A Buck and a Bird

Posted by SantaFeJoe on Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:18 pm

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A summer Mule Deer buck laying on the lush carpet of vegetation at Bosque del Apache while his passenger grooms him in the late evening light.
Nikon D200, Nikon 500f4, 1.4TC, f5.6@1/180 second.
All C&C welcome.
Joe

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. -Pablo Picasso

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by Ron Day on Thu Aug 13, 2015 11:29 am

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Great job capturing this grooming behavior!

Ron Day www.rondayphotography.com

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by Carol Clarke on Thu Aug 13, 2015 2:19 pm

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That must be very tickly on the nose like that, its a wonder the buck isn't shaking his head to dislodge the pecking bird. Nice one Joe!

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by SantaFeJoe on Thu Aug 13, 2015 2:53 pm

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Carol Clarke wrote:That must be very tickly on the nose like that, its a wonder the buck isn't shaking his head to dislodge the pecking bird. Nice one Joe!

Actually, Carol, they seem to enjoy it. On this day, there were several deer together with birds on each. They seem totally oblivious to their passengers. Here's another member of the group:

Joe

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. -Pablo Picasso

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by Carol Clarke on Thu Aug 13, 2015 5:03 pm

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I realise they will remove parasites etc from the hide of their hosts - and that must be a bonus for the deer, but its just that the skin is so thin on the ridge of the nose, and that's why I felt it would be tickly in that particular area.

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the world will know peace"....Jimi Hendrix.

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by Srcan on Fri Aug 14, 2015 12:00 pm

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Like the look back pose of this one.

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by Cindy Marple on Sat Aug 15, 2015 4:35 pm

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Cool behavior to capture. I like your square crop and the pose of the buck as well, all that greenery in summer is so different than what you see at Bosque in the fall!

Cindy Marple
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by SantaFeJoe on Tue Aug 18, 2015 4:25 pm

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Carol Clarke wrote:I realise they will remove parasites etc from the hide of their hosts - and that must be a bonus for the deer, but its just that the skin is so thin on the ridge of the nose, and that's why I felt it would be tickly in that particular area.

Thanks, all, for your comments! Carol, many of the deer at Bosque seem to have scabbing on the nose. That could be why it's a relief, yet a disturbance at the same time. I know that Oxpeckers try to keep a wound bleeding to keep a fresh source of food. Maybe the Brown-headed Cowbirds do the same. I don't really know for sure.

Joe

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. -Pablo Picasso

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