm

        Yes, you definitely found what works

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog's avatar Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog says:
    October 1, 2026 at 11:57 pm

    Sweet photos, Linda! I haven’t seen barn swallows at the river here for a number of years now. I suspect that it is, unfortunately, because of all the Roundup that the local farmers use excessively. At least there are other (more resilient) birds in the area still.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. trumstravels's avatar trumstravels says:
    October 3, 2026 at 3:33 pm

    They are such cute little birds!

    Liked by 1 person

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