By Saloni Mathur
ENDEARING images show a crow using the head of an adorable red deer like a lookout post.
These pictures, snapped at Bushy Park in Middlesex, create the illusion of a crow hitching a ride with the deer.
Standing at a distance of 70 feet, photographer Sue Pooley waited an hour to take these images using a Nikon D750 with Sigma 150-600mm lens.
Although she went to the park to take pictures of the stags, she did not expect to capture this surreal moment.
“As I was walking towards the car park, I came across this small herd of Red deer lying down under a big tree,” she said.
“They were all quite irritated by the flies as it was a hot day, but the crows and magpies landed on the deer and kept the flies at bay. So, I decided to wait around to see what happened.
“I loved seeing how the young deer reacted and behaved towards the crow. This particular deer didn’t seem 100% sure of how to react, but it still let the crow stand on its head and back so it could catch some flies.
“It’s great to see two species interacting and to watch how they work together – the deer get a free fly-catcher, and the crows get an easy snack.”