Planet Rothschildi, Seventeenth Year

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/4Jglqgb

The young female here at dawn for her bit of wheat – the sookey female – is the grandchild of Eric the Emu. She got a pat. Her feather pyjamas were cold and wet from sitting out under the stars all night.



The Planet Rothschildi project has crept into its seventeenth year. There’s a wild emu lurking at this second behind the lilly pilly tree – emus luurrvv lilly pillies.



The ‘backbone’ of the project is identifiable males. That was Eric until he was killed. His son ‘Toosh Toosh’ is the present link.



Toosh Toosh has had two clutches. The first stayed rather longer ‘in orbit’ here.



The second? We fear disaster. Toosh Toosh appeared here last spring with them: ten chicks. Here they are

https://imgur.com/SSorUgk

He passed through again a week later, but with only six chicks. Most importantly, he didn’t turn up for ‘plum season,’ which he surely would have done in normal circumstances – Eric’s offspring were scoffing down spring plums before I got here.



And Felicity Emu? She cruised through two years ago. She’s the only other identifiable member of Eric’s family. At that time, she was about fourteen years old.



So, that’s where we are. I am getting really old, and not getting about in the bush so much; but apparently no one has ever undertaken an intergenerational observation of an emu family. Seven clutches so far: five of Eric’s, and two of Toosh Toosh’s.



Ask me anything (about emus).



Supreme Emu, Lake Muir, Western Australia

 

[Debbie292d]

I am enamored with your video. I watched it over and over about a dozen times! I'm amazed they don't crush their babies with those giant feet and the weight put onto them.

I have an acquaintance that raises Emu's and I've been tempted to hatch a couple of their eggs, but we only have 2 acres and it's not fenced so we're in no shape to be doing that.

 

[briefvisit]

When a male is on its knees, as when roosting, its chest touches the ground – and if you get to pat a wild emu, you can run your hand down his/her chest, and find a bald spot where the chest contacts the ground.

In this position, there is a sort of ‘room’ under the bird’s tail. It’s certainly a smelly little room, but it’s a warm room.

Here is Toy Boy Emu:

 

[briefvisit]

There are six chicks under Boy Emu in this photo, which was taken during the four days of his hatch, which we watched and documented here on BYC.

Through binoculars, you can see the chicks actually running in and out from under Dad.

There is a lot to learn about the parenting process. For example, when the chicks are too big to get under Dad, they all sit/sleep facing each other in a ‘fairy ring’ at night.

How do we know? A couple of rare observations (of Eric the Emu and Alpha and Omega) and from finding ‘fairy rings’ in the bush. There’s no mistaking them: it’s a circle of baby emu poops, with one big Dad poop.

Supreme Emu, Lake Muir, Western Australia

 

[briefvisit]

And here are some clips and photos as a present for you:

https://imgur.com/0rPZDyt

The wonderful thing about Planet Rothschildi is that the tame-wild emus we observe have no idea that they are 'at my house' or 'in the house-clearing.' They cross from the massive National Park to my garden and back again.

This chick is stripping the last of the cherry tomatoes in autumn.

https://imgur.com/BcRi0SQ

I think this is Limpy Chick -- and for a change, it's a good photo. You can see her chest feathers are 'ruffed up.' She's seen or heard some wild emus in the bush. You can see the 'eagle eyes' thing goind on.

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/NxKLbXn

This is the legendary Greedy the Emu. I've seen her attack a dozen wild emus at a time. One of only-ever two 'double-alpha' birds here. (Her Dad Eric was the other.)

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/kD0ypIG

And for variety, here's a very very thirsty kangaroo at the bird bath. Patience is the trick. You just sit and sit and sit and watch.

In late summer, the bird bath gets lots of attention. Last week, I photographed a mustang drinking from it (with baby horse in tow).

SE

 

[p4PaDuck]

https://imgur.com/4Jglqgb

The young female here at dawn for her bit of wheat – the sookey female – is the grandchild of Eric the Emu. She got a pat. Her feather pyjamas were cold and wet from sitting out under the stars all night.



The Planet Rothschildi project has crept into its seventeenth year. There’s a wild emu lurking at this second behind the lilly pilly tree – emus luurrvv lilly pillies.



The ‘backbone’ of the project is identifiable males. That was Eric until he was killed. His son ‘Toosh Toosh’ is the present link.



Toosh Toosh has had two clutches. The first stayed rather longer ‘in orbit’ here.



The second? We fear disaster. Toosh Toosh appeared here last spring with them: ten chicks. Here they are

https://imgur.com/SSorUgk

He passed through again a week later, but with only six chicks. Most importantly, he didn’t turn up for ‘plum season,’ which he surely would have done in normal circumstances – Eric’s offspring were scoffing down spring plums before I got here.



And Felicity Emu? She cruised through two years ago. She’s the only other identifiable member of Eric’s family. At that time, she was about fourteen years old.



So, that’s where we are. I am getting really old, and not getting about in the bush so much; but apparently no one has ever undertaken an intergenerational observation of an emu family. Seven clutches so far: five of Eric’s, and two of Toosh Toosh’s.



Ask me anything (about emus).



Supreme Emu, Lake Muir, Western Australia

What happened to Eric the emu?

 

[briefvisit]

He disappeared about six years ago. The injuries to those chicks of his clutch that survived make me suspect a vehicle.

Eric had a clutch of nine at the time. And this clutch was his fifth that we got to observe. On the day in question, Eric and nine left; only seven returned, two with quite serious injuries.

Now, this made the survivors sorta 'rescue emus' because I lavished food on them as the two injured ones recovered.

All but two -- 'Limpy Chick' and 'Toosh Toosh' -- went bush at about the normal age; but LC and TT were rather sookey, and stayed a long time.

Then they went bush, and Toosh Toosh has twice turned up with clutches. One of his grown chicks -- 'Sookey Female' -- was here yesterday. So Sookey Female is a grand child of Eric

SE

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/91fqdXH

Here he is, with the clutch in question. Go, Eric!

On a serious note:

good data on the intergenerational breeding habits and territorial behaviour of dromaius novaehollandiae is very very scarce. We have turned up over the years a number of data that just aren't to be found in the literature.

And Eric the Emu was the foundation of the work. He was here the day I arrived in autumn, 2008; and observing him and his clutches over the years gave us the many data -- good and weak -- that we patiently figured out.

Here's an example: I just happened to be here one day when he arrived with a new clutch -- that is, as he and the chicks stepped into the house-clearing. Eric walked straight across the house-clearing to the early plum tree, and peered up into it.

That is, that food source was logged in his memory as a time and place. Over years, we have constructed a pastiche of time-and-place-and-behaviour data: emus 'flocking' up in autumn, emus forming breeding-pairs, emus securing territory for breeding, emus incubating their clutches, emus 'showing their chicks their world.'

And Eric was the best 'datum' of all.

SE