Planet Rothschildi

[Tame Emu Guy]

Spoke to a bloke who works in Paraburdoo, up north. About 250 miles in from the coast. There’s still another 600 miles to the border.

Now, we’d have to get a reliable map of the woodwardi’s habitat – how far inland do they range?

But Official in-the-shade temperature one day last week was 118.

S.E. is, as he types, juxtaposing various maps.

Hmmm . . . we are gonna have a Report on temperature and emu-habitat in W.A., guys.

The first habitat map I viewed shows that emus range into far hotter country than Paraburdoo!! (And there is desert only a couple of hundred miles from here!!)

S.E.

[As preparation, you could watch ‘Youtube emus in denham, western Australia.’ The male is surely a woodwardi. 'Stripped-down emu'!!]

 

[kbgh]

In the great saga of emu life, it appears felicity might finally become a mama, er dada, what do we call her since Felix is gonna do all the work, EGG DONOR? That last phot, FANTASTIC

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Well, K.B., we'd call her 'a fair contributor.' Although, in the odd case of emus (and other ratites), it is the male that does the parenting, bear in mind that the female makes an enormous biological investment in the eggs. Check out the ratio of size of female rhea to size of rhea egg!!

Having said that, K.B., Supreme Emu unashamedly barracks for Felicity Emu. It really is becoming clear that the house-clearing is 'hot' territory, and that Felicity -- though a fine bird -- is being 'squeezed' by her situation.

S.E.

 

[Ashburnham]

May you be showered with Blessings oh Supreme Emu!
I decided to do some of my own research today.
Drove down to Wilsons Prom. (2 hours drive from here)
I havent been for years, not since before the fires and the floods.
Some photographic results - this was in the flat plains country before you cross the mountains
into Tidal River. Blessings were everywhere-


It looks like prime Emu country down there-

And I saw the first "wild" Emus I have seen in 30 years. As they took absolutely no notice of me
perhaps "wild" is an exageration. There was a flock of 3 adults grazing in the grass by the side of the runway.
You can see the terminal buildings of the "Wilsons Prom International Airport" in the background!
I could have got closer but as I was already 150 metres past the "Absolutely No admittance " sign.............

 

[Ashburnham]

If you have never been to Wilson's Prom, it's one place you must see once in your lifetime.
"The beach at the bottom of the world".


Tidal River.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Ashburnham, I am thrilled – both observations and photos from the range of another sub-species!!

Non-Australian readers take note: these photos are from Planet Novaehollandiae, South East Australia.

I see the ‘buttons’ of something in plenty in the blessings.

S.E.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Readers, there is an Emu Habitat Report as a separate thread.

S.E.

 

[chickenzoo]

Looks like millet seed or something similar in the blessings.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Dawndawn here at this second. Cool and fine. Gonna walk up and check on Eric Plus.

Felicity Plus was here most all day yesterday. While E.P. was away, she seemed almost homesick, walking around and around the house: through the backyard, through the carport; standing looking in the window.
Did see a pair of birds down behind the fig – M.F. and A.?

E.P has beaten me to it. They were about to ‘move out’ when I saw them. S.E. will try again soon.

Felicity and Felix are here. They clearly roosted nearby – Felicity got here even before E.P. They didn’t vocalise on arrival. S.E. gave E.P. wheat, on the far side of the house, out of sight. Then, when Felicity did have a little kook-kook, S.E. started counting. E.P. turned up a mere minute later. We need more data on this.

Felix got a good feed of wheat behind the fig tree – I fed Felicity twice. Again, she seemed interested in being at the house. Felix hooked into the first ration of wheat, which S.E. put down behind the fig tree. This Whole Farmhouse Thing must be beginning to make sense to him!

S.E. watched all five birds again during the morning power-play. I think Felix may turn out to be a contender. I wish you could have been watching through the binos as E.P. came down on their first sweep. This morning, truth to tell, Felicity outright bolted; but, once again . . . Felix seemed unfazed. He did withdraw – but bear clearly in mind the ‘home-ground factor’: E.P. and Felicity pay no attention to S.E.. Felix remains very much on edge. Still, though, he raised his ruff (didn’t vocalise), and withdrew just a short distance.
Is Eric Getting Old?

Here on the Planet, readers, we tell it like it is. Anything else is a waste of readers’ time. Eric was an ‘established’ emu, S.E. reckons, when S.E. got here. We have no idea how old Eric actually is. I have read in at least one place (big deal!) that wild birds only live around ten years.
Are we witnessing Eric’s twilight?

Gee, guys, this is ugly! Does every wild emu die at the hands of its fellows? Killed the moment it can no longer hold its place? Does anyone have any data at all on this?

Finally, on a cheery note, ‘auto-taming’: S.E. has made no attempt at all to tame the chicks. E.P. receives a double handful of wheat twice a day. We note also the ‘general protocol’: S.E. always (a) moves quietly around the birds, (b) talks to them quietly, and (c) avoids ‘constraining’ them in any way, that is, for example, moving so as to place them between S.E. and a fence or wall.

Amazing!! Three or four times yesterday morning, Alpha Chick snuck into the carport, right up to the feedroom door. When S.E. is around the house, we four move almost as a family unit – the chicks happily wander along about eight or ten feet away.

[Wild cheepings and gruntings and tearings-around-in-the-gums going on as I type. The chicks really do get worked up during what is, in simple effect, combat. Rather like an eleven-year-old following a combat patrol around in Vietnam.]

S.E.

 

[Tame Emu Guy]

Photo of Felix:

firstly, F. and F. are clearly mounting a ‘patient challenge.’ E.P. withdrew this morning, whether under pressure or not we can’t guess; but F. and F. wound up with the house-clearing to themselves.

[Opinions on this one, please: okay, F. and F. are getting triple-rations at present; but there's no solid grazing left here. Why is Felicity here? Is it already mating-season behaviour?]

Secondly, by the simple expedient of crawling under the fig tree, S.E. got close to F. and F.: