Cow Elk Being Groomed by Starlings; Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of starlings grooming a cow elk.
Free Grooming

This cow is being cleaned of parasites by some starlings.  She’s also ear-tagged.  She has a yellow tag in her right ear that is numbered “85” and a silver tag in her left ear that is numbered “8527.”  I don’t know why the tags were put on her, but she may have been tagged when the Park Service was experimenting with birth control in the late 90s.  If so, she’s quite old.  All I do know for sure is that I see her a lot and she sees me a lot.  When I’m upwind of her that nose gets a real workout.

It’s hard to tell from this little jpeg, but it appears that the starling on the cow’s head is missing toes on its right foot.

0 Responses

  1. This is such a cool behavioral image, Jim! I had no idea that birds did this around here. I’ve always wanted to photograph this behavior with oxpeckers in Africa if I ever get the chance to go, but now I’ll have to start keeping at eye out in Point Reyes!

    1. Thanks Pat. I’ve seen starlings on bison at Yellowstone also. In fact, one of my first posts on this blog was a photo of two starlings on a female bison.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share this:

More Posts

Point Bonita Lighthouse, San Francico Bay
Point Bonita Lighthouse Looking South If you continue driving a short distance from where yesterday’s...
Read Article
Point Reyes National Seashore; Former Cattle Area Where Elk Now Prevent Brush Intrusion
Photo showing amount of grassy area in elk reserve at Point Reyes National Seashore. Point Reyes National...
Read Article
My Jackrabbit Friend
Black-tail Jackrabbit, Marin County, California A couple of months ago I spent some time photographing...
Read Article
A bald eagle grabs a fish in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
View Galleries

Prints for sale

Browse my selection of photos for sale as fine art prints

Filter by category