Mating-Season in Australia

[Tame Emu Guy]

Felicity left with two wild birds.
Greedy is here.
We will check on B.E. at dawn. He is Earliest Possible Hatch Day Plus One.



The Afternoon Activity was to get some pictures for Emu Hugger, who likes the terrain and the plants – but first, water for Ring In the Chick. This is the closest we’ve been to B.E.







In non-nesting circumstances, he just wouldn't let me get this close. He cowers when I pass. Almost sinks into the earth.


Swampy spots have come up in the posts. Emus like the grass that grows at the edges, especially as Summer bites, and other sources of ‘green pick’ disappear very quickly.

[Speaking of which, they herbicided my place today; but there’s still plenty of grass to go around.]




Prehistoric, hey!

This was nearby. I think it’s exquisite.

Then I traipsed up the hill that overlooks The Big Green – same hill as last trip, but a different route, in case we stumbled across chicks.
Now, ignore the bare patch in the foreground. The trees in the distance are The Big Green. There’s a big pile of gum litter on the top of the hill, and I snuggled down into it. The smell is fine: chopped gum. There was a big wedgie right overhead. I saw three different groups of wild emus, including two who showed a splendid turn of speed along the road by the fence-line. I’ve said it before: you guys don’t get to see these birds actually cover distance. Even at four hundred yards, I had to swing the binos to keep up with them. They were flying, and didn’t slacken their pace for a second.


Supreme Emu

 

[chickenzoo]

Beautiful pics. I like the mop mushroom shaped trees..... Looks like a dino would come out at any moment.
Glad Ring is still ok.....I was pulling cor it.

My Henery is full of himself lately. Whenever he sees me he arcs his neck...puffs up and sway his ruff. He walks forward in a quick march.... Saying go me..."I'm a beautiful emu....look at me...."

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

We’re live.

A little after dawn. Clear cold morning. F. is away. Greedy is ‘here’ – except she’s not. Readers know that she turns up for her wheat at first light.
I went looking – can you guess, readers? I wonder if we are about to give academia a poke in the eye: the female emu shows no interest in the nesting-process after she lays the eggs.
Well, Greedy is standing quietly about ten feet from the nest. She’s seen me twice, and not moved. It’s Earliest Possible Hatch Day plus two.

I’ll go and check.

S.E.
(Isn’t it exciting!!)

P.s.: I forgot to explain: ‘ring is’ is Australian horse-racing slang. It means ‘brought in’ or ‘a substitute.’ It’s an old lurk to win races at country race meets: you enter a black nag named ‘Fred Horse.’ Then you get an economy-sized can of black boot polish, and smear it all over Secretariat, and switch the two at the last minute, and win big. So, Ring In is literally a . . . ring in.

 

[chickenzoo]

Waiting.....tap...tap....tap....tap... Hehe

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Greedy raised her ruff at me, and strutted. Then went back to standing motionless.
I 'll walk up again now, with fresh coffee and a book, and observe.

S.E.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

‘Kay: got chicks hatching right now, here, for reference, is a formal text. Ask any questions you want:

‘The male rothschildi emu, the semi-tame consort of a tame female, has sat on seven eggs for a usual incubation period. The environment was almost exactly as it would have been in the wild except for the observations made by the observer, who didn’t approach the bird closely.

A newly-hatched chick that was found close by was introduced to the male two days ago. The male accepted it.

This morning’s observation began about an hour and a half ago. The female was standing attentively about eight metres away when the observer arrived. She stood, looking away from the nest, for about an hour, then sat. She is sitting now. I see no reason to suggest other than that she is attending the hatching of her offspring. The fact that the female expressed no interest in whether the observer, who is her regular feeder, had food for her shows her intentness of purpose.

About a half an hour into the observation, the male rose to its knees. One egg was visibly open, and a chick could be seen within. The introduced chick burrows its way into the male’s feathers. About a half an hour later, the male repeated this process: rising to its knees to inspect the eggs. A second egg was open, and the chick visible. It may be that the male feels the chick rupture the egg.
These kneelings-up by the male are much briefer than the usual egg-turnings, which have been observed. ‘

Got soup. Be back in an hour.
S.E.

 

[Farmerboy16]

Yay! Finally chicks!

 

[chickenzoo]

Yeah.... Babies...... Great for little Ring in also, he will have a family......
I know when Merlin sat his eggs, Doodlebug would always come round and do inspections......

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Briefly:

formal version later


two out. Quite dry-looking; not all wet.
Third egg breached.
B.E. has four or five attempts at the 're-landing' on the eggs and chicks.
Utters a deep, a 'throaty' 'purr.'
B.E. still picking up bits of litter and placing them on his 'periphery.'

B.E. is eating the membrane!

Greedy resolutely on guard. Hasn't moved more than ten feet since dawn.

Ring-In is fine, but clearly in a 'satellite mode' whereby he 'comes and goes as he pleases.' B.E.'s feathers (I've wondered about this) form a curtain around his body. Ring-In can immerse herself in the curtain down the back, by the tail feathers.

S.E.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Three chicks out. All well and cute. B.E. is a little clumsy with them -- one uttered a resouding peep when stepped on. B.E. is focussed on incubating. He pushes the remaining eggs about, 'lines up' carefully, plonks down, rises, re-aligns, tries again. The chicks are sitting at this breast.

B.E. eating diligently eating the membranes and the yolk sac. (Is that the term? Anyway, the bloody left-over bit.)
Brilliant warm Spring afternoon.

Ring-In grazing independently up to ten metres away.

Greedy stood guard close by until a half an hour ago. She’s still close, but is hungry. I’ll feed her in situ.

Let’s contemplate the evolutionary miracle whereby three eggs laid perhaps ten days apart ultimately hatch with an eight-hour span.

(Goodness, I’ve been up at the nest since dawn!)

S.E.