Barn Swallows

Must be fledging time for Barn Swallows. I went to my car in the parking structure yesterday evening (5:30) on the second floor and there was an adult and an immature bird sitting on a ledge in front of my car. Immature birds are often fluffy from pin feathers and have slightly different coloring from their parents. You can really tell the difference when the parents are there attending them. Don't know where the nest was, but this little fellow was obviously a fledgling and both parents were attending it. One was sitting next to the little guy, while the other flew around nearby noisily to attract my attention. I stayed just far enough away so that they fledgling would fly away, but I had trouble identifying them because the sun was washing out their color and features. I had to circle around them to an outdoor portion of the garage to seem them with a light angle that revealed what they were. Wings longer then their tails. Only 5 inches or so. I realized they were swallows. The flying parent showed a scissored tail and I recognized them as Barn swallows. They often use man made concrete structures to hide their nests.

When I had seen enough I circled back to my car and approached the driver-side door. That put me within 3 feet of them, which was too close for comfort. They flew off, fledgling and all. (This is a stock photo of an adult. I had no camera with me.)