The Monarchs of the Glen are proving a walkover for hungry chickens at a north hotel.
These amazing pictures show the plucky poultry perched on stags at the Doune Knoydart.
The wild deer have struck up a remarkable relationship with their feathered, domestic friends at the hotel and restaurant on the remote west coast peninsula.
The chickens have learned it is safe to walk all over the resting stags and pluck out their troublesome ticks.
The birds get a tasty snack while the deer are relieved of the nasty, burrowing beasties.
The deer come down from the hills in the late summer and autumn to breed.
Even the stags – despite being in a particularly aggressive mood at this time of the year – are happy to let the chickens hop on board.
Martin Davies, who runs the hotel and restaurant with his wife Jane and another couple, keeps 20 hens as a source of fresh eggs.
He said: “The guests just looked amazed when they first saw the chickens on top of the stags.
“I’m not sure how the relationship started or when.
“I imagine it’s similar to what you see in Africa with birds picking insects off antelopes – it’s just these two species wouldn’t normally meet each other in this country.
“The deer don’t seem to mind the hens at all, in fact they look rather relaxed. It’s quite funny when you see them walking around together.”
Mr Davies also believes the deer give something back to the chickens by scaring off marauding predators such as badgers and pine martens.
He said: “It’s good for us because a lot of predators like foxes or birds try and get the chickens.”
The Knoydart peninsula is the most remote tourist destinations in mainland Britain – accessible only by boat from Mallaig or a marathon walk over the hills.