I took those pics with my phone and watched them that entire evening. They periodically returned to each other and turned their head/ears in a manner that seemed to ask for help, there was no mistaking what they were doing.
Here are a couple of pics of a deer and a bird who buddied up. Of course the bird was getting food from the situation so it might not have communal, but the deer was more than happy to accommodate him. Once again the deer would bend and contort his ears so the bird had easy access. The deer certainly knew there was relief provided by the bird.
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