Toos and Vlad

[briefvisit]

'fruit leaves (apple, bramble)'

How interesting

'I work in the fields to get rid of unwanted plants (ragwort, rushes). And they just stick around me and I see what they eat the most and love.'

There's this experiment we've talked about. So, your set-up is vastly superior to most: big and full of plants. It would be valuable if, over some years, you could instruct us in how to get Yummy-for-Emus plants to grow 'ferally' in your field.

https://i.imgur.com/vdX3QBm.jpg
Felicity luuuurvs little yellow flowers.

https://i.imgur.com/cjt70FC.jpg
I know this is a rubbish photo. It's from way back in the project. But it is a favourite of mine: Observer Guy managed to follow Eric, Alpha, and Omega down to the dam. This was the first time I'd ever seen wild chicks wallowing.

SE

 

[servpolice]

'fruit leaves (apple, bramble)'

How interesting

'I work in the fields to get rid of unwanted plants (ragwort, rushes). And they just stick around me and I see what they eat the most and love.'

There's this experiment we've talked about. So, your set-up is vastly superior to most: big and full of plants. It would be valuable if, over some years, you could instruct us in how to get Yummy-for-Emus plants to grow 'ferally' in your field.

https://i.imgur.com/vdX3QBm.jpg
Felicity luuuurvs little yellow flowers.

https://i.imgur.com/cjt70FC.jpg
I know this is a rubbish photo. It's from way back in the project. But it is a favourite of mine: Observer Guy managed to follow Eric, Alpha, and Omega down to the dam. This was the first time I'd ever seen wild chicks wallowing.

SE

I can take photos of their favourite plants to show you.

They're slowly losing their baby strips!

They're growing fast.

 

[briefvisit]

'I can take photos of their favourite plants to show you.'
\0/

And feel free to laugh uproariously: become a poop observer!! When you eventually come observing with me (saw mustangs last week), you'll find yourself kneeling on the ground, poking, wiv a bit of stick, at emoo poos. The contents tell you a lot.

SE

 

[servpolice]

BUCKHORN PLANTAIN (above and below) emus are starting to love these guys.

3 leaf clovers are their 2nd favourites

They eat common nettles at times (photo above and below) but love the seeds they produce.

Dock leaves are their favourites so far. They eat these all day and they won't stop eating them.

 

[servpolice]

These are the fruit leaves they like so far anyways:

1st pic: black and red current leaves (ate my shrubs clean).

2nd pic: Bramble (blackberry) leaves. They eat these every now and then.

3rd pic: apple tree leaves and all my young trees were bald after a week :')

They only ate fruit leaves until there was no more and started with the other plants once all the fruit leaves were eaten.

Dock leaves will beat fruit leaves I now think.

 

[briefvisit]

Wonderful post!! Fine to see a serious approach to our emoo-ologising.

'but love the seeds they produce.'

Watch them, servpolice, to see the switch from the sideways 'cropping' motion they use when cropping grass, to the peck-peck-peck model they use for seeds, etc., as those come ripe in spring and summer.

I've seen whole squadrons of emus down on their hocks in feet-deep grass in the mid-winter rain: crop, crop, crop, crop, crop, crop. No solid substance to the grass, and nothing else but the grass, and their poop is just green slop.


But there's a moment in spring when you'll see them switch to peck-peck-peck, as seeds become riper.

Here is Felicity, one of the 'original' chicks, and I fear for her now because she failed to turn up last spring, to gobble up literally thousands of the flowers of the Cape Weed (an invasive species here) -- although this is technically closer to the next mode of ingestion: snatch-n-twist

SE

 

[servpolice]

They're loving the river! I walk with them everyday in the field and they follow like dogs sprinting the fields and take a bath in the river. They stay in the field during the day but stay close to the field gate next to my back yard! They have plenty of land to explore but choose to stay near the gate all day unless I take then for a walk. Crazy birds


Here it's their first te going into my second field. Yet again they just stay close to me. The female loves her head massages while the male rather not be touched. Such funny animals

 

[briefvisit]

Do they generally stick to 'wallowing' while in the river? or do they spontaneously actually swim?

Lovely photos!

SE

[Despite the noise of the logging a half mile away, Mr. and Mrs. Tooshtoosh still pop in and out. And I saw Tooshtoosh take a few swipes at Mrs. T. while they were eating their wheat. I wonder if their partnership will break up.]

 

[servpolice]

The water goes up to their tails so they wouldn't properly swim. Once I walk the towards the river they sprint to the water. They literally roll in the water. Hilarious to see!

How long have Mr and Mrs Tooshtoosh been together?

 

[briefvisit]

'They literally roll in the water.' That's exactly what I meant, servpolice. If you watch patiently, you'll see videos of chicks and adults doing this.

-- I vividly remembering first seeing this clip: 'Wow! Emooz can swim!'

Tooshtoosh and Mrs. Tooshtoosh: Well, they started out in the normal pattern; but I mentioned their present behaviour because a pair still together in spring is unusual.

Serv, from about mid-summer to early winter (January to June here), you may get to observe the 'early tentative' stage of the forming of a breeding-pair. The 'known bird' -- one of my tame-wild birds -- will turn up here with a potential consort. Then, if the pair 'sticks' they'll begin the processes that culminate in the actual incubation.
So, T. and Mrs. T. have been together since early last autumn. The oddity is that they are still together. Watch this space.

[Years ago, Felicity brought a fine male here as a potential consort. Now, all travels of all emus become part of their 'territory maps,' which I guess can be huge. So, I named the male 'Speckles' because he had distinctive markings on his neck. But Felicity rejected Speckles, and he moved on.

But a couple of months later, I see this pair of emus eating thistles down in the old sheep yards. The pair seemed strangely tame, as though they'd been here before. And with a little patience, I worked it out: Speckles had formed a breeding-pair with another female ('Sarah'), and brought her here for the excellent tucker. It's the only observation of this type we have.]

SE