{"id":115194,"date":"2023-08-15T04:31:56","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T10:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=115194"},"modified":"2023-08-15T04:32:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T10:32:14","slug":"barn-swallow-and-toe-shadows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/08\/15\/barn-swallow-and-toe-shadows\/","title":{"rendered":"Barn Swallow And Toe Shadows"},"content":{"rendered":"

One year ago today, I photographed this Barn Swallow perched on a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service sign from the auto tour loop at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a>. It’s really more of a marker than a sign.<\/p>\n

\"BarnBarn Swallow and toe shadows on a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sign \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a simple Barn Swallow photo. Basically we see the sign, and the sky in the background, the swallow resting for a moment, and the shadow of its toes on the upper corner of the sign.<\/p>\n

Purists might not care for the “hand of man” depicted in this image, and that is completely fine. They have their way of capturing images, while I create mine. To me, the swallow perched on the sign simply demonstrates how these swallows have adapted to the presence of humans in nature.<\/p>\n

During this time of the year, the swallows that nest in northern Utah are gathering in large, mixed-species flocks at the refuge. The hatch year swallows mix in with the adults. These flocks can be quite large and noisy.<\/p>\n

The breeding season has completed yet there is a palpable sense of urgency in the flocks of swallows at the refuge and elsewhere during these last days of summer.<\/p>\n

In August, the sense of urgency isn’t focused on finding a mate, breeding, and rearing their young. Instead, it’s about preparing for their long fall migration.<\/p>\n

I missed the swallow breeding season in Utah this year, and while I might feel a tinge of sadness about that, I was needed elsewhere. I have no regrets about that whatsoever.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Barn Swallow photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One year ago today, I photographed this Barn Swallow perched on a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service sign from the auto tour loop at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":115191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2108,124,27,1148,26],"tags":[5792,5576,2111,7229,14257,4545,4094,4104,1994,4677,4681,4018,2315,4807,3470,7230,4095],"class_list":["post-115194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-barn-swallows","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","tag-auto-tour-loop","tag-auto-tour-route","tag-barn-swallow","tag-feet","tag-fish-and-wildlife-service","tag-hirundo-rustica","tag-marsh","tag-perched","tag-shadow","tag-shadows","tag-sign","tag-sky","tag-summer-3","tag-swallow","tag-swallows","tag-toes","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/barn-swallow-fish-and-wildlife-sign-toes-mia-mcpherson-3662.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-tXY","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7384,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/02\/03\/bear-river-national-wildlife-refuge-barn-swallow\/","url_meta":{"origin":115194,"position":0},"title":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Barn Swallow","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge has five species of swallows, they are Tree, Northern Rough-winged, Violet-green, Cliff and Barn Swallows.","rel":"","context":"In "Barn Swallows"","block_context":{"text":"Barn Swallows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/swallows\/barn-swallows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Barn Swallow at Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/barn-swallow-perched-mia-mcpherson-1401.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/barn-swallow-perched-mia-mcpherson-1401.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2017","format":false,"excerpt":"When I arrived at the parking area where the auto tour loop begins at the refuge I spotted a fluffed up curbside Barn Swallow warming up in the sunlight and couldn't resist photographing it.","rel":"","context":"In "Barn Swallows"","block_context":{"text":"Barn Swallows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/swallows\/barn-swallows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Curbside Barn Swallow, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/barn-swallow-fluffed-up-mia-mcpherson-8046.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/barn-swallow-fluffed-up-mia-mcpherson-8046.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Swallows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/swallows\/barn-swallows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Barn Swallow at Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/barn-swallow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9857.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/barn-swallow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9857.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/barn-swallow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9857.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/barn-swallow-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9857.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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McPherson","date":"February 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"That one midge I saw in the restroom at Bear River MBR did cause me to wonder if the swallows will show up early this year in northern Utah or will the predicted cooler weather cause them arrive at their normal time.","rel":"","context":"In "Barn Swallows"","block_context":{"text":"Barn Swallows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/swallows\/barn-swallows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Barn Swallow stretching on a post, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/barn-swallow-stretching-post-mia-mcpherson-7655.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/barn-swallow-stretching-post-mia-mcpherson-7655.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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