Cattle have their Egrets and Oxen have their Oxpeckers. Trees have Woodpeckers. Horses in Everett have Horsepeckers.



Today while checking out fenceposts along 12th st on Smith Island for Eastern Kingbirds (did'nt see any) I accidently scanned several Horses out in the near field. I was very surprised to find them attended by Buffy Horsepeckers ! Actually these were really just plain old juvinille Starlings. Maybe because I don't hang out around feedlots, or typically watch livestock thru binoculars, I've never noticed birds on Horses before. One old gaunt white Horse had a Starling on the rump and another atop its head, both doinking away on its hide for bugs. The Horse did'nt flinch a bit. I thought maybe it was because the horse was so old, but nearby superbuff Horses also were calmly accepting of Horsepeckers. Birders maybe dont like Starlings (for reasonable reasons) but it looked like Horses get along with them just fine.



Jeff Gibson, Everett Wa